Exploring The Realm Of Health Care

The United States’ health care system in comparison to the Germany health system seems to be fairly similar in many ways; however there are some major differences. One seems to be divided into public and private sectors and funded mostly by the public; Germany's, is considered better at times which tends to run differently. In the two healthcare systems, both systems are taking the time to spend quite a bit of the governmental revenue on health but still have two of the lower life expectancies. The United States faces severe challenges in access to health care, cost effectiveness, equity, and to a lesser extent in coordinating care. Meanwhile, the German system is confronted by problems in coordinating care and controlling costs.

The US has recently adopted a healthcare policy aimed to get more Americans insured. This policy is named the Affordable Care Act in 2010. “In 2013 there were 42 million uninsured individuals in the United States. “(The Common, pg. 153) There has since been increase in individuals who are covered either by private insurance or by Medicaid/Medicare which had a coverage increase with the new policy. It is believed that millions of people will now have health insurance compared to previous years.

As a growing number of Americans find themselves without health insurance, it is demanded that the United States explore innovative policies aimed at extending coverage. The high cost of expanding coverage raises many questions about how best to improve access while preserving individual choice and maintaining quality of care. Differing viewpoints among policymakers, insurers, doctors, hospital administrators, employers, public health advocates, and health policy researchers provide a complete picture of the current and desired state of American healthcare.

According to the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), 16.4 million of the previously uninsured are now insured (2015). The agency attributes this increase to the ability of young adults to stay on their parent’s plans until age 26, the Marketplace, and Medicaid expansions. However, while 12.3 million of the newly insured are the result of Medicaid expansions, only 28 states have expanded Medicaid (HHS, 2015). Many remain uninsured. According to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (Garfield, Damico, Cox, Claxton, & Levitt, 2015), 32.3 million nonelderly people remain uninsured. The foundation estimates that 15.7 million (nearly half) of these people are eligible for assistance through Medicaid or Marketplace subsidies. For others, reasons for remaining insured include their states refusing to expand Medicaid, having an income too high to receive a subsidy, or their immigration status (Garfield et al., 2015). The ACA has been effective in improving the number of those who have health coverage, however it has not achieved 100% coverage. Millions continue to lack coverage, including those who are eligible to receive aid. In addition to this, partisan politics has prevented the expansion of Medicaid in all states. There is also a portion of the population whose income may not be enough to pay for insurance but is too high to receive government

The cost of healthcare in America is out of control. As the medical costs continue to rise, many Americans, especially those considered low income, have decided to just live uninsured. Low income families are considered individuals, who make less than $15,521 a year and families of 4 members, who make $31,721 or less in a year (2). As of 2013, 10.8 million were listened as low income households in America, which is a 18.6% rise from the previous survey (2). Basically, these families can not afford to pay for private medical insurance. As a matter of fact, there are 70 million people covered under the federal Medicare and

Health insurance is an important part of today’s society, and each person is a stockholder. Not only is each person susceptible to sickness and disease, but each working individual holds a part in the public’s health insurance situation. Because of the Affordable Care Act (2010), also referred to as Obamacare, Americans are required to not only be insured, but also face the consequence of paying a fine if one is uninsured. By mandating health insurance for the pubic, an abundance of people in poverty are advised to take advantage of the governmental system that supports people in poverty- Medicaid. As of 2016, 17.6 million Americans who were previously uninsured are now covered. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Over 14 million more

The Extent of the social problem reaches to numbers of persons and populations in the United States. Living without health insurance are in excess of 50 million people in the United States, which is roughly equivalent to 16.7% of the population, or one in six U.S. residents (Wolf, 2010). Defining this as a problem are those most affected by the inaccessibility barrier which includes illegal immigrants, the elderly, and those persons unable to attain insurance coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition.

Health care is one of the major worries for Americans. It is hard to believe that nearly “forty seven million Americans are uninsured”(Tucker). There are many people without health insurance because of pre-existing health conditions. There are also people who have health insurance but could lose their insurance if they should develop a serious medical problem. Then there are others who have health insurance, but are in danger of losing it because of rising health-care premiums. “Two million insured Americans spent more than a quarter of his or her salary on health care” (Tucker).

healthcare system supports the health of all its citizens and no-citizens. The government provides Medicare and Medicaid as explained earlier. The federal government initiated the Healthy People program in 1979 (Black, 2017, p. 279). This program encourages collaboration among communities, teaches individuals on how to make educated health decisions, and educates them about the importance of preventive measures. In addition, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 has an essential impact in the healthcare system because it requires private insurance to accept people with preexisting conditions and charge them the same premium. As a U.S. resident, I have always had insurance through my parents. My mother’s job offers medical and dental insurance for her, her husband, and children. I am able to get medical insurance until I turn 26 years

Virtually 50 million Americans are presently without any health insurance, and a great number of them with health insurance are struggling to pay for their medical bills. Everybody concurs that healthcare must be accessible to all citizens, but the debate on whether the United States should adopt a universal health system still rages. According to the Institute of Medicine (2002), the U.S. is the only developed country that does not guarantee that its citizens have health care coverage. President Obama pledged to reform the country’s healthcare system by increasing health coverage and

The U.S. health care system faces challenges and it is urgent that the American people become aware of these challenges. There are approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured, and many insured Americans who face rapid increases in premiums have to pay out-of-pocket costs. As Congress and the Obama administration consider ways to invest new funds to reduce the number of Americans without insurance coverage, people must address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. If something is not done soon, there will be many more who will not have health care coverage that is affordable or they will be without coverage altogether.

Even though the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and it spends far more per person on health care than any other nation, its people are not the healthiest. The U.S. spends over $2.5 trillion per year on health care (Cummings, 2015). Currently, the US government funds two types of health plans: Medicare and Medicaid. These are intended to help the elderly, disabled, poor, and young. These programs help those who are unable to pay for health insurance and cover expenses that may not be covered by their own insurance. The disadvantage of having Medicare or Medicaid is that not all doctors accept this insurance and it has been linked with receiving substandard care by those caregivers who do accept them. The basic Medicare policy is often not enough coverage as it only covers about 64% of a person’s health care costs (“What is the Difference Between Medicare and Medicaid?,”2016) . It does not cover deductibles, co-pays, and additional insurance (“What is the Difference Between Medicare and Medicaid?,” 2016). In 2014, the ACA was implemented. This lowered the number of people who did not have health insurance. Under the ACA, individuals can shop for new health insurance plans on exchanges, or health insurance marketplaces, so as to find the best plan for them both financially and one that meets their overall health needs (Cummings, 2015).

In 2015 the United States spent 3.2 trillion on health care, up 5% from the year before and GDP was at a high of 17.8%, but yet there are still 28 million Americans without health insurance. Most of the nonelderly in the United States obtain health insurance through an employer, but not all workers are offered employer-sponsored coverage or, if offered, can afford their share of the premiums. Medicaid covers many low-income individuals, and financial assistance for Marketplace coverage is available for many moderate-income people. However, Medicaid eligibility for adults remains limited in some states, and few people can afford to purchase coverage without financial assistance. Some people who are

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or ‘Obamacare’ in 2010 and its implementation in 2014, there has been a steady decline in the uninsured population of the United States of America. According to recent data from the Census Bureau , the number of uninsured Americans fell from 33 million in 2013 to 29 million in 2014, a drop of about 4-percentage points. Accordingly, the ACA has significantly reduced the number of Americans who were not able to acquire health insurance due to poverty, unemployment, or having a pre-existing condition. Coverage achieved through direct purchase on the marketplace, and Medicaid, accounted for the biggest gains in the health insurance rates.

American healthcare is very unique and complex. Escape Fire does a great job at trying to uncover the truths of healthcare in the United States (U.S.). According to Collins, Gunja, and Beutel (2015), 10.4 percent of the U.S. population, or 33 million people, were uninsured in 2014. This is a decrease from 2013 when 13.3 percent of Americans were uninsured. The decline in uninsured rates has been attributed to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA makes healthcare available to most people by subsidizing insurance through the health care marketplace, which