Health Care Reform : The Analysis Of Healthcare Reform

The U.S. health care system faces challenges that indicate that the people urgently need to be reform. Attention has rightly focused on the approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured, and on the many insured Americans who face rapid increases in premiums and 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, we must simultaneously address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. To do otherwise casts doubt on the feasibility and sustainability of coverage expansions and also ensures that our current health care system will continue to have large gaps even for those with access to insurance coverage.

The cost of health insurance has changed drastically over the years as it has become more expensive. Depending on personal characteristic, the cost of health insurance may vary. For instance, as individuals grow older the more expensive it becomes. In this case, health insurance is more costly because “older individuals require more health care” therefore “the cost of providing health care is rising” (Madura &Atlantic, 2012). Not only does this affect the high cost of health insurance, but the number of individuals uninsured. As stated by Madura and Atlantic (2012), “about one in every five workers is uninsured” and has increased since then because health insurance has become unaffordable. As a result, individuals tend to seek health care elsewhere as they can no longer

In America, we not only have the problem of the non-insured but the under insured which causes just about as much problem as the underinsured. Each group has contributed to the vast growing cost of healthcare. Over the last decade or two, the amount of uninsured has risen due to the job market in the economy and the fact that most insurances are tied to employment, which is also a problem as the unemployment rate rises. The purpose of this paper is to explore this issue.

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. The number of Americans with health insurance, has reached a historic peak. According to recent data from the Census Bureau about health insurance coverage, the number of uninsured Americans fell from 33 million the year prior to ACA implementation to 29 million in 2014.The total uninsured rate dropped by more than 4 percent since the health care law took effect. 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.

For centuries, health care has been an ever changing entity within the United States. The cost of health insurance, medication, and medical care has fluctuated from high to low. Over the years with all the changes to healthcare, those in Congress try to appease everyone that is involved. For example, trying to make healthcare affordable for those who are less fortunate and live around the poverty line. As well as, employers who may have to revamp their insurance plans offered to the employees. Recently the talk about healthcare has put many people in an uproar. Health care reform has been a very debatable topic since President Obama has been in office. Health care reform, also known as Obama Care, has a section called the Affordable Care

Tolbert, Ebeler and Schwartz (2008) report general agreement that the growing problem of the uninsured is one that is of great public concern. There is a general agreement that the problem of the uninsured needs to be addressed but there is little to no consensus as to how best to expand coverage. A wide range of policies targeting every segment of the healthcare system has been suggested as potential strategies for broadening coverage. These strategies differ in terms of their scope. Some seek change in increments while others suggest total system redesign. Some would focus only on the uninsured while others would promote coverage for all Americans. They also offer different mechanisms for achieving coverage expansions.

The rising healthcare cost is an issue that affects many working class Americans. Experts have tried to come up with different ways to make health care more affordable and easily accessible to all. Despite all the efforts and even after the Affordable Care Act, there are still millions of Americans without health insurance coverage and therefore unable to access the necessary medical care. According to a 2015 report by the U.S Census Bureau, there are over 33 million uninsured Americans. (“Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2014 - p60-253.pdf,” n.d.) The Affordable Care Act has unquestionably made healthcare more accessible and reduced the number of uninsured Americans. However, there are still millions of

The implementation of the healthcare reform to the people throughout the United States provides healthcare coverage to all Americans increasing the accessibility to quality healthcare coverage making it more affordable for families. Throughout this paper I will discuss how effective the healthcare reform has been for the state of Pennsylvania, describing what the positive and negative outcomes are, and how the it has impacted the community health within my state. I will further discuss what effects the health care reform has had on economics in health care within my state.

I feel heath care reform was necessary, health care costs affect the economy, the federal budget, and virtually every American’s family’s financial well-being. According to Obama, “In 2008, the United States devoted 16% of the economy to health care, an increase of almost one-quarter since 1998 (when 13% of the economy was spent on health care), yet much of that spending did not translate into better outcomes for patients” (Obama, 2016, p.526). In 2008, 1 in 7 Americans did not have health insurance (Obama, 2016). Clearly something was wrong with the health care system in the United States. The United States spends more than twice as much on health care per person as other developed countries (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2015). If you worked for a company that did not provide health insurance, most people went without and used Emergency Rooms for primary care. I live in Massachusetts. Massachusetts was the only state in the country to require anyone over the age of 18 to have health insurance. If you didn’t, you were penalized with a monetary fine. There are many benefits to mandated Health Insurance. One benefit is if you become sick, you don’t have to worry about going bankrupt getting care. Secondly, the cost of health care will come down and finally the federal deficit will come down. The Affordable Care Act seems to be working. According to Obama “The Affordable Care Act had made significant progress toward solving

Health care reform in the United States has a long history. Reforms have often been proposed but have rarely been accomplished.Future reforms of the American health care system continue to be proposed, with notable proposals including a single payer system and a reduction in fee for service medical care.

Research Question: What role can and should the federal government play in the provision of health care?

The latest healthcare reform known as the Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare” was signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 in efforts to provide higher quality, reasonably priced healthcare to those who meet certain criteria such as low income, disability, or age. This was made possible through state and federal tax increases and increased government spending, and has increased this country’s federal debt each year (Congressional Budget Office). The 2015 census report stated that 37.1% of the United States population had government health insurance coverage, namely Medicaid and Medicare. With healthcare coverage for many terminally-ill individuals being paid for by state or federal funds, it may be argued that DWD is preferred as that is not

Healthcare and insurance have been around for a long time. The first president to try to make a health care system that everyone could use and afford was Theodore Roosevelt (Brill 20). With affordable health care system everyone can receive the health care they deserve which could raise the life expectancy of people rich or poor. The healthcare system, like any other kind of system or organization has problems or flaws which can be improved. When one recognizes a problem in a system the leaders of the system can see where the problem is and begin to fix the problem, this allows the system to continue to improve all the time causing it to be the best system at that given time. If problems are seen but not fixed, the system

In 1994, Republicans won majority in both House of Representatives, and Senate for the first time in four decades. The Republicans won solely based on a contract called the Contract with America, which contained ten new reforms to give Americans a better future. In 1996, President Bill Clinton, a Democrat candidate, gave the annual State of the Union Address, which included various proposals, some liberal and some conservative. Although Bill Clinton and Congressional Republicans had different viewpoints on health care reforms and conflicting attitudes towards the opposing political parties, their ideas on budget stabilization and feelings toward restoration of American dream were the same.

Firstly, Bill Clinton and Congressional Republicans proposed various reforms to make a perfect government in America. Clinton, who gave the State of Union Address in 1996 to report the situation of the nation and legislative schemes for next year, believed that cut in spending and overall budget is the only way to reduce America's debt (31-9). Similarly, Republicans, who presented the Contract with America with an aim to protect traditional values, in the Congress supported a smaller government because it would be more efficient in balancing the expenditures, and lowering taxes and interest rates for American citizens (31-8). Contrastingly, Republicans did not agree on the health care reform proposed by Clinton. As Clinton was a strong supporter