Ensuring Access For Primary Care For Women And Children Act

Money plays a huge role in access, therefore it is a vital issue to discuss. Within the current system, lack of money results in lack of health care, which leaves thousands of people without any health care coverage. Between 2001 and 2005, the number of people paying for health insurance increased 30%, however income only raised 3% (Health Care Problems). Adequate income is a necessity and unfortunately that is not present. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the average annual premium across the country is $16,000. Currently, the average annual income in the United States is $51,107. Mint Money Management suggests that about 4-6% of one’s total income should be spent on insurance, including life, disability, and health insurance. However, the averages in the United States show that the average person spends about 31% of their income on health insurance, which is not financially beneficial. When this rise in health insurance is not parallel to the inflation of income, innocent people are left without a method to achieve health care. There is a program for those who can’t afford health insurance out of pocket nor have access to it, and that is called Medicaid. Issues still exist with the program. There is only so much funding, which leaves many still uninsured. Additionally, people with Medicaid have difficulty

Medicaid is a social health care program that covers nearly 60 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, seniors, parents and individuals suffering with disabilities. Medicaid is the biggest source of funding for health related services and medical needs for the people with low income in the United States. This program is funded jointly by the state and federal level governments, but it is the state’s responsibility to manage this program. The Medicaid program is not a required program that states have to use, but all 50 states have implemented this program. With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and its passing in 2010, the ACA unveiled its plans to expand Medicaid eligibility to nearly all low-income adults as an addition to the other groups that fall into the Medicaid eligibility. The Medicaid program had “many gaps in coverage for adults” because it was only restricted to the low income individuals and other people with needs in their own specific category. In the past, the majority of the states who had adults that did not have children dependent on those parents were not eligible for Medicaid. These low income adults without dependent children would be without medical insurance assistance before the ACA was introduced. Medicaid is now available to all Americans under the age of 65 whose family income is at or below the federal poverty guideline of “133 percent or $14,484 for an individual and $29,726 for a family of four in 2011” (NSCL).

There are major challenges faced by policy makers such as trying to control the cost of Medicaid spending because Medicaid is the biggest payer of these services. Policy makers must ensure that they are also keeping the individual served front and foremost in their decisions. Ensuring that quality services are met is one piece of the puzzle. As stated, unfortunately it seems that those who have lesser insurance or who cannot afford these services are provided with less than

There have been many studies performed focusing on the rising costs of health care and some of the findings state that the rising cost of healthcare premiums is a worldwide problem. However, I believe they are higher in the U.S. In 2015, U.S. health care costs were $3.2 trillion. That makes healthcare one of the largest U.S. industries, equaling 17.8 % of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in comparison to the late 1960s; where healthcare costs were only $27 billion, or 5% of the GDP, which averaged $9,990 per person each year. The main reason for the rising cost of healthcare is a combination of government policies and lifestyles changes. Examples included lack of coverage or costly coverage, lack of available coverage for

In the U.S. “Decreasing the number of uninsured is the number one goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provides Medicaid coverage to many low-income individuals” (The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2015, Introduction section). Despite the success of the ACA enrollment of millions of people with health insurance, the most at risk and pressing group of our population is the children. This is a group that needs our attention and their health should be the country’s number one priority. This is a vast difference from Canada, where every child has health care coverage for life because of its Universal Health Care. Bodenheimer and Grumbach (2013) noted that over the years, “reformers in the United States argued for the passage of a national health insurance program, government’s guarantee that every person is insured for basic health care”(p.187). But this effort was not only defeated time and time again, but it was constantly shoved under the rug. It was not until a great effort was pushed by President Obama that we started to see some changes in our health care system. Still a lot of work needs to be done, especially for our children. Stronger measures must be implemented to make sure that every child has an opportunity to live a long and healthy life. This is especially geared towards children living in rural areas, “where access to

In a survey conducted in 2003, it highlighted that the recurrent problem is the reimbursement rate from Medicaid to the physician (O’Shea, 2007). The Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) show that 21% of physicians that state they accept Medicaid have reported they will not accept a new Medicaid patient in 2004-2005(O’Shea, 2007). This number would only logically be assumed to have risen in 2013 A survey conducted by the U.S. National Health reported that researchers have found two standout trends among Medicaid beneficiaries: they have more difficulty getting primary care and specialty care and they visit hospital emergency departments more often than those with private insurance (Seaberg, 2012). The lack of primary and specialty care access is mostly contributed to the following barriers; unable to reach the MD by phone, not having a timely appointment with the MD and lastly unable to find a specialty MD that will accept Medicaid. In a recent report released by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, it stated that about 30% of Medicaid patients experience “extreme uncoordinated care”, there is a strong correlation between this situation and higher Medicaid spending and less quality of care given (Bush, 2012). After January 1st 2013, healthcare providers have experienced a 2% reduction in payments for Medicaid beneficiary, this will only create more of a problem for these patients to seek the

Medicaid has help many qualified Americans who were historically unable to access health care. At the same time, it has raised questions and controversies as how efficient is the plan overall. Various research studies were conducted and contradicting results were presented. According to Paradise and Garfield (2013), some said that having no coverage at all is better that having a Medicaid coverage. On the other hand, some expressed that Medicaid paved a way to improved health due to increased access to services that provides prevention of diseases, health maintenance, and effective treatment (Paradise & Garfield, 2013). As for me I am in favor of the later, health care access for all. It comes down to equitable distribution of resources

Throughout the early 1980’s and 1990’s the Federal Medicaid program was challenged by rapidly rising Medicaid program costs and an increasing number of uninsured population. One of the primary reasons for the overall increase in healthcare costs is the

Medicare is one of the most widely acknowledged sources of health insurance coverage in the United States. It is often complemented by Medicaid, a similar health welfare program that includes children and the poor. Many Medicare beneficiaries are "dual eligibles" who use Medicaid to extend comprehensive inpatient and outpatient health care coverage, especially for prescription drugs, diagnostic and preventive care, and eyeglasses which fall outside of Medicare. Medicaid can also supplement Medicare deductibles, premiums, and up to 20% of uncovered charges (Goodman, 1991).

Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased the number of insured, the problem of access to primary care still remains an issue due to the large pool of individuals who are now receiving coverage. Nonetheless, even if the current health care reform debate increases insurance coverage, residents in areas with inadequate physician supply will still have greater difficulty receiving timely and appropriate clinical care (Walker et al. 2010). Over the last decade the healthcare system has continues with relatively the same level of access to care for most Americans, and although there is an upwards of 84% of Americans have some form of insurance, the rising cost of care, the large group of uninsured and underinsured, and the lack of focus on

This year being an election year means that the American people are confronted with many issues and disparities that plague our nation. One of these hot button topics is that of healthcare. The United States is the only developed nation without a universal healthcare system, but spends the most for health services. With so many Americans lacking the adequate care needed or facing bankruptcy due to piling medical bills, one must look at the health disparities that are causing this super power nation to inadequately serve its citizens.

The role of women in society has taken a drastic change from their predecessors of the 1950’s. Women have found their voice in society through the power of voting as one of the first landmarks, and now more than ever, women are forcefully breaking through the glass ceilings in the workforce arena. The concern at hand is a woman’s ability to access timely and appropriate care as well as preventive services, which enable her to continue balancing the many hats that she is wearing in modern society. With the new health reform law, passed by President Obama in March of 2010, this new law holds the potential to expand women’s access to health insurance coverage and make reforms that may strengthen the health care systems ability to

Changes in access to health care across different populations are the chief reason for current disparities in health care provision. These changes occur for several reasons, and some of the main factors that contribute to the problem in the United States are: Lack of health insurance – Several racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other minority groups lack adequate health insurance coverage in comparison with people who can afford healthcare insurance. The majority of these individuals are likely to put off health care or go without the necessary healthcare and medication that is needed. Lack of financial resources – Lack of accessibility to funding is a barrier to health care for a lot of people living in the United States

US health care expenditures have been rising quickly over the past few years; it has risen more than the national financial system. Nonetheless a number of citizens in the US still lack appropriate health care. If the truth be told, health care expenditures are going to continue to increase; in addition numerous individuals will possibly have to make difficult choices pertaining to their health care. Our health system has grave problems that require reform, through reforming, there is optimism that there will be an increase in affordable health care and high-quality of care for America. Medicaid, Medicare and private sector insurances are all going through trials and tribulations because of

There are a few different government funded health care programs that are provided to a different group of Americans. One of the insurance programs provided by the government is Medicaid. Medicaid is a federal and state program which covers the cost of medical care for people who are considered to have an income that is lower than a certain level. The people who are accepted to receive Medicaid are those who are low income families with children, recipients receiving benefits for Supplemental Security Income, women who are pregnant and their income is lower than federal poverty guidelines along with the infants born to the women who are Medicaid eligible. Those who have Medicaid have to locate doctor 's offices who accept Medicaid as one cannot use this insurance anywhere. The government should provide health care for health care has been overly priced to almost impossible to afford; the number of uninsured residents has grown significantly; and with the government providing health care the physicians wouldn 't have to worry about how they would be getting paid they would be able to focus on helping the person get better.