Health Insurance Functionalism

The United States has the most expensive health care system in the world and some 45 million Americans are uninsured under the current health care system, and these numbers continue to grow. However with universal health care coverage everyone could enjoy equal access to health care, as a right afforded to them as American citizens. In a country as wealthy as the United States, there is no justifiable reason why Americans should go without health care and/or die

In today’s society, there is still a great struggle with health care disparities and many lives are affected by the lack of this fundamental program in our society. There are millions of people who die each year because they are unable to afford quality healthcare. The debate still continues about healthcare inequalities, what causes this disparity and who are affected by it. Health care is more of a necessity rather than a luxury and even though skeptics may argue to the latter, it only underlines the importance of the need for the wellbeing and care of individuals. There are several factors that could contribute to the lack of health care in the United States which ranges from but not limited to race, gender, socio- economic status, and lack of insurance coverage. The truth is there is a great disproportion between who can really afford quality healthcare as appose to individuals who have it. One would imagine that an employed individual would easily afford quality healthcare but we could be no further from the truth, since one’s economic status is an essential determinant to its affordability.

This report is gives a look at numerous factors affecting healthcare and how a lack of insurance has implications to not just the individual, but society as

The subject of health care is a sore subject, one of the most debated topics in the United States of America today and it is also the source of a vast array of complex problems for the American people. Americans have seen an increase in the rates of uninsured Americans, an increase in the cost of health care, and a growth in profits for health care companies. Due to the problematic trends that have taken place in the health care system in the United States, many Americans have viewed it as “the health care crisis” (Obamacare Facts, 2015). During the administration of President Barack Obama, a new law was implemented in order to reform the United States’ health care system called The Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare or ACA.

Where will I go when I’m sick? Who can I rely on, my government or myself? Will I have to choose between paying bills and the health of my family? The United States of America’s government’s Affordable Care Act is attempting to remove that question from every citizen’s mind. The ACA will allow lifesaving and non-emergency medical treatments to be at the fingertips of every tax paying American. It will make healthcare a right, not just a luxury. Although these may seem like outstanding qualities, is it really all that it is made out to be? “The Affordable Care Act (ACA), officially called The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), is a US law that reforms both the healthcare and health insurance industries in America. The law increases the quality, availability, and affordability of private and public health insurance to over 44 million uninsured Americans through its many provisions which include new regulations, taxes, mandates, and subsidies (PAR 2, Obamacare Facts).” With that being said, I will discuss the controversies seen from both parties in relation to the Affordable Care Act, and bring forth many important factors such as: the benefits and consequences, the cost of the ACA and the coverage actually received, and the future of the Health Care System in a world with Obamacare. The purpose of this paper is to give information in an unbiased manner in relation to the Affordable Care Act.

This is another problem the United States faces by not having Universal healthcare. Formosa Post stated, “ It should be considered a basic human right, in which the nation ensures that every person is covered by equal healthcare, regardless of age, gender, or income.” When insurance companies determine what health care is covered, that can be very limiting to people who need the care or could die. Having Universal healthcare, the government would pay for the services, which would prevent medical bankruptcies, because the people are not paying. Procon.org states, “ About 62% of all US bankruptcies were related to medical expenses in 2007, and 78% of these were filed by people who already had medical insurance.” This is a huge problem that the government needs to

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 implemented to help Americans without healthcare. The realism is that there are still many Americans without any healthcare insurance. The census Bureau’s official estimated that 33 million Americans lack health insurance in 2014. The Affordable Care Act did not solve the major problems of healthcare in America. Everyday people come into the emergency room because they do not have health insurance. Woolhandler, S., & Himmelstein state, “ Access to care has improved, but remains abysmal, in part because many who gained coverage cannot afford to use it”.The hospital will not turn them away. People come in with coughs and other non life threatening illnesses because they have no other option.

While the Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction for providing healthcare for all Americans, it will still leave as many people uninsured as it covers. There are two possible solutions for the country to enact. One would be universal healthcare coverage or national healthcare. It is defined as a health insurance program that is financed by taxes and administered by the government to provide comprehensive health care that is accessible to all citizens of that nation (Medical dictionary, 2012). There are many countries around the world that already have the plan in place, some having only adopted the health care coverage plan within the last ten years. Brazil, Thailand, and Sweden are just a few countries that have a universal healthcare plan in place in their country. While not perfect, all citizens are covered under these government run healthcare plans.

It would be great if the Govt. could provide complete Universal Health Insurance to all citizens, plus allow the free market to enable those of us who work for a living to earn/pay for the best doctors and service available. So the question, is should the Government provide free Universal Health Insurance to all Americans. The answer to this question is “Yes” the government should provide free Universal Health Insurance because:

Sered and Fernandopulle’s work of Uninsured in America brings awareness to the tainted health care system implemented by the United States. This book was completed in 2004 during the election year, at the time George W. Bush became president, and speaks for over 40 million Americans that lack basic health insurance. More than one hundred interviews were conducted with uninsured women, men, and their families as well as with a number of wellness centers, health care providers, and policy makers. Interviewee’s situations were highlighted as they describe their personal gravitational pull into death spirals as their diseases and conditions were left untreated, and their debt accumulated due to a deprivation of health insurance. The authors directly denunciate the development of the caste of the ill, infirm, and marginally employed to employment and health insurance.

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 United States of America is one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, yet it does not provide adequate health insurance to its citizens. In 2014, 11.7% of people in the US were uninsured and a total of 27.8% of children under 18 and living below the poverty line were also uninsured. A majority of uninsured individuals are in this position because they do not have a job or their job does not offer any insurance. However, with the passage of Obamacare, in 2015 11.4% of adults 18 and older were uninsured; this is in contrast with 18.0% in 2014. I believe the United States needs to perform the most logical step taken that the majority of industrialized nations around the globe have done: provide a national health insurance program.

Health insurance creates an impact in people in the way they receive their care. The fact that America does not have national health care system has formed a barrier for those too poor who cannot pay for medical coverage. Robert L. Ferrer, Professor at the University of Texas expresses, “A universal health care system is the only way to provide for the 24 million uninsured Americans suffering without proper health care” (Balkin

Discuss the role insurance plays in the lives of children with special health care needs.

Access to preventive health care should not be definable as one of life’s luxuries, yet that is what is has come to be for the approximately “50 million Americans” who have no health insurance (Turka & Caplan, 2010). Clogged emergency rooms and “preventable deaths” are just two of the consequences associated with the lack of health insurance that would provide access to preventive care (Turka & Caplan, 2010). We as a nation are depriving our citizens of one of our most basic needs—being healthy.