by Mona Gallagher

Created on: July 04, 2009   Last Updated: July 11, 2009

The need for health care reform is an issue on which almost all Americans can agree. Health care is in the center of heated debate that comes in troubled times, when the national debt is at $11.5 trillion dollars, and it continues to climb. At the end of the fiscal year 2008, the deficit was $455 billion dollars. CBO projects a $1.85 trillion dollar deficit for 2009.

Is this the right time to consider spending a trillion dollars on government health care? Currently, the US is paying about $415 billion dollars in interest on money borrowed.

The proposed trillion dollar health care spending comes in troubled times when the US is in the throes of economic crises that could continue for some time. The TARP and ARRA stimulus have not produced growth and job losses continue, while China our largest debt holder, is campaigning for a new world currency leaving the US dollar in shaky territory.

The health care proposal also comes at a time when Congress is pushing a cap and trade bill through the Senate that would raise the US deficit higher and cause utility prices to skyrocket as costs are passed down to businesses. The prices then are passed down to consumers. Price rises can also come through other services such as food, clothing and health care.

The spending spree our US government is pursuing is not sustainable. By borrowing more money from lenders, many of whom are becoming scarce, our government is betting on a recovery that is not yet in plain sight. Warren Buffett, leading investor, told CNBC there has been little progress, stating he expects recovery to take years. George Soros, another leading investor, recently profited by nearly $3 billion dollars by hedging bets against the US economy.

As of this writing, the actual cost of the health care proposal is not set in stone. The first proposal projected cost was $1.6 trillion dollars. A newer proposal has the cost at $1.3 trillion dollars.

Is a government run health care care worth plunging our nation into deeper debt with higher deficit? Here are some questions worth asking.

How many people are uninsured because they can't afford health care?

The administration and many news agencies are throwing the number of 46 million Americans who are uninsured but without placing the number in context. Dr. Sanjay Gupta of of CNN provides the following breakdown for the 46 million number.

Non-citizens who are uninsured = 9.48 million

Uninsured by choice (50 to 75K salary)= 8.3 million

Uninsured with salaries

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