We’re All Shut Down

By NASW-CA Executive Director Janlee Wong, MSW

 While there continues to be serious disagreement on the effects of not only the recent government shutdown, failure to raise the debt ceiling and the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or “Obamacare”), we should see if there’s anything most (but not everyone) can agree on.

Federal deficit, the shutdown and the debt ceiling

Most agree that we need to reduce the deficit and pay our way for any federal spending that we can agree on. A shutdown and failure to increase the debt ceiling are not the way to do it. We need a deliberative process, otherwise known as Congress, to do it in a rational, orderly process that is not with a shutdown gun pointed at everyone’s head. The Administration needs to be part of the discussion since the executive and legislative branches of government are the foundation of our democracy. Failure to operate our government in the intended manner as prescribed by the Constitution can only lead to negative impacts on our economy which hurts us all.

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Social workers believe in health care for the uninsured whether it be through employers, Medicare, plans in the health care exchanges or Medicaid expansion. Most agree with social workers on this but differ on who gets insured and who pays for it. There is a vocal minority that feel if you can’t pay for your own insurance, you shouldn’t have health insurance. Their viewpoint sometimes includes the attitude of “Why should I pay for health insurance for others through my own premiums and taxes?”

A simple concept of why we pay for the care of others is that someday when we need care (which we will), others who are healthy will be paying for us. A misconception is that my own premiums pay for my own health care. That is not the case under an insurance model. Fighting cancer, treating heart disease or chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, costs substantially more than what one pays in health care premiums. Just look at a typical hospital bill for treating these illnesses.

If the plans under the ACA are not something people like, let’s propose on a policy level something else. If you’re silent, perhaps you don’t agree that everyone should have health care. Would you agree then that when you get sick and your premiums no longer pay for your care, that you will go without health care?

If we want a society that doesn’t care for each other, then essentially all of humanity is shut down. Let’s get in a discussion about what we agree on what we should have and not in a screaming match about what we don’t want.