Pros And Cons Of Universal Health Care

Universal Health Care and the Affordable Care Act

Healthcare issues have been prevalent in society for many generations now, with a main focus on availability and access for consumers. Universal healthcare systems are in place in the majority of the world in some variation, but the United States has not made the switch. One factor that affects the way Americans feel about their health insurance, care and coverage is social class. Social class, among many other perspectives, changes the way individuals view the healthcare system and the way that it affects them personally. While there are both pros and cons to the universal system, in terms of availability and access for patrons, universal healthcare makes the most sense. The most important

This was detrimental to American society because those people were never able to satisfy their most basic health needs, such as wellness checks and preventative care. Since those individuals were unable to receive those check-ups by a healthcare professional, conditions and diseases went undetected. When individuals only receive healthcare in the case of extreme illness or injury, some conditions reached the point where they became incurable or very difficult and expensive to treat. If said people were originally not financially stable enough to reach out to a healthcare professional for a check up, they were clearly put in an economic bind when on-going treatments or major procedures came up. Medical expenses have become major stressors and sources of debt for many Americans. Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, individuals are no longer able to go without insurance. While this may create an issue for some people who have trouble budgeting and affording their monthly insurance rate, the government has supplemented that coverage through programs like Medicaid as long as they fall below the 133% poverty level depending on their state of residence

Further, health insurance providers are not allowed to cap spending. Prior to the Affordable Care Act, companies had the ability to limit the amount of money a patient spent per year. Changes to the system also introduced a mandatory limit on “premium increases from year to year using a rate review program” (Renter). In addition to more people receiving proper healthcare, individuals cannot be denied coverage due to their pre-existing conditions. Health care quality and coverage has been dependent on a patient’s pre-existing conditions for many generations leading up to the Affordable Care Act. Many Americans lived under the false impression that they could not afford health insurance in any capacity or that they simply did not need it, and there fore they lived without it. While this may have worked for a while, once said people were diagnosed with an illness and attempted to get health insurance coverage, they could be denied to their pre-existing conditions. This situation results in patients not being able to afford their prescription medications and even life-saving procedures. While many pre-existing conditions can be treated and