Very thought provoking. I am pro-reform, and dont really understand how anyone could not be. Keep up the good work momversation.com!!!

I could not agree more with Senator Gillibrand - we urgently need health care reform in America, and it is a bi-partisan issue we all should be concerned about. I am not sure why people are so up in arms about a public option for health care - we have had Medicare for decades now and it is beloved by all who use it. Why, if our government can manage to run that program so effectively, are people convinced that it could not run a program that encompasses children and those under 65 as well? Maybe it's because too many people are watching Fox News...

I tend to look at this issue from a different angle. I'm going to go out on a limb here because I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of people who disagree with me. (After all, it's not everyday that you see a conservative Christian American who studies and is all for holistic living.) ;-) I think if people were healthy, we wouldn't need all this healthcare junk. The Senator brought up a good point when she said that we need to change what we're feeding our kids in their schools. However, just taking out trans fat isn't enough. Look at all the processed crap that's in our foods: MSG (highly addictive additive), neurotoxins/carcinogenics in the form of artificial sweeteners, cholorine in our water that suppresses our immune system and our body's ability to burn fat, high fructose corn syrup (yes, I actually know what high fructose corn syrup does, unlike the commercials), and the list goes on and on and on. Even some "health" supplements are chemically compromised and are more toxic to our bodies than if we didn't take them. I've seen people change just their nutrition and beat diabetis, obesity, nerve and brain disfunction, and even cancer! I'm not saying this is the answer for everyone because I'm not sure to what extent our bodies can undo the damage we do to them, but my point is, if people would take responsibility for what they put in their bodies, our nation would be a much healthier nation that wouldn't overtax our healthcare system. Having said all that, I've been a victim of health insurance companies before and I'd love to see insurance companies gain a heart and a brain!

wow rachael beth, i'm so glad to hear that the tricare system has worked for you, especially given your autoimmune disorder and multiple trips to the ICU. that being said, i have experienced the exact OPPOSITE of what you described and have been DENIED for preexisting conditions when hospitalizing my son twice, once at 4 months of age, and again at 5 months of age. so in saying, "And NO ONE is denied for preexisting conditions," um, i raise my hand to that and say "actually that's false, because we have been." quite honestly, i loathe the military's socialized heathcare, speaking as a military dependent. the level of care that i have experienced has been so disgustingly careless, negligent, and a plain ol' pain in the ass to deal with, that i dropped myself from "tricare prime" to "tricare standard" so that i can have the choice to go see civilian doctors and not be relegated to doctors on base. my husband is a conservative and i'm a liberal... so there are very few things we see eye-to-eye on in terms of politics and political issues. the issue of healthcare though and having it socialized like it is for military members, dependents, etc.... is one that he and i both agree is entirely NOT the answer. i personally believe tricare is a mess. i am glad to hear that you have had such a positive experience with it and that you are alive because of this system... quite honestly though, you are the only military dependent i have heard that from. i do not think "the military's system for dependents works," and therefore i dropped myself from it in order to make individual choices for myself, my personal care, and my son's.

First of all, I don't see how a 50% approval rating is good by any means. That means half the country is either opposed or undecided. Another interesting fact is that Facebook polls show even more drastic numbers. In one, 69.4% say "NO" to health care reform, 30% say "YES" and .6% say "I REALLY DON'T CARE". Another has 542,412 saying "NO" to a government run health care system. 73.8% of the poll. (as of today). While I agree that it totally sucks that people get dropped from their coverage when things get rough and I think it's ridiculous that so hard to get covered when you go about it yourself (like Heather), I also think that we need to really think this thing over. There's no point in rushing something like this and causing more headache for future generations. Just think about it how much we all dread getting our licenses renewed or plates for the car or how frustrating it can be to visit the Social Security office when all you want to do is legally change your name after getting married....these are all government-run and they always offer a horrible experience with huge waiting lines and less than friendly employees. The last thing we want is a health care system that looks, feels and operates the same way.

There's no doubt the health care system in this country is broken. The question is how to fix it. There are so many ways. What President Obama is proposing right now has been totally misreprented by those opposed to his plan. He's not telling everyone that the public option is mandatory. He's saying its an option. I honestly don't know what the public outcry from the other side is all about. Having said that, the fact that a US Sentator, who is also a mom, would go on Momversation to talk about it is VERY cool. Senator Gillibrand, isn't it true that the public insurance option is an option not a mandate? I'd love to hear from you.

My opinion on this issue is easily illustrated by my experience with the health care system in this country: I have a chronic infection, and in college I had no insurance (my parents' insurance stopped covering me at age 24...guess you can only go to college from 18-23?). Every time it cropped up, I had to pay for an exam, lab work and expensive meds. It cost me thousands over a period of just a couple of years. Then, they found pre-cancerous skin cells on my leg and I needed minor surgery to remove the surrounding area. I still did not have insurance, and this whole ordeal was very expensive. But, what were my alternatives? During my final checkup regarding this issue, the doctor was literally in the room for 30 seconds. He just looked at it, said “yeah, looks good.” Cost me $100. Which at the time may as well have been a million. I had AMAZING health insurance when I got salmonella, and I still paid $2000 out of pocket when all was said and done. Seeking a Cortisone shot for my resulting arthritic knee, which made it possible for me to WALK AGAIN, I found that in most cases it's an elective procedure, therefore not covered. Elective? For whom? They'd have covered me if I let my knee go and needed a knee replacement, etc. But not the shot. What? If I had not had insurance, my bills would have been upwards of $20,000 for a handful of tests and some physical therapy. Someone whose employer does not offer them health benefits could easily contract salmonella, or some other life-threatening illness, and be financially devastated. There's something wrong with that, you can't deny that. Hospitals charge whatever they want to for any procedure because they know insurance companies will pay. But...what if you don't have insurance? Obama's solutions may not be perfect, but at least he's trying to do something. And all he's calling for right now is some reform. If you already have insurance, you've got absolutely nothing to worry about. I know that some people are scared of a full socialist takeover, and that's a perfectly valid opinion, and I don't have such a sunny, optimistic world view as to think they won't try it. But, if your fears are someday realized and the administration tries to push some fully government-controlled health care agenda on us, we as a people can say no to that, and I'll be on the front lines. I want to keep seeing the doctors of my choice and have the government out of my medical decisions as much as anyone else. But you're getting way ahead of yourselves. There are millions of sick people who are afraid to go to the doctor because they don't have insurance. And some of those people are children. They can't effectively take part in this political debate. Who is speaking for them? Instead of speculating on what Obama might try to do in the future, focus on the people who are in need. People who are less fortunate than you. Not to mention, there's already government-funded health care. It's called Medicare and Medicaid. I think of Obama's reforms as an extension of this. It will cost us less in the long run that it does now, with the uninsured running to the emergency room and then taxpayers footing that bill. And that does happen, trust me. I live near the SF hospital that is best known for treating the homeless. And we all know they can't pay. I have friends who are from other, capitalist, NOT socialist, countries (NOT Canada either, there are many countries with public health care) who say that their health care system works fine. No one has to worry about getting sick. You cannot say the same thing for this country. The richest, most powerful country in the world, and none among us is entitled to our basic health care needs. In college, my stepbrother had a bad cut and stitched it up himself because he was too poor to go to the doctor. There are no examples of poor experiences with government-funded health care. Except of course for the occasional conservative pundit's exaggeration and hyperbole. Where I'm at as of this moment: if we can bail out crooked CEOs, we can bail out poor, sick Americans. It's not a black and white issue, it's very grey, very muddy. Count yourself very blessed to never have been sick enough or uninsured enough to realize just how broken the system really is. But, not every one is coming from that experience.

OK. So I would like to hear the counter argument from a Republican. Why shouldn't we all have health care again? I also want to hear exactly what Gillibrand is proposing

I know this is a HUGE topic, hard to cover in like 5 min, but I think this Momversation really skimmed the surface. Several people alluded to the health care reform being debated right now, but no one came out and said what it was, pros and cons, etc. At the very least, could Momversation panelists provide links in the episode description when topics like this are being discussed, so that readers/viewers can get some background info? (Yes, it's sort of me asking you to facilitate my laziness, but I do honestly think it's a good idea to provide that info.) I do like that the panelists have differing POVs and can share them here without it devolving into an argument. :)