For all of the talk from both sides of the political aisle, we have damn good health care in the United States. We don’t have a perfect system by any means (and neither side is proposing a perfect system), but then neither does anyplace else in the known world. Even with the system as we’ve had it for years, six out of seven Americans has major medical insurance. And both the truly poor and the aged are covered by government sponsored plans.

That’s not to say our health care system has no gaps. Nobody who’s aware of the situation would deny that there is a gap amongst the working poor. There are a good many who make too much money for government programs, but have trouble coming up with the scratch for medical insurance premiums. Whether or not the new government programs will truly fix that problem remains to be seen.

One thing all of us need to be ready for is the fact that our insurance premiums are going to go up. While most of us probably see it as a good thing (more or less) that those who have pre-existing medical conditions will have an easier time finding insurance plans to cover them, we all need to take an open eyed look at the fact that when insurance companies are no longer able to pick and choose whom they will accept, their costs are going to go up.

And no business, insurance or otherwise, simply takes a soaking when their operating costs go up. They pass the costs onto the customers. While on the one hand, they will have a whole new pool of customers who will be required by law to purchase medical insurance, providing more income, on the other hand, many of the new customers will be people they would have rejected before for cost related reasons. Which means that, in the end, we’ll all pay a bit more.

The government is already taking steps to ensure that price hikes are regulated, but there is only so much regulation that can be done. Business is business, and companies need to show a profit at the end of the day or they go under.

So, prices are going to go up, for just about everyone( except those who had been paying high premiums due to health problems). But, chances are, it won’t be as extreme as some would have us believe. Like any other bill that we can’t avoid, we’ll pay it, the economy will adjust to it, and we’ll move on. Let’s just hope that as government controls set in that the medical profession continues to be an attractive one. Because as it is, we have great medical treatment here. Good enough that people come from other countries to receive medical care here. And regardless of political stance, we all want to continue to have good health care.

Photo via Time Pearce, Los Gatos