Hcs/440 Health Care Spending

Rising health insurance premiums have made healthcare unaffordable in the United States. Health insurance premiums in this country have undergone a steady rise over the past few years while incomes have remained the same. More than 50% of individuals with low incomes holding private insurance in the United States are unable to afford their healthcare costs (Collins, Gunja, Doty & Buetel, 2015). In addition, costs related to healthcare are equally unaffordable to 25% of working-age individuals who hold private health insurance policies (Collins et al., 2015). According to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust (Kaiser/HRET) survey on employer health benefits, employer-sponsored health insurance plans have also had moderate rises in premiums in 2013 for both individuals and family coverage (Claxton et al., 2013). While

The aim of the ACA is to provide affordable health care to all Americans, but it still leaves some issues unaddressed that will impact the access to health care. Covino (n.d.), “Though the intentions of the legislation are good, the Affordable Care Act does little to improve the actual health care delivery system” (para.1, page 2). According to the American Medical Association, we are facing an increasing Physician shortage. As of 2010 we faced a shortfall of 13,700 physicians, the estimate is that number will increase to 62,900 by 2015, 91,500 by 2020, and 130,600 by 2025 (Krupa, n.d.), with primary care taking the largest impact. Health Care coverage will be of no benefit if there are no doctors to treat the patients. An example of this occurred in 2002 when Thailand’s’ “30 Bhat Scheme” added (CNN n.d.) “14 million people to the country’s health care system, resulting in long waits and subpar service” (Your health is covered, but who is going to treat you?) Several factors contribute to the physician shortage. Many physicians are reaching the age of retirement, the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates nearly 15 million physicians will be eligible for Medicare in the coming years (CNN n.d.). The increasing cost of malpractice insurance also deters many from pursuing a career in medicine, and is forcing some doctors to retire. Also contributing to the physician shortage is a lack of spots in residency programs. “In 2011, more than 7,000 were left

For too long, the American public was held hostage by predatory insurance companies. These companies used their power and privilege to keep their companies afloat while ensuring that much needed medical care was out of reach for a majority of the American public. Citizens were subjected to rules, regulations and policies that proved to be detrimental to their needs. Individuals with pre-existing medical conditions were denied care or were made to pay very expensive premiums. Policies were cancelled if additional medical conditions were identified and policies offering the bare minimum of coverage, were expensive preventing individuals from being able to afford health insurance. Americans over the age of 50 found it impossible to obtain quality insurance without paying way too much in premiums. Policies were denied for reasons that benefitted the insured. The result was that many Americans were uninsured, underinsured and when medical situations occurred, citizens were not able to obtain the proper treatment and care. This also placed a strain on the economy because individuals would go to the emergency rooms for treatment and not pay their bills resulting in the increase in premiums. The cycle continued, with bills not paid and premiums increased. This caused the

There are many problems with healthcare in America today. One of them including the astronomical cost. According to CDC.ORG in 2007 the average person spends seven thousand four hundred dollars per year on health care alone. This rise in healthcare is extremely detrimental for families, seniors, and people of all ages. With such a high cost of insurance people are forced to make hard choices in

The Supreme Court 's favorable ruling on the Affordable Health Care Act allowed for healthcare to be available for many Americans who would otherwise not receive medical benefits. This is because it increases the number of people covered by Medicare/Medicaid, and lowers the cost of insurance through employers. While this idea is good in theory, paying for it is a challenge due to the fact that it will only add to the nation’s already enormous debit of several trillion dollars (Mulvany, 2012). From 2010-2019, the United States is predicted to spend around 400 billion dollars on healthcare. This prediction has prompted lawmakers to reduce spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other welfare programs. The spending cuts will result in less people getting the care they need due to the limited availability of money for care and the increase in the number of beneficiaries receiving

The Obamacare/ACA, might have helped numerous of individuals in acquiring health care, but the health professionals are facing a shortage of reimbursement difference for their services. As a result, Hospitals and healthcare providers were force to layoff personal and come up with innovative solutions. This point is proven by the renowned author, Amy Anderson by stating as follows: “The American health care framework has had shortages of personnel for quite some time and would not be prepared to give the adequate service to this amount of patients in need of medical attention. Training new professional health services personnel could take years. There is a shortage of graduates from medical and nursing schools. Doctors, nurses and health professional are sharing responsibilities prospective patients will face a longer wait time”. (Anderson, 2014)

Even with employer-sponsored programs and federal programs for those who qualify, many Americans are uninsured. Over 46 million Americans had no health insurance in 2006, and 86.7 million went without health insurance at some point in 2007 and 2008 (“Health Care Issues”). Why has the number of uninsured risen so drastically and why are employer-sponsored programs dwindling?

In 1965, as part of his Great Society Legislation, President Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. With these two programs he concluded two decades of congressional debate of the future of health care. In the forty years to follow, the United States of America and its health care industry experienced dramatic changes. Population increased by over one hundred million people (Census Bureau), advances in medical technology supported a growing elderly population, diets and lifestyle habits changed, and health care costs outpaced both per capita GDP and wages. By 2010, America was long overdue for health care reform. That year, President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act (also the ACA or Obamacare), an ambitious plan of over 400 provisions for one of the nation’s most complex and powerful industries—an industry upon which millions of lives depend. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 fails to fully address the fundamental problems with American health care system, but serves a necessary and promising starting point for such comprehensive reform.

Astronomical costs together with increased numbers of uninsured citizens in the United States creates an environment where health care premiums continue to grow at an astronomical rate with many businesses simply choosing to not offer a health plan—or if they do—they pass on more of the cost to employees. Employees facing higher health care premiums often choose to go without health coverage. Being uninsured does not mean going without health care; there are many clinics and services that are free to indigent individuals. However, any costs not covered by insurance are absorbed by the rest of the population, which translates to higher premiums for the middle class. (Messerli, 2014)

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, concerns have been raised regarding the Republicans’ desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act, informally referred to as Obamacare. The ACA was originally enacted into law in 2010 and has been annually provisioned to expand its ability to not only improve the nation’s access to health care, but also to reform the health care delivery system. Through the ACA, private and public insurance has become more available and affordable, new health care delivery models have improved quality of care, and several workforce policies have made primary care a more desirable profession for medical students.

Doctors also have access to current research and cutting edge technology from government funding ("About The Law,"). Individuals who might otherwise be denied by private insurance companies are now able to acquire healthcare coverage enjoy coverage benefits. The ACA mandated that insurance companies change their policy on what is covered and not covered. Policies are required to cover “ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, prescription drugs, rehabilitation services, lab services, preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management, and pediatric services including oral and vision care” (Page, 2015, p. 62). With multiple benefits required to be covered under insurance policies, health care enrollment increased dramatically. Bauchner reports approximately 20 million individuals have gained insurance through the ACA since 2010. (Bauchner, 2016) With the increase in the number of individuals being seen at the doctor’s office, another goal of healthcare is to improve the quality of care for each

Health care is an endless issue that we are facing. Health care is needed to prevent, treat and manage illnesses. But, managing the United States economically makes it hard for funding of our health care. There are many advantages to our health care system. Having Medicare or Medicaid helps fund our individual medical costs. Both of these insurances are funded through our government for every individual that cannot afford to pay for health care for themselves. The cost of medical care is very expensive to individuals. Unexpected trips to the emergency room, having to visit specialty physicians, hospitalizations and treatments. It was reported that in 2008 the U.S spent $2.3 trillion in health care cost. (U.S.healthcarecostbackgroundbrief-aspx) Everyone suffers from health care coverage such as the government, employers, and all consumers. Fortunately, our president has made cost control the focus of health reform for our country. The rising of the federal deficit is causing major burdens on the funding for our health care. Realistically, it is hard

Currently in the United States, acquisition of affordable health insurance plans through employers and private corporations is one of the main topics in the political landscape between liberals and conservatives. The traditional way of obtaining health insurance is either by subtracting a certain amount of payout from one’s salary/paycheck or pay out of pocket. However, many people do not have access to health care because of the high costs associated with poor insurance plans that require individuals to pay high premiums and deductibles, which may or may not contain good benefits such as free preventative care. In addition, due to the past economic recession in 2008, many employers could not afford to pay for health benefits and

The cost of health care in the U.S. is the highest in the world today. A higher percentage of national income, and more per capita, is spent on medical care by the United States than by

Healthcare costs have been one of the most expensive things and is still continuing to be expensive. It cost patients over $8,000 dollars for each patient per year, which is more than double of other nations. Staying healthy in the