The first thing that would be enacted through my optimal health care reform plan would be making employer based insurance mandatory. Individuals who are employed will be eligible for health insurance coverage and will not be able to opt out with out proof of other insurance. Employer based insurance will become more affordable for both employers and employees through a tax credit incentive. Employers will be able to choose which plans to provide to employees through the use of a Health Exchange. No less than two plan options will be available to employees.
Medicaid is often mistaken as insurance strictly for the poor. This is not the case as many middle income households rely on this insurance. For this reason the program will be expanded to include more middle income households who are unable to afford insurance premiums. Unlike the current program all enrollees will be required to pay some form of a premium based on a sliding fee scale. This will allow these individuals to make some form of a contribution to the health care industry.
A mandate will be made through this health care reform plan that will make providers more involved in the care of their patients. Steps will be taken to help increase the number of physicians in areas experiencing shortages along with incentives for physicians to become family practitioners. Preventative care will be the focus therefore annual checkups and routine procedures will be covered by all insurances. A coordination track where doctors, nurses, and other providers work effectively and efficiently in teams, analyzing the outcomes and processes of care to rid the system of waste will be created (Cortese & Korsmo, 2009).
In order to make insurance affordable for all Americans a cap wi...
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...nt will also be subject to a surcharge.
Through this plan any individual who earns an adjusted gross income of $500,000 or $1 million jointly will incur a surcharge of 5 percent. This will help generate funds for the plan while at the same time helping to create a new balance. All individuals are expected to contribute to the health care plan, but will do so in different ways. No person who meets these qualifications will be exempt from this surcharge.
Pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies will also be subject to a tax increase. These companies currently generate a large amount of profits. For this reason they should be taxed, with the money received being funded back into the health care system. This will also help regulate the amount of profits they receive, thus ensuring that people are not being over charged for their health insurance coverage.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of health care reform implementation in the state of Ohio. Throughout the paper, I will discuss if the health care reform has been effective as well as name some of the positive and negative outcomes. Furthermore, I will discuss how the health care reform is impacting community health. Discussion on the effect of health care reform on the economics in Ohio will conclude this paper.
In conclusion, Medicare and Medicaid are available to the elderly, disabled, and low-income individuals or families. They are both supported by the government. Each of them has their own characteristics, but their similarity is that they are in place to offer assistance to people in need.
These provisions “prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to those with such conditions or charging unhealthy individuals higher premiums than healthy individuals” (National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius). The plaintiff’s second argument, however, states that government does not take into consideration the healthy individuals who choose not to purchase insurance. This argument is formed on the political premise that since health care costs are too much of a strain, it is easier for a healthy individual to live without health care coverage than to bear the burden of its cost. The reform will ultimately force healthy individuals to pay for premiums that will be higher than their actual health care expenses. It would also increase premium costs overall by accepting unhealthy individuals who cannot be charged the necessary rates to pay for their
In recent years, the number of Americans who are uninsured has reached over 45 million citizens, with millions more who only have the very basic of insurance, effectively under insured. With the growing budget cuts to medicaid and the decreasing amount of employers cutting back on their health insurance options, more and more americans are put into positions with poor health care or no access to it at all. At the heart of the issue stems two roots, one concerning the morality of universal health care and the other concerning the economic effects. Many believe that health care reform at a national level is impossible or impractical, and so for too long now our citizens have stood by as our flawed health-care system has transformed into an unfixable mess. The good that universal healthcare would bring to our nation far outweighs the bad, however, so, sooner rather than later, it is important for us to strive towards a society where all people have access to healthcare.
Such rising health care costs penalize the citizens within our nation in multiple aspects. The first set of individuals that are affected are families and seniors because it affects the amount of money that goes into their pockets, which results in a difficult time balancing food, rent, and the basic necessities for living. Next, small businesses and fortune 500 employers are affected because such increased costs cause rising health care costs to become more expensive to add new employees to their payroll and more difficult to cover retiree fees when that time comes. Finally, the federal, state, and local governments are forced to increase Medicare and Medicaid costs, which results in cutting other priority funding such as public safety and education.
Despite the established health care facilities in the United States, most citizens do not have access to proper medical care. We must appreciate from the very onset that a healthy and strong nation must have a proper health care system. Such a health system should be available and affordable to all. The cost of health services is high. In fact, the ...
Although the insurance market should offer more attainable health insurance for everyone, with the healthcare reform act insurance companies have increased their rates to levels that many people cannot even pay. However, because the government is requiring people to get insurance and keep insurance from year to year, they have no other choice but continue to pay insurance premiums to at least have the bare minimum coverage as required to prevent being subjected to penalties (Health Reform Database: Explanation of
It is no secret that the current healthcare reform is a contentious matter that promises to transform the way Americans view an already complex healthcare system. The newly insured population is expected to increase by an estimated 32 million while facing an expected shortage of up to 44,000 primary care physicians within the next 12 years (Doherty, 2010). Amidst these already overwhelming challenges, healthcare systems are becoming increasingly scrutinized to identify ways to improve cost containment and patient access (Curits & Netten, 2007). “Growing awareness of the importance of health promotion and disease prevention, the increased complexity of community-based care, and the need to use scarce human healthcare resources, especially family physicians, far more efficiently and effectively, have resulted in increased emphasis on primary healthcare renewal.” (Bailey, Jones & Way, 2006, p. 381).
Taxes in relation to the new healthcare reform is a prominent topic when one examines the supporting and opposing sides of the law. New taxes on businesses producing medical equipment and new Medicare taxes on investments have been established. For individuals and businesses choosing not to participate in purchasing health insurance there will be a penalty called a "shared responsibility" tax. The accrued money from these taxes is being used, among other things, to provide low-cost insurance plans on the marketplace and to create subsidies for those purchasing the plans. Through these subsidies, "any individual making up to $45,960 or a family of four with household income up to $94,200 is eligible" ("Obamacare tax guide") to qualify and get assistance at the end of each year to off-set the cost of the insurance even more...
The two tiered Medicaid system of health insurance was started with the intention to help the deprived people with assess that necessitate will decline with time. I accept as true the implications of a two tiered Medicaid system is to offer health care exposure to low-income families. So I feel the implications are straightforward but genuine, two tier plans agree to tax breaks for convinced people and that is one of the biggest concerns in our general public today. I firmly consider that insurers have to take delivery of flattering services for the quantity of deductible practical toward them. On the other hand, those that have private indemnity, have much deductibility to their coverage, as they have to elect to choose their own policy that's
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislation passed in 2010 supported changes to private and public market places for patients, providers and health insurers most noticeably through expanded health insurance availability. A key piece of the legislation included a significant expansion to the Medicaid program to include all individuals with incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (Hahn & Sheingold, 2013). Initially, if accepted within the state, the expansion is fully paid for by the federal government and progressively through 2020, 10 percent of the Medicaid spending is a responsibility for the state to fund. As part of continuing to receive any federal
The United States passed bill that health insurance should be mandatory in the year 2014. Under the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, each person is required to have at least a minimum level of health insurance failure to, the individual will face a penalty. The mandatory health insurance issue has faced reactions from both sides with some people supporting while others opposing. It is mandatory for every individual to purchase a health insurance depending on their earnings. The health care insurance is mandatory for all US citizens, and all legal residents in America. It is considered as an individual responsibility requirement, and those without this insurance are subject to a tax penalty of $750 per year up to a maximum of three times that amount ($2,250) per family. However, there are exemptions for financial hardships, incarcerated persons, religious objections, and undocumented immigrants. Mandatory health insurance is important, and should be applied in all states because, everyone gets ill and at one time, they have to visit a health care facility for medical services. In addition, it protects the health future of families, and protects people from unexpected high medical costs because they are covered.
In fact, at one point, preventable care was nearly unaffordable. For such a developed country, the price of health is double the price than any other country. Since the Affordable Care Act is paid for by a government spending, tax increases (from higher income tax papers) and other sources, some may view this as a form of socialism. Obamacare is quite effective due to the fact that it offers (even if mediocre) coverage to over 20 million individuals. Since 2011, coverage for a family of four has increased by 7.3%, which is nearly double than what it was almost a decade ago. Moreover, it is projected that only 38% of Medicare costs will be covered by payroll taxes, which adversely will result in the federal budget deficit. The reform should emphasize the need for the government to offer substantial subsidies to those insurance companies that cater to high-risk recipients in exchange for lower deductibles and unfluctuating prices. Offering subsidies to insurers can also be used to increase competition. As of now, individuals under Obamacare are likely to only find one insurer for coverage. The purpose of more competition to lower health care
However the amount of people who are not enrolled ranges from 28 million to 30 million. Think about how effective a health plan for those who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare would be. So many people were on the edge of receiving Medicaid, but were denied and couldn’t receive benefits. Why should they be thrown under the bus? My plan would help those that were kicked to the side. With the proposition of a medical plan, I hope to assist everyone that is currently unable to receive medical attention; this includes individuals with limited resources and low-incomes. The plan will run at a state level and will provide long-term effects. It will fully cover medical cost and will leave no outrageous out of pocket
Through this polic, various health care associations, including Medicaid, have expanded (ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act, n.d). However, this policy has caused many tax increases. Many citizens do not agree with the tax increase. The policy has worked well, but there could be some improvements to the policy so that it can reach its intended outcome (ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act, n.d).