The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act stipulates that all states must have a health insurance exchange in place by 2014 or the residents of that state will have the option to enroll through a federal health insurance exchange. A health insurance exchange aims to provide competitive prices and transparency to those who are currently unable to afford health care coverage and for some businesses. It is seen as a step towards universal health coverage. [1] A predecessor of the health insurance exchange as outlined but the PPACA is the exchange in Massachusetts, which is entitled the Connector. Connector provides information on name brand health insurance options as well as information on Commonwealth Care, the no or low cost health care plan for those with low income who do not qualify for MassHealth benefits. [2] Since the passage of PPACA some other states have organized health insurance exchanges for their residents including, California, Utah and West Virginia. [3][4] Many are in the process of developing their health insurance exchange programs as well. This is not to say that each health insurance exchange is developed equally. The Utah health insurance exchange is a collection of websites that a consumer can visit to obtain quotes for health insurance, where as the Connector provides comparison quotes that a consumer can review at the same time. The Kaiser Family Foundation produced a comprehensive brief on the health insurance exchange, which listed and explain 5 function of the health insurance exchange. The 5 functions of a health insurance exchange as described by the Kaiser Family Foundation included: Offering potential members with a multitude of health plan options that focus on competitive pricing B... ... middle of paper ... ...ts 27.21 (2010): 7-9. Business Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. 4. Williams, Walt. "W.Va. to Launch Health Insurance Exchange." State Journal 10 June 2010: n. pag. Web. 17 Apr 2011. . 5. United States. Health Insurance Reform Reality Check. Washington DC: , Web. 17 Apr 2011. . 6. Blumberg, Linda, and Karen Pollitz. "Health Insurance Exchanges: Organizating Health Insurance Marketplaces to Promote Health Reform Goals." Timely Analysis of Immediate Health Policy Issues. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Apr 2009. Web. 17 Apr 2011. . 7. Pickert, Kate. "Behind the Heath Insurance Exchanges." Time 12 Aug 2009: Web. 17 Apr 2011. .
“Americans without insurance coverage will be able to choose the insurance coverage that works best for them in a new open, competitive insurance market – the same insurance market that every member of Congress will be required to use for their insurance. The insurance exchange will pool buying power and give Americans new affordable choices of private insurance plans that have to compete for their business based on cost and quality. Small business owners will not only be able to choose insurance coverage through this exchange, but will receive a new tax credit to help offset the cost of covering their employees.
With implementation of healthcare reform, steps are being taken over the next several years to insure all American’s. Starting in 2014, a new resource called an Exchange will be available. According to HHS, a healthcare exchange will “provide a transparent and competitive insurance marketplace where individuals and small businesses can buy affordable and qualified health benefit plans”...
The Affordable Care Act introduced a plan that would allow Americans with pre-existing conditions to obtain health insurance without the hassle of being turned down or fear of being charged higher premiums. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan was effective as of July 1, 2010. It allowed patient access to affordable healthcare in which they were previously denied due to their pre-existing condition (Affordable Care Act Summary, n.d.). Patients were required to be uninsured for at least six months before they obtained this form of health insurance. In January 2014, the PCIP plans no longer exist due to funding issues so Amer...
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.
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Healthcare plays an important role in almost every person’s life at one point or another. Many times, one can get caught without, or underinsured and it can be detrimental to their livelihood. With the rising cost of healthcare, it is likely that having a national healthcare policy in place, and as an individual, being able to afford and obtain adequate health insurance has not been required until now. With the new national healthcare plan, it is required for all citizens to obtain and maintain some sort of public or private insurance policy. The rising costs can be attributed to many things. A significant reason for the astronomical cost of health care is because of the staggering amount of uninsured or underinsured individuals receiving medical attention and almost many never paying the bill. Those who do have insurance have seen a gradual increase in their premiums and deductibles to make up for this.
ObamaCare Summary: A Summary of Obama's Health Care Reform. n.d. Web. 18 03 2014. .