Obamacare is a healthcare program developed in the United States and introduced to Congress in September of 2009 with a goal of creating affordable health insurance for all or most Americans. One of the main points was to reduce health care spending within the United States and expand the availability of private and public health insurance. Although it does not control individuals’ health care, it offers numerous protections for American citizens, some of which include; permitting adults to stay covered on their health insurance plans until the age of twenty-six, prevent insurance agencies from misconduct and releasing clients who are ill, as well as doing away with limits which include annual and lifetime options (Obamacare Facts). In addition to requiring insurance companies to cover people with preexisting illnesses it also provides essential health benefits such as the right to emergency care, hospitalization, counseling and screenings for potential illnesses (Obamacare Facts). Obamacare also introduces new taxes that are created in order to subsidize costs for middle class Americans and smaller businesses, this coupled with an employer mandate to provide health insurance to all full time employees by 2015 has created a strong sense of dissatisfaction within a plethora of interest groups and political parties (Obamacare Facts). Many felt as though the push for Obamacare was a push towards a more socialized America in terms of medicine and corporate health care (Faria, 2012). Should individuals or companies decide not to comply with the law, large fines are to be administered by the federal government. In turn, this brought about a heavy sense of “usurpation of liberty” and “gradual loss of freedom” that Americans have gotten u... ... middle of paper ... ...ugh they remained minimal (McAuliff, 2013). The Obama administration knew that they would have to work hard to gain back the trust of the public and so the changes that ensued were ones which also pleased the Democrats, one of which included more restrictions on income variation for people receiving subsidies and the option to opt out of automatic enrollment by employers into the Obamacare plan (Republican Ideas Included in the President’s Proposal). Essentially, President Obama may have taken his role as a leader for granted. The Obamacare legislation had garnered much opposition, and remains unfavorable to Republicans, and “lukewarm’ to Democrats at best. It did not do well in gathering supporters and until today, Obamacare seems to be more of an aspiration than a realistic plan to benefit and improve the American health care system (Kernell et al., 2014, p.304).
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Show MoreThe Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare” was designed to assure that all Americans regardless of health status have access to affordable health insurance. The Affordable Car Act was signed into law March 23, 2010. The primary goal of this act was to decrease barriers for obtaining health care coverage and allow Americans to access needed health care services (Affordable Care Act Summary, n.d). After the legislation is fully implemented in 2014, all Americans will be required to have health insurance through their employer, a public program such as Medicaid and/or Medicare or by purchasing insurance through the health insurance marketplace exchange (Affordable Care Act Summary, n.d). I will identify three parts of The Affordable Care Act that I believe are important. First, I will talk about the requirement that insurance companies are no longer able to deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions. Secondly, I will explain why physician payments are being shifted to value over volume. Lastly, I will discuss Medicaid expansion and why some states are not expanding at all.
One of the most controversial topics in the United States in recent years has been the route which should be undertaken in overhauling the healthcare system for the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. It is important to note that the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to make healthcare affordable; it provides low-cost, government-subsidized insurance options through the State Health Insurance Marketplace (Amadeo 1). Our current president, Barack Obama, made it one of his goals to bring healthcare to all Americans through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This plan, which has been termed “Obamacare”, has come under scrutiny from many Americans, but has also received a large amount of support in turn for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include a decrease in insurance discrimination on the basis of health or gender and affordable healthcare coverage for the millions of uninsured. The opposition to this act has cited increased costs and debt accumulation, a reduction in employer healthcare coverage options, as well as a penalization of those already using private healthcare insurance.
Whether we are in favor or opposed to the Affordable Care Act, it is important that we consider how it affects us and the world surrounding us. First of all, I find useful to mention what the Affordable Care Act (also known as ObamaCare) is and how it differs from any other healthcare acts. The Affordable Care Act provides Americans with health security by putting in place health insurance reforms that are supposed to expand coverage, hold insurance companies accountable, guarantee more choices to choose from, lower healthcare costs, and eventually enhance the quality of care for all Americans. It differs from other healthcare insurances because patients with pre-existing conditions can now be eligible to receive treatment and prevention of further illness.
Obamacare is what America needs, and is the middle ground between a single payers system and a public option system. Without Obamacare, the two opposite options I have given would be too extreme and not everyone would agree on them. It would cause controversy in America, and that is the opposite of what we need in this health care crisis. It would also not help the health care crisis grow and replenish itself to the standards that us citizens expect from the government. In order for America to stay on track to rebuild the health care system, we need to keep going in the same direction and expand our horizons by keeping and adding on to the Affordable Care Act so every citizen is content.
Health insurance, too many American citizens, is not an option. However, some citizens find it unnecessary. Working in the health care field, I witness the effects of uninsured patients on medical offices. Too often, I see a “self-pay” patient receive care from their doctor and then fail to pay for it. Altogether, their refusal to pay leaves the office at a loss of money and calls for patients to pay extra in covering for the cost of the care the uninsured patient received. One office visit does not seem like too big of an expense, but multiple patients failing to pay for the care they receive adds up. Imagine the hospital bills that patients fail to pay; health services in a hospital are double, sometimes triple, in price at a hospital. It is unfair that paying patients are responsible for covering these unpaid services. Luckily, the Affordable Care Act was passed on March 23, 2010, otherwise known as Obamacare. Obamacare is necessary in America because it calls for all citizens to be health insured, no worrying about pre-existing conditions, and free benefits for men and women’s health.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by President Barack Obama is a significant change of the American healthcare system since insurance plans programs like Medicare and Medicaid (“Introduction to”). As a result, “It is also one of the most hotly contested, publicly maligned, and politically divisive pieces of legislation the country has ever seen” (“Introduction to”). The Affordable Care Act should be changed because it grants the government too much control over the citizen’s healthcare or the lack of individual freedom to choose affordable health insurance.
In addition to that, Republicans also fall out that people will prefer to work less because of the Care, as everybody will have a guaranteed health benefit despite the less working hours. Due to this they have fired political salvos to the Democrats, who they say are not taking into account the economic status of the American citizens as the Obama Care ...
In the United States, healthcare reform has been a highly prioritized issue by progressive politicians. As early as the 1940s, employer provided health insurance created a shift that would alter healthcare in the United States in a way that is still recognizable today. Presently, healthcare in the United States operates as a free market system that profits from both private and governmental health coverage. Because of this, the cost of healthcare far exceeds that of other industrialized countries that have any variation of universal healthcare. The most recent progressive policy change to healthcare in the U.S. is the passage of the Affordable Care Act. This act has successfully insured over 10 million Americans, and kept millions of young
More than half of the American population is convinced that the Health Care Reform is necessary and it must be carried out by the government. Hence, the government plays a huge role in the health care transformation as it provides the nation with the health care plans and outlines other possibilities for medical coverage like the health insurance exchange. President Obama suggests his own plan of stability and security for all Americans. This plan is to provide more security and stability for those who have health insurance as well as those who don’t. Obama believes that it will lower the cost of health care for American families, business and government (The Obama Plan: Stability & Security For All Americans). In general, 62 percent of the population supports the idea of the go...
ObamaCare, also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is a Health care reform law that was signed on March 23, 2010. ObamaCare’s goal is to provide more Americans with affordable health care insurance. ObamaCare also hopes to improve the quality of healthcare and health insurance in America, regulate the healthcare industry, and reduce the cost of healthcare in the United States. ObamaCare is made up of ten titles; I: Quality, Affordable Healthcare for all United State Citizens, II: The Role of Public Programs, III: Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Healthcare, IV: Prevention of Chronic Disease and Improving Public Health, V: Healthcare Workforce, VI: Transparency and Program Integrity, VII: Improving Access to Innovative Medical Therapies, VIII: Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act), IX: Revenue Provisions, and X: Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, is a new health policy created by the American federal government. Its purpose is to make healthcare more affordable and friendly for the people. Unfortunately in some way that does not prove to be the case. It is becoming apparent that Obama may have made some misleading statements to help get the ACA put into action. The ACA is sprinkled with many flaws that call for a reform such as people’s current plans being terminated, high costs, and at minimum some people’s hours being cut by their employers.
The major goal and crowning achievement of Obamacare was the ability to provide healthcare to those who would not be insured otherwise. “Supporters of the PPACA [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] argue that the law is good policy that will finally make healthcare affordable and accessible [to] ordinary Americans” (“Affordable” 8). In order to make widespread health coverage become a reality, a large enrollment with various signers to Obamacare would be essential. The main targets were young people, so that Obamacare would carry on with the newer generations, and people who were in need of the health care, but did not have access to it. However, after the first five months, the results had not been promising: “just 25% of enrollees were between the ages 18 and 34 -- well below the 33% to 40% most experts believe is needed to create a balanced...
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the real title of the bill, enacted in 2009. It is far better known as The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. This bill represents the biggest revolution and improvement, or at least an attempt towards it, in the health care of the United States of America since the passage of Medicaid and Medicare in 1965. The main purpose of the ACA implementation was, as the bill states in its title, to make: ˝ Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans˝ possible. Before the ObamaCare, there were millions of American who were uninsured, or had poor quality insurance plan. On the other hand those who did have health care coverage, even the decent one, we left on their own when insurance companies abused their trust and deprived them of their rights. That was the reason why the government and the President Obama, hoped to increase the quality and make the health insurance more affordable. The idea was to lower uninsured rate by firstly increasing the extent of public and also private coverage, and then secondly, to minimise the costs of health care for both individuals and the government.
In March 2010, under the Obama administration, the United States enacted major health-care reform. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 expands coverage to the majority of uninsured Americans, through: (a) subsidies aimed at lower-income individuals and families to purchase coverage, (b) a mandate that most Americans obtain insurance or face a penalty,
...ing in the U.S. The Affordable Care Act expands the affordability, quality, and availability of private and public health insurance through consumer protections, regulations, subsidies, taxes, insurance exchanges, and other reforms. I believe mandatory health coverage is a step in the right direction towards a future with universal health care. Although Obamacare may help americans to better afford quality health insurance, it is not a national healthcare program provided to the U.S citizens free of cost. The fact that citizens will be forced to purchase ObamaCare plans or be fined or penalized on their taxes for not doing so, further suggests that healthcare today is a priviledge not a right.