Speaking as a generally conservative-leaning American, I'm highly suspicious of the long term benefits this bill will supposedly have for average Americans. This bill mainly goes after insurance companies, and in doing so avoids the problem of why health costs are so high.
As for you Canadians and such out there, you may want to consider that America's population is roughly 10 times the size of Canada's. It's much more complicated than it sounds to try and fit America into the same mold as Canada and Europe. Attempting to sustain a universal health care system in the United States could prove economically ruinous (which hurts the poor and working class citizens more than it does the rich) if the underlying problems of the costs of health care aren't addressed. I believe these costs can be fixed by de-obfuscating the way patients pay for their medical services, thus encouraging competition and market principles. Government intervention in the economy isn't necessarily good or bad. What matters is whether the government's actions encourage competition and other healthy economic practices. I pray I'm wrong, though, as this clearly isn't the direction in which we are moving.
I hope the Democrats are right about this one, because if they're not, then things are going to get really lousy for the poor/middle class Americans in a decade or two, possibly much worse than they are now. I don't care about the Republican party, they can go off and dissolve for all I care. What matters to me is the American people, and I sincerely do not think that this bill will be good for them in the long run. The rich will be fine whatever happens, they've got money and assets to cushion themselves. It's the rest of us that I'm concerned about.
Nice that you're all so happy. Hope it lasts.
