Korea and Obamacare – Part 1
The election for the American president is upon us again after four years. I am going to preempt this by saying that, as a person who loves history, I loathe current events, namely politics. The reasons are pretty simple overall. In America we have to define ourselves as either Liberal or Conservative, and Democrat or Republican. I do not know where I am on the political scale; either I am a conservative democrat or a liberal republican. I’m not sure how one would define it, because on some issues I am very liberal and on other issues I am very conservative. I am going to speak on a specific issue – health care – and talk about South Korean universal health care. A quick note before I get started on universal health care: America is the only developed nation that does not have universal health care.
I still hear people keep complaining about Obamacare. This is part of the socialist agenda. Blah, blah, whine, whine. Do you really think every person having health care is a bad thing? Why should we have to worry about if we are covered for being sick? Does nobody remember the horror stories of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s)? If you were not covered at one hospital you better not have been dying, because you would have had to go to a different hospital.
I know what the common answer is: “It costs too much money! Out taxes are going to go up!” Yes, taxes will go up. Except now you should not have to buy extra insurance every month. Plus, a significant number of people are already covered under government health care. In America we have Medicare and Medicaid, both of these programs benefit people who are financially needy or elderly.
The truth of the matter is that if I was still in the United States, and if I never lived in a different country, I would probably be against Obamacare. When I was at home before coming to Korea, I was working a full time job with no benefits. Then I was also working 2 other part time jobs with zero benefits. I was clocking 60 plus hours a week at three jobs, and was completely stressed. I did get sick and when I went to the doctor, it cost me a couple of hundred dollars between the visit and medicine.
However, after living here in Korea and having used the medical services with social health care. I love, the idea of universal healthcare. I do not have to worry about going to the hospital and my insurance being rejected, or having a huge bill just for a check-up.
I do have my problems with, Obamacare. Number one, the Senators and Congressmen who passed this bill are not a part of this insurance. If they pass this insurance, they should definitely be getting the same benefits as the American people that they allegedly serve.
Problem number two, is that the new health care system does not add to the number of doctors. If it is a health care reform bill, that should be an essential element to the new health care system. Getting more qualified doctors is an issue people have been dealing with for an extended period of time, and addressing this issue seems like it should key in bringing affordable health care to the masses.
These are some of the pros and cons of Obamacare. Ultimately, I feel we have made a huge step in the right direction, but now we have to get in there and make sure this system works and does not bankrupt our country.
The Good: we have made the correct move by allowing this to happen
The Bad: it still needs a lot of work
Image Credit: doomu/Shutterstock
About John Van Uytven
John grew up on a grain and animal farm in South Central Illinois. His family has owned the same farm for 150 years. With an abundance of history around him, and many good teachers over the years, he was inspired to pursue a career in History. He graduated in 2009 with a BA in History. He is currently living abroad in South Korea teaching English to children and learning about Korean culture. He loves driving his motorcycle around Korea seeing the beautiful mountains and scenery that Korea has to offer. One aspect he truly enjoys of living in Korea is trying different foods and cooking in his home. He has found a love for spicy food that was once never thought possible. At one time even the thought of regular pepper in something was too much for him. Now, he regularly enjoys Indian curries and Thai dishes. When he is not traveling, he can be found playing poker or working on a new hobby; the newest of which is trying to learn how to play the guitar. This has been more problematic than previously thought. He is also a dedicated Browncoat. Keep flying and stay shiny.