The US health care system has been going through tremendous change. Health care costs are increasing faster than wages and millions of Americans are either uninsured or underinsured. The health care system is pushing millions of hardworking Americans into relentless financial constraints.

Barack Obama seems very determined to help everyone, especially those who can’t afford healthcare with the enactment of his new reform bill. Obama’s offer will transform the current system of employer and government provided health care, keeping what works currently while simultaneously creating funds that will lead to a more effective medical system. Doctors and hospitals today are paid for performing procedures. With all the complexities of today’s healthcare system, it is difficult for doctors to focus on helping patients, not on insurance paperwork.

But opponents of the plan raise a different concern. Their main apprehension is cost effectiveness and the quality of the health care system. They are worried that this plan will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit. It would also mean new taxes and a huge backdoor premium that could possibly make health care costs even higher, not lower. Businesses and taxpayers will be stuck paying for a plan run through higher taxes. This new health care reform will cover fewer medical procedures and each American will have longer waiting periods before they can get the medical care they seriously need. For many patients who need to undergo surgery or a transplant, this many mean adding another couple of years to the already drawn out wait process.

The US stands as the single industrialized nation whose citizens are not guaranteed the right to receive appropriate health care, resulting in 45 million uninsured individuals.

With this new reform, US Citizens could finally have unlimited access to healthcare by reducing health care premiums. However, this does not occur without an equally substantial drawback. There will be an unforeseen new tax, which could undermine middle class taxpayers who play a crucial role in the U.S. economy. Politicians need to consider both arguments with equal weight before drawing conclusions.