Healthcare Reform: A Look at the Kaiser Permanente Model

A newest way to finance health care now days is the health care reform which it is also called Obama Care. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. The main objective behind the Affordable Care Act was to ensure that affordable health care insurance was available to every U.S citizen. This law is an extensive document that contains many regulations and laws that relate not only to health care but also to the regulation of insurance companies. One of the best known regulations is that group health plans can no longer put limitations or deny benefits to individuals under the age of 19 due to pre-existing conditions and individuals under the age of 26, are now eligible to be covered under their parents’

Today, health care is one of the most the important subjects in United States. There are many Private and nonprofitmaking organization dedicated to health care. This paper discusses the readiness of Kaiser Permanente as a health care organization to respond the future health care needs of citizens. This paper also contains its strategic plan that addresses issues relating to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management and patient satisfaction.

Imagine paying $500, $600, $700, or $1,000 monthly for health care insurance only to realize these payments were for naught. The health care insurance provider that received these monthly installments has decided whatever is ailing you will not be covered due to a pre-existing medical condition. What if you couldn’t have the luxury of health care insurance at all due to the basis the health care insurance provider has concluded you have a pre-existing medical condition? These are the dilemmas facing millions of Americans

Limited healthcare in the United States forces those who are too sick to get coverage are either forced to pay large medical bills or die. If those individuals were able to see a doctor more regularly, then their health could have been followed sooner. A few years ago, I was unemployed from work a battling a health issue that caused me to lose my job. Originally, I lost my health insurance and then was offered a plan through Cobra. The premium amount that I was requested was over a $1000 per month. Luckily, I was able to be add on to my husband’s plan so I could still receive treatment. When you are not able to receive healthcare even for simple situations like an antibiotic for a cold has the potential to turn into pneumonia or something worse that could cause death. As we get older, our bodies have a harder time fighting infections and we are more likely to have a serve health issue like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease; which all cause severe implications on the body that hinder both the physical and psychological development of an

Reinvest current net income into interest accounts for future variable health care costs for years to come

One of Kaiser Permanente’s strengths is being known as one of the most innovative healthcare systems when it comes to technology. With the ability for members to make virtual appointments, it is not only cost effective for members but also convenient. Virtual appointments are free of cost to members and are convenient to homebound patients. Another strength is that Kaiser Permanente is the largest managed care organization in the nation. Setting the standard as the leading healthcare provider, Kaiser has created a one-stop shop with its medical groups, hospitals, and health plan.

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.

Kaiser Permanente is a large nonprofit integrated healthcare plan. This organization serves a tremendous amount of patients all over the United States with more than 38 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices. They offer medical care from chronic care visits to deliveries and prescription refills ("Who We Are - Kaiser Permanente," n.d.) Kaiser Permanente conducts campaigns to spread their care knowledge to others. They perform sick care, prevention care, and treatment for those who need it.

The US pays twice as much yet lags other wealthy nations in such measures as infant mortality and life expectancy, which are among the most widely collected, hence easily compared, international statistics. Many people are underinsured, for example, in Colorado "of those with insurance for a full year, 36.3% were underinsured."[6][7] About 10.7 million insured Americans spend more than a quarter of their annual paychecks on health care because of the high deductible polices.[8]

Health System Reform in the United States: Impact of Rising Premiums and Opportunities for System Improvements to Enhance Access to Healthcare Services

The Affordable Care Act has made many positive changes for uninsured and underinsured citizens. With the addition of a program called Health Insurance Marketplace, it is now possible for uninsured people in every state to purchase private insurance plans, those making under 400% or less of the Federal Poverty Level will be able to have tax credits making insurance more affordable (Lathrop & Hodnicki, 2014). Insurance companies are no longer allowed to cancel a policy or raise rates when a client gets sick. Insurance companies cannot refuse coverage to individuals with preexisting conditions such as cancer (“Quality Improvement,” 2015). Insurance companies now must cover preventive care and screenings allowing diseases like cancer to be caught early (“Quality Improvement,” 2015). Research has shown that through health screenings

The Massachusetts model is considered by many to be the blueprint for the national health care reform. It was introduced in the year 2006 and was fully implemented by 2010. The state previously had a “free care” pool through which it funded the health care given to people who were uninsured and ineligible for Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance. The then federal government insisted that either the state reduced this funding or it lost $385 million in Medicare funds (Lizza, 2011, June 6). The uninsured population in the state at that time was 10.9%, which was much less than the national average of 15.8% (Day & Nardin, 2011) making the state relatively more suitable for any health

Consequently the U.S. spends more money than any other country on health care, and the medical care that is being provided may be compromised. Research has shown that the lack of health care insurance compromises a person’s health. However, there continues to be unnecessary death every year in the U.S. due to lack of health care

The healthcare reform had implemented many changes that affected the way hospitals provide care (Sharamitaro, 2011). One of the changes was to increase the clarity concerning the special benefits and incentives that tax-exempt hospitals receive. This was done by imposing additional requirements that is need to qualifying for exemption status (Sharamitaro, 2011). In order for a hospital to qualify for this status, the hospital would have to show that it is organized and operates with a charitable purpose; that no part of its net earnings is used to benefit of any private shareholder or individual, and that it does not participate in any political campaigns on behalf of any candidate or conduct any lobbying activities (Marietta, 2010). In

Over 54% of Americans are against the Health Care Reform act and I am part of that percentage. This reform is asking Americans to give up some of their freedoms or risk getting a penalty. Many parties/groups are against this reform act as well and the following paper will show some of the arguments they have against Obamacare.