Although the new administration seems to have gotten the ball rolling as far as changes to policies go, the future is still looking pretty bleak according to many analysts. The number of uninsured Americans right now stands at 45 million people in 2009. If there aren’t significant changes made in health insurance policies, that number will skyrocket to 54 million uninsured people by the year 2019. That would mean that over 17% of our entire population would be without health insurance. In this post, we’ll look at what people are calling for in terms of change, and what members of our government have to say to the President.

What Are the Problems with Current Health Policies?

The increase in the numbers of uninsured would be driven by the costly insurance premiums whose prices rise faster than incomes can keep up with them. If people simply can’t afford to keep paying health insurance premiums, they’re going to let them go and join the ranks of the uninsured. Many health treatments are deemed wasteful and unnecessary, and people pay well over what they should for these services.

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Yesterday, we looked at the types of health reform that Obama plans on instituting. Today, we’ll look at how these plans may be carried out.

If you were hoping Obama was going to charge in on his gallant steed and change the way health insurance operates in this country, you are probably mistaken. “The Obama plan is actually quite traditional,” says John Sheils, Senior Vice President of the Lewin Group, a health care policy research company. “It is very similar to the proposals made by other democratic candidates during the primaries.” This isn’t something to get down about, but realistic expectations should be held near and dear. Although there are some changes and extensions that Obama is hoping to make to the way things operate currently, what he drafts and what actually makes it through Congress are another story.

Bill Clinton and George Bush didn’t get bills passed simply due to lack in trying. Congressional support from the Democratic members, as well as their input, is going to be a crucial component of how the health care and insurance turns out for all of us, so that is what you will want to keep your eye on.

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