Affordable Health Care America Act Signed Today

Doug Mills/The New York Times

"We have just now enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care," President Obama declared.

A big day in Washington D.C. and a monumental day for the nation, as we move forward towards affordable health care and the removal of pre-existing conditions which, for years, has kept millions of people uninsured. Today, Obama, armed with pen, signed his health care overhaul; this bill is, perhaps, the biggest act of social legislation in decades. Obama used twenty pens in the signing of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which he planned to pass out as tokens to key lawmakers. The Affordable Health Care Act has been a dream for many politicians for 40 years, starting with the late Senator Ted Kennedy in 1970 when he introduced the idea to provide national health insurance. In the audience, Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island (perhaps one of the most important players in the quest for this health bill), held his father's original bill from 1970 which he gifted to Obama with a personal message inside.

Passed by the House on Sunday night by a vote of 219-212, the bill will provide coverage to the estimated 30 million people who do not have it, as well as:

• require most Americans to have health insurance coverage
• add 16 million people to the Medicaid rolls
• would subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people
• cost the government about $938 billion over 10 years
• estimated that the bill would reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over a decade

The battle is far from over and there will be many who are not happy about the signing of this bill. There are always two sides to every argument and there will be a lot more said about this subject before any recognizable changes can be seen within our health care system. No longer will Americans be disenfranchised regarding their health care. In the recovery community countless people will be able to get health insurance for the first time. This bill will have lasting effects perhaps unlike anything seen since the 30's regarding social legislation. We will be following this story.

"Our presence here today is remarkable, and improbable: with all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing; to wonder if there are limits to what we as a people can still achieve." -President Obama-

Vic Chesnutt's Life Was A Life Marked By Tragedy

In the last year there were many important people who passed away as a result of their addictions. Sadly, one of those people went relatively unnoticed; for whatever reason the name Vic Chesnutt and his death went undetected by many in the media. When it came to high profile deaths in 2009, Jackson, DJ AM, Murphy, and Johnson seemed to get all the attention. Vic Chesnutt is not a name that many people know, he was not some mainstream music star; he had yet to win any Grammys at the time of his death and he never invented any dance moves that would end up going down in history. He did, however, touch the lives of many people throughout the music community - singing songs of sadness and inspiration. Vic Chesnutt's life was a life marked by tragedy, creating an uphill battle for Vic's entire life. Not many paid attention to Vic when he was alive, perhaps more will find comfort in his lyricism now that he has passed on.

Chesnutt, a songwriter known for his dark folk music with a touch comedic relief, died on Christmas day in Athens, Georgia. Vic spent several days in a coma that was caused by an overdose of muscle relaxers. When one looks at the surface of this story it does not seem like anything new, another musician loses the battle against drugs and alcohol or they end up taking their own life for a number of emotional reasons. Vic's story is a little bit different and makes one ask the question, "Was Vic Chesnutt overlooked by society?". Vic Chesnutt was born in 1964 in Georgia, at the age of 18 he was involved in a car accident that ended up placing Chesnutt in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Although he was paralyzed from the neck down, he found that he could move his hands enough to play simple cords on his guitar; he invested all of his energy into songwriting. The first two albums Chesnutt ever created were produced by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. "Chesnutt gained national prominence thanks to 1996's Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, which featured Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Garbage and more bands covering his songs to raise money for the Sweet Relief charity, which aids musicians in need of health care", according to Rolling Stone.

At the end of the day, Health Care is what this story is really about. At the time of Chesnutt's death, his medical problems ended up making him a critic of the American health care system. Chesnutt was one of the fortunate Americans to have health insurance; but, he still found himself with $35,000 in medical bills which weighed on the singer heavily. Despite releasing 17 records in his career, Vic was not a rich musician; there is very little money and even less respect in the indie-music scene. It is believed by many that Vic deliberately overdosed because he could no longer deal with the health care system that he was bound to and the insurmountable debt that came along with that system.

He was certainly passed over by Insurance companies, my peers, and even myself; the music industry kept Chesnutt alive and ultimately played a part in his death. I hope that you will take the time to listen to the power of just one of Vic's songs.

"I guess the very emotional nature of my songs attracts emotional people, and they become quite, um, emotional. They come up to me after the shows, and I don't know what to say to them. I dont want to be an asshole or anything, but I think I do my best communicating alone in my room, when I'm writing songs. But I do appreciate them very much. If it wasn't for them, I would've killed myself a long time ago."

"You Cannot Separate The Mind And The Body"

"You cannot separate the mind and the body", said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. People in need of mental health care may finally get the help they need. Insurance companies have always provided the least amount of coverage for mental health and substance abuse patients. Countless people have been denied coverage for mental health related problems, to the point where people have come to accept that that is the way it is. With the help of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and his son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., politicians were able to get the parity bill on to the Wall Street bailout package in September 2008. While the entire nation was preoccupied with the presidential election and the economy, the bill was passed without anyone even noticing. Starting Jan. 1, 2010 large group health insurance plans that provide mental health coverage must provide the same level of coverage at the same price as physical and surgical coverage; the new law only applies to group health plans which cover 50 or more. This is the beginning of a very significant change in the way health care is provided. "This is a major piece of civil right's health care legislation," the younger Kennedy told an audience honoring him and Ramstad at Mar-a-Lago last year according to the Palm Beach Post.

Just as with any new bill, there is still a lot that hasn't been worked out, such as the guideline for how the new law will be implemented. Companies that offer mental heath care with their package may choose to drop mental health coverage all together rather then be burdened with the new law. Nobody knows if student health care plans and employee assistance plans fall under the umbrella of this bill or not. Naturally, if insurance companies have to provide equal coverage, the cost of coverage will increase; heightened costs may be unaffordable for a significant amount of employers, forcing them to drop coverage all together.

Despite the kinks that still need to be worked out this is a big step and providing patients what they need and deserve. Routinely, those in need of drug and alcohol treatment have been denied coverage by the health care provider. For too long mental health patients have slipped through the cracks - not any more!