As most of you are probably aware, school was disrupted with excitement over President Obama’s visit to Faneuil Hall last week on October 30th. You may have seen many people standing outside with banners waiting to see a glimpse of the president as he came to the hall, or the SWAT team vehicles providing security.
Obama’s visit to the building next door, Faneuil Hall, was to give a speech about the new healthcare laws going into effect in the US. As most students know, health insurance is required of all students in Massachusetts, which is why many of you had to purchase healthcare through our school. The law mandating health insurance for everyone in Massachusetts has been in effect for about 6 years, but a national law is still being put into effect now.
Passing a national health care law was a long and controversial process, because many citizens of the US did not agree that we should have national health care coverage. However, President Obama and legislators saw the example of Massachusetts’ healthcare system and decided they would try a new system on the national level.
Healthcare in the United States is very expensive, and many, many Americans live without health insurance. How is the health care in your country? Do you pay for your own health insurance, or does the government provide some of the insurance through tax contributions? Stay tuned to the newspapers for more information!