A group of fiscally conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats are responsible for the latest delay in U.S. health care reform legislation.
Representative Jim Cooper of Tennessee says that any vote on President Barack Obama’s most ambitious legislative effort to date will probably be delayed until after Labor Day.
Among other objections to the current plan, the Blue Dog Democrats want to reduce the number of lower-income Americans who would receive health care subsidies under the plan’s provisions.
Blue Dog Democrats are fiscally conservative, mostly Southern representatives who oppose the more liberal policies of the Democratic party. Aside from health care, Blue Dog Democrats have also helped delay climate change legislation and legislation making it easier for unions to organize.
While the debate over U.S. health care reform goes on, more than 40 million Americans are without health insurance of any kind under the current system. Many who receive health insurance through their work place are severely under-insured.
A growing number of Americans are looking outside the U.S. for quality, affordable health care. In countries like Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, and Uruguay, patients can get high-quality care, often from U.S. trained doctors, at a fraction of the cost in the U.S.
U.S. citizens are also eligible for local health care insurance in many of these countries, but with health care costs so low, many simply pay out-of-pocket, even for major operations.
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