This is a guest post by Dr. Joshua Freeman, a family physician, educator and author of the blog, Medicine and Social Justice. As we wait to see if the President’s health reform bill passes, it is a good time to review the actual core reasons why we need health reform. I believe that this will help ground us, and allow us to evaluate both whatever finally passes, and help us ignore the political posturing and maneuvering that distract us from them.

How exactly having such a high national uninsured rate impacts you – your family, your savings, your wallet. We all pay a “hidden health care tax” - a deceptive terminology because its not a tax, but rather the portion of your annual health insurance premiums used to cover uncompensated care rather than you, or your families, health.