About half of immigration into the United States is illegal, thus approximately half of the impact of immigration on our health care system is due to illegal immigration. The influx of illegal aliens has serious hidden medical consequences. We judge reality primarily by what we have seen. But what we do not see can be more dangerous, more expensive, and more deadly than what is seen. What is unseen is their free medical care that has degraded and closed some of America’s finest emergency medical facilities, and caused hospital bankruptcies.
The US government is struggling to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The ACA has four challenges, first, inequality, reducing health discrepancies among racial and ethnic minorities is a major focus of the law. Second, and perhaps the greatest challenge in the US health care system is inefficiency. The tremendous costs of the US system have worsened gaps for racial and ethnic minorities by making it difficult to afford health insurance. Even the ones who were able to afford it were only able to afford lowered end treatment. Persistent expansion of health insurance for minorities will require significant improvements in the efficiency of healthcare. Third, the US system is heavily relied on reliance on expensive, high tech care. For example, minorities without health insurance have commonly not had access to preventive services because of the expensive equipment that is used. Fourth, continuing public puzzlement is a problem for the implementation and political upkeep for the law. The only thing most people know about the act is the individual mandate that everyone has to have “minimum essential” health coverage. There was a poll released by Kaiser Health Tracking that affirmed this how uneducated people are on the ACA. The poll was released in April 2013, which revealed that 4 in 10 Americans are still unaware that the ACA is the law and is being implemented. Those who are aware of the law only half of them understand how the law will affect their family. For the people who are uninsured there is even a greater lack of understanding, 58% among diverse minorit...
?Over 6 million illegal immigrants live in the US- some estimate even more.? (Illegal Immigration) This is astonishing. Six million people could make up a whole suburb such as Mesa or Chandler. Immigrants arrive in America in different ways. One is crossing the border illegally by land. Another way get into the US are by false identities or by stolen, or falsified passports. Another way is by illegal smuggling boats. ?Others enter with legal documentation and then violate the terms on which they have been admitted by taking jobs that are not authorized or overstaying the authorized period of stay in the country? (Illegal Immigration)
Using two dominant theories, Rawlsian Liberalism, and Sen and Nussbaum’s capabilities approach, we identify a weakness when the theories are applied with the assumption that a human right is by virtue of being human (Powers & Faden, 2006). Both theories have some means of acknowledging health care as a right. Rawl’s suggests that health care may be a “primary good”, or a benefit that is part of a just society, on which Daniels outlines “six health needs” including social determinants (Almgren, 2013, pp. 35-36). Nussbaum (2000) specifically outlines 10 capabilities that expand upon categories of health and well-being. The divergence of our universal right is in both theories assumed that a person should be a citizen or have some capacity to contribute to society. Rawlsian liberalism goes as far as to outline that a “free and equal individual”, or one who has a right to primary goods, requires that the person can engage in social and political citizenship, which includes voting (Almgren, 2013, p. 17). Undocumented immigrants possess no such rights, so they would have no claim to health care as Rawl’s primary good, despite their contribution to labor and economic stability in the United
Without a doubt, universal healthcare is one of the most numerous issues that were discussed intensely in the 2012 elections that will continue to be debated into the further future. While President Obama passed his compelling piece of legislation in 2010, the Affordable Care Act, there was an undeniable polarization within all the American people which ensued. Regardless, even with all of the potential economic things that may arise from new health care policies, it is formidable legislation the United States should continue to uphold and support. This essay will comprise of several parts. I will initially discuss what opponents of universal healthcare are concerned about. Subsequently, I will then go over the reasons we should support a universal healthcare policy, explaining that universal healthcare Provides multiple benefits ranging between protecting the poverty-stricken and insured to being a more efficient financial plan for the government.
The United States of America is a very socially diverse nation with inhabitants ranging from the wealthiest in the world to near third world-like living conditions. In an essay titled, America’s Shameful Poverty Stats, Sasha Abramsky sheds light on some statistics like, “15 percent of people in America live at or below the poverty line” (Abramsky, Sasha 1). In America many citizens are poverty stricken and left uncovered from a healthcare standpoint, which is why a universal healthcare plan like The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) would greatly benefit America. Universal healthcare, for the most part, refers to a healthcare system in which the government provides medical care and financial solutions for all of that particular nation’s citizens. For most people in the upper and middle class universal healthcare is not something they would like to see in America because they already have healthcare, or they don’t want to pay higher taxes because of it. A nation as advanced and developed as America should have installed a universal healthcare plan years ago because it only makes sense to strengthen our nation as a whole. All of America’s citizens should accept The Affordable Care Act to start becoming more socially responsible and help provide healthcare to millions of uninsured Americans in an attempt to help lower the poverty level and provide financial support as well.
This new bill includes an individual mandate requiring all uninsured individuals to purchase a health care plan from over 200 policy options or be fined. According to government officials, the options available under the Affordable Care Act is affordable and protects people from other health policies that neglect to cover pre-existing conditions, mental health illnesses and/or substance abuse issues. However, many taxpayers, newspapers journalists, and other political organizations are claiming that this new bill is causing a crisis across America. There are many different perspectives a person can take when scrutinizing Obamacare, but it would be wrong to judge the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act until thoroughly researching and critically analyzing the bill’s purpose, content, and the affects it can have on the individual, a community, and the nation as a whole.
Obamacare has been a widely debated topic over the course of President Obama’s terms in office. Although Obama’s term is coming to an end, the policies of Obamacare will remain a hot topic of discussion due to its pros and cons for many different Americans. Due to the different viewpoints of many Americans, it is not an issue for a mere few individuals, rather a social problem that impacts every American’s life. Many Americans agree that not all of the policies implemented are fair to them, including the employer mandate, the minimum essential coverage, and the individual mandate. These policies may favor one group, yet have detrimental effects to another.
As our great country grows we fix and find new problems every day. One of the biggest debates in the country is regarding whether or not the new “Affordable Care Act” is posing a problem to American society and lifestyle. Many actors, sports men, and friendly faces would tell you how wonderful it will be for American medicine once the populace is insured. However “Affordable care is more of a pipe dream in America until we are a more fiscally stable country, as well as a better approach to socialized medicine. For now the only thing we should be doing regarding health care is stapling a limit to make it more affordable for middle and lower class people instead of penalizing people for something they cannot afford.
Healthcare has always been a priority in American culture, although a new wave of reform has caused uproar in discontent and opposition. Since the Great Depression, many Americans have relied on private sector insurance companies to protect families across the nation and provide fast, reliable services when a medical situation arises. The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, has caused uproar in Washington and continues to provide a headache as the stalemate over healthcare continues on into 2014. While healthcare is an important aspect of the American society, the Affordable Care Act and its provisions are detrimental to our economy because it furthers the nation’s debt and does not allow the American people to make their own decisions.