This past week saw Congress passing the landmark health carebill, which has been on the minds of most people since Barack Obamawas elected president.

And while I don’t pretend to understand all of the language of thehealth care bill, I certainly can see a few good things that willcome from it – along with a lot of bad.

I also have a lot of questions that no one in government seems towant to answer. I’ve seen a lot of sidestepping this pastweek.

The bill itself has presented several interesting and controversialtopics.

I think it’s a great idea that more Americans will be eligible forhealth care, but at what costs to the rest of us?

I also think that being able to “take your coverage with you” is agood thing, as is the part that says insurance companies can’texclude pre-existing conditions from new policies.

One of the things that really concerns me is the portion of thebill that requires all Americans to carry insurance?

I think in theory it’s a great idea, but realistically do you thinkit’s going to happen and as seamlessly as they make it out? And whois going to police this? And then who do you think is going tosubsidize and pay for the coverage?

In the end, I feel it will be the taxpayer and probably the middleclass taxpayer. The one exception is going to be low-incomepeople.

Well, in my estimation, it was the low-income people who we weretrying to cover in the first place or at least make healthinsurance affordable. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck,low-income or slightly more, even a $20 a week premium can be thedifference in groceries this month or not. It’s these same peoplewho can’t afford health care coverage.

Having seen my share of illness, I have firsthand knowledge of howsome health care goings-on work.

It seems every year my family’s health care premiums continue to goup, as do my deductibles, but the things my health insurance coversis getting slimmer and slimmer. Even my prescription drug coveragehas waned.

At one point my husband and I both had been taking certainprescription drugs for a couple of years, which were working justfine. When my health insurance ended its fiscal year, so did thetype of coverage they were offering on those drugs. My husband andI both had to change to a different prescription – one that ourinsurance would cover. Like the majority of Americans, we’re payingmore money for less benefits.

I’ve often said that insurance companies, and therefore themanagement of our health benefits, are dictated by a suit who sitsbehind a desk in some skyscraper in an unknown big city. They don’tknow me from Adam and could not care less, except what affectstheir bottom line.

They even tell my doctor or my hospital how long I can occupy ahospital bed or what tests I can receive. These aren’t medicalprofessionals making these decisions, these are people who arethere to make a dollar.

Now, though, my concern is that a bureaucrat in a government officesomewhere will be deciding the rules on how much and what kind ofhealth care my loved ones and I receive. That thought is astroubling as the current situation.

I don’t know what the answers are. All I know is something needs tobe done so that our children and grandchildren aren’t saddled withthe responsibilities of paying for something they didn’tcreate.

I also can’t help but think about how well the Stimulus Bailout orthe Cash For Clunkers programs went.

And how was your week?

Lifestyles Editor Tammie Brewer can be reached at The DAILY LEADERat (601) 833-6961 ext. 134, by e-mail at tbrewer@dailyleader.com oryou can write to her at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven MS 39602.