Healthcare for one, Healthcare for all?

Today the Senate Finance Committee voted on the Healthcare bill; without any shock, the bill was cleared. However, what might of been a surprise to some is that it was passed with a 14 to 9 vote - which means one Republican voted in favor of this bill. The Republican was Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine. One must wonder, could this be the start of a bipartisanship that President Obama had talked about? We'll have to wait and see, but I'm not all that hopeful. When talking about the bill Senator Snowe said "My vote today is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow." What a true politician.
The Healthcare bill is on thin ice right now. One wrong part, and the possibilities of it being passed could end it all. Some parts of the bill that was passed today included expanding Medicare to help those who are uninsured, government subsidies for moderate-income families to help buy insurance (in a government regulated market), and stricter regulations on the insurance industry. It is predicted that within the next ten years 29 million more people would be insured, but that still leaves about 25 million people who are uninsured. This bill is expected to cost around $829 billion, made up in part by new taxes and fees put in place, over the next ten year span. These projections/predictions are just that though predictions. No one can be absolutely positive of the outcome of this whole bill. It's impossible. I wonder though, how much trust should we put in these politicians? Enough to put the fate of our health in their hands? And why, because they're the ones who went to the top schools?
There are still many unanswered questions to go along with this bill, atleast some of which will be answered for us. This bill is expected to reach the Senate as a whole by the end of the month. This is just the tip of the iceburg though; there is still a long way for this bill to go. Hopefully the politicians will drop the arguing based on which party they're in, and look at what is good for the people. As Mr. Grassey had put it, "There is a lot in this bill — it’s not a case of Republican or Democrat or bipartisan. There is just a consensus that it needs to get done.” I hope he's right.

Source: The New York Times