Saving Lives And Giving Second Chances: The Healthcare Reform

The Patient Protection otherwise known as the Affordable Healthcare Act, or Obamacare, were signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. According to Jennie Kronenfeld, an Emeritus Professor with the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University and Michael Kronenfeld, a director of the Educational Resources Center at the A. T. Still University of Health Sciences, suggests that the Affordable Care Act is designed to improve the United States of America's hospitals and health insurance industry. Health care reform is considered one of the top three issues that Voters want to hear from the presidential candidates deprivation (Kronenfeld, J. & Kronenfeld, M.,2015).When did this rise to the top of everyone’s list? The answer is simply that there are more than 47 million uninsured Americans. Over the last ten years, this number has increased by 3.5 million. Kronenfeld suggests the issues with the problems surrounding the uninsured do not end. There is also a long list of people who worry when they are covered for compensation or lack of benefits. Such concerns vary from the cancelation of insurance companies ' plans, limited benefits of medically necessary care, to the lack of doctors and options deprivation (Kronenfeld, J. & Kronenfeld, M.,2015).Some of Obamacare's main focus is on adding new insurance benefits, additional protections, more protection, and making healthcare more affordable and more available to all U.S. citizens.

According to HealthCare.gov, it was very difficult to obtain health insurance before the Affordable Healthcare Act was signed into law. This notes that people are now allowed to appeal for their health insurance under the health care reform should they refuse compensation for a specific reason and there are no lifelong benefits caps (Affordable Care Act (ACA) , n.d). Insurance companies are now somewhat more limited, and if they increase premiums, they will have to give a good explanation. Kronenfeld indicated the United States is the only developed nation in the Western world that, under a coordinated national plan, does not provide health care coverage to all its residents deprivation (Kronenfeld, J. & Kronenfeld, M.,2015). How is it that the world's richest nation is unable to provide every individual with this fundamental right?

“We are the only industrialized country without universal health insurance coverage,” says Sara Collins, Assistant Vice President for the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that provides support for health care research. Collins also goes on to speculate that the United States has a much higher rate of cost growth as compared to France, Germany and Canada. “We spend a much larger percentage of our gross domestic product on health care costs than do other countries where everybody is in the same system. And we actually have much poorer health outcome; we rank among the very bottom in infant mortality compared to our neighbors overseas in developed countries” (Martinez, 2, p.9).

According to the article, “The “Public Option” Is a Poison Pill.” Himmelstein and Woolhandler propose there are three main groups of people who lack health insurance. First, there are adults and children who are eligible but do not participate in Medicaid and SCHIP. There are many reasons why there is no interest: lack of knowledge about services, bureaucratic hurdles and restricted outreach efforts or because the families themselves are not making the necessary attempts to receive insurance may be some of the reasons for this. Another group has earnings that surpass the Medicare and SCHIP coverage thresholds, but it is too expensive to obtain health insurance on their salaries. Because in recent years, health insurance premiums have risen, larger businesses do not sell their workers benefits. Some employers pay some of the premium costs, but give to the worker the greater portion of the costs (Himmelstein & Woolhandler, 2019). Medicaid will also see some improvements under the health care reform. Recipients for Medicare will have lower costs for prescription drugs, basic and emergency treatment. In fighting fraud, adding new services, and improving patient care, the new law expanded Medicare. With prescription drugs and affordable preventive services, Medicaid will see lower costs.

The high cost of premiums for health care discourages most people from buying insurance. Kronenfeld argues in 2004, individual policy costs were $3,998 and family policy costs were $9,961. Three times the level of poverty for one person in 2004 was $28,935; four times the level of poverty was $38,580. Three times the level of poverty was $57,921 for a family of four, and four times the level of poverty was $77,228. Community programs will cost 300% of poverty at a cost of 12.9% and 400% of poverty at a cost of 12.9%. That seems to be on the outer edge of sustainability, even at 300 levels in deprivation (Kronenfeld, J. & Kronenfeld, M., 2015).The health care reform not only offers more health insurance options to our residents, but also improved access to care. The law seeks to ensure all people have access to health care facilities at rates they can afford and also makes an attempt to reduce the health system's costs. A restructured health care system will guarantee that patients ' basic health care needs were met. Including, but not limited to, primary and preventive care, ensuring competitive premium costs.

There are positives and negatives when it comes to the affordable care act. According to Kronenfeld some of the positive aspects of the health care reform are:

• Increased access to health care services
• Increased affordability of health care services.
• Decreasing of overall costs in health care.
• Employers are able to get a tax break for offering health coverage to their employees
• Lower rate for employers offering health coverage to their employees.
• Individuals are able to purchase health insurance even if they have pre-existing conditions.
• Individuals under the age of 26 are able to stay under their parents insurances.
• Better quality of care for elderly patients.
• New health prevention and wellness programs.

Some of the negative sides to the health care reform includes:

• Individuals are required to purchase their own insurance if their income is above the guidelines.
• They could face penalties that will increase gradually if they choose not to purchase an insurance policy.
• Premiums may be too high for some individuals even with the tax breaks and discounts.

The world of health care is always changing. Public and private entities have made great strides over the last ten years in developing therapies and remedies, recognizing illness and disability causes, collaborating with professionals to educate the public on how to reduce major diseases. More remains to be done, and many of our people do not have access to critical health services. A universal health care system appears to be a good option to our fractured and non-existent program, but as a country we are not prepared to take on what it entails. The health care reform appears to be a good starting point in putting the country in a better position.

References

• Affordable Care Act (ACA) - HealthCare.gov Glossary. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/affordable-care-act/.
• Himmelstein, D. U., & Woolhandler, S. (2019). The “Public Option” Is a Poison Pill.
• Nation, 309(10), 20–26. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost- com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx direct=true&db=a9h&AN=138932290&site=eds-live
• Kronenfeld, J. J., & Kronenfeld, M. R. (2015). Healthcare reform in America : a reference handbook. ABC-CLIO. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost- com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat06146a&AN=sou.577151&site=eds-live