History Of Health Care Reform

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. This law puts in place widespread health insurance reforms that expanded out over the last 4 years and continues to change the lives of many Americans today. Health care reform has been an extensively debated topic for multiple years, and the ACA is the first effective attempt at passing a law aiming to make health care not only affordable, but accessible for all individuals. The law impacts many Americans including, children, employers, government programs which includes federal and state, health plans and private insurers, health care coverage, health care cost, and the quality of care received. The main goal of the law is to expand health care coverage, broaden Medicaid eligibility, minimize and regulate health care cost, and improve the health care delivery system. In order to improve the health care delivery there have been new consumer protections established and an increase access to affordable care.

Since its establishment in 1965 we have seen Medicare change as people’s needs change however being a federal program these changes do have an incredible amount of lag time. One of the first major changes to Medicare occurred in 1972 when President Nixon signed the Social Security Amendments of 1972 which extended coverage to individuals under age 65 with long-term disabilities, expanded benefits to include some chiropractic services and speech and physical therapy. During this time we see the American public growing tired of the Vietnam Conflict and lack of support and care for those returning Marines and soldiers with severe disabilities. As the protests escalate and the peace initiatives fail a key piece of legislation is signed showing government support and a willingness to extend health care benefits to this growing and vocal population of veterans (The Vietnam War, 1999). Also included in this Amendment is the encouragement of the use of Health Maintenance Organizations, President Nixon’s administration caught in the scandal of Watergate and pending hearings appeased the left and proposed the HMO Act, which Congress passed in 1973 (Phillips, 2003).

Prior to this shift, government involvement in health insurance services was minimal since it seemed to be under control by the non-profit sector. There didn’t seem to be an urgent need to control or universalize health care at the time. The government’s first interest in the health care industry sparked when employers began providing health care benefits as a competitive advantage for recruiting workers back into the workforce during World War II. To help cope with the rising unemployment rates, the government would offer tax incentives to employers providing these benefits. (add Quote)

In 1943, Senator Murray, Edward Wagner and Congress man Dingell introduced the United States National Health Insurance bill, the acting president at the time, Roosevelt, did not endorse the bill but was supportive(5). The National Health Insurance wasn’t a new concept. In 1883, Otto von Bismark introduced an obligatory health insurance program(6). Its’ success expanded the concept of social insurance in Europe and America. Without official endorsement by the president and with the war still going on, the Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill died in committee.

rehend the PPACA, one must understand the history of the United States’ health care system. The most successful and known reform would be the passage of Medicare and Medicaid. President Johnson’s main objective with his program was to provide health insurance to those over 65 years old, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to receive coverage due to retirement or being financially unfit to purchase health insurance. It has since been expanded to cover those with disabilities, and lower income families (“Overview,” 2015). Brady (2015) examines President Clinton’s attempt to massively overhaul health care in the United States. His plan, the Health Security Act (HSA), required employers to offer health insurance to their employees, and mandated that every US citizen purchase health insurance. This plan would have most likely expand health insurance to many more Americans; however, many feared the large tax increases, restricted options for patients, and with the lack of general support for the bill, it failed in Congress and was never implemented (p. 628). President Clinton’s failed attempt at health care reform opened up the door to future reforms, and it even shared multiple similarities to the PPACA. Smith (2015) updates the history of the health care system in America stating that “In the mid-2000s, America’s uninsured population swelled to nearly 47 million, representing about 16 percent of the population” and how “16 million Americans […] were underinsured” (p. 2). People

The depression in the 1930’s brought about the Social Security Act. This, however, omitted health insurance. Blue Cross also started offering people hospital care insurance in several states.

During the 1920s and 1930s, there was an increase in the cost of medical care and hospitalization. This was due to the middle class accessing health care services. The cost of medical care became a bigger portion of a family’s budget then loss wages due to sickness. The Wagner Bill, National Health Act of 1939 proposed for the creation of a national health program funded by federal grants to states. The Wagner Bill would provide health insurance for seniors but there were limitations to the bill.

Medicare has gone through many changes through the years since President Johnson signed the programs, including Medicaid into law in 1965. Almost ¾ of the senior population, over 65 were uninsured. Even before that President Truman was eager to start a national health insurance plan, in 1945. In 2003, President GW Bush added a prescription drug plan to Medicare. Even President Teddy Roosevelt proposed a national health insurance plan when he was running in 1912. In 1972, President Nixon signed a bill allowing people with long-term disabilities under the age of 65 and patients with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease), to be covered. Over the years more services were accepted for Medicare coverage, including hospice and home health. 2010 brought good

The Affordable Care act was intended to increase the quality of health insurance and lower the costs that was planned to benefit everyone in the nation regardless of their ability to pay and regardless of any preexisting condition they might have. During the founding years of the United States, when creating the constitution, checks and balances was one of the most important aspects of the principles of Government. With divided Government, it prevented any one branch of Government to become too powerful. The Constitution had very distinct and separate role for each of the three Branches: The legislative (Congress), the executive (the President), and the judiciary (the Supreme Court).

Health care reform has been a “hot” topic for decades now. In 2010, Obama signed into law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or more commonly known as Obamacare. In short, the goal was to provide more Americans with affordable quality health insurance and decrease the cost of health care spending. Everyone is guaranteed (required) health insurance or pay a penalty.

The Affordable Care Act which was known as ACA or “Obamacare.” was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 23, 2010. The Affordable Care Act is the greatest renovation of the United States health-care system, and provide coverage for over 94% of Americans. The main key reforms

Healthcare has always been a topic of great interest among the American people. Previous attempts have been made to implement a healthcare system that benefits all Americans; however, the mandate of Medicare and Medicaid in the mid-1960s has been the closest resemblance of universal healthcare system. In March of 2010, the President Barak Obama signed the most significant legislation for the U.S. healthcare system, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as the Obamacare. This law was introduced to improve the quality and affordability for the health insurance industry. This act would also minimize the insurance rates for the uninsured as well as expand coverage. At the passage

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA of 2010) was the first time the U.S. government had addressed the issue of providing insurance to all Americans in a significant way (Shi & Singh, 2013). President Barack Obama signed the ACA of 2010 into law on March 23, 2010. Since then the comprehensive reforms that the law provides, has been rolled out in stages throughout the years following. Some of these changes included, in 2010 a new Patient’s Bill of Rights went into effect, 2011 brought free preventative care services, 2012 introduced a Value-Based Purchasing program to hospitals, in 2013 open enrollment began for the health insurance market place, and 2014 will be the first tax year that individual that choose not to get health insurance will pay tax penalties for doing so. These changes and the many others detailed in the ACA of 2010 aim to provide more access to health care, bring new consumer protections, improve quality and lower health care costs (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).

In the beginning of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the “healthcare system” was left in the hands of the states, which the states handed off to private and voluntary programs to deal with. In the presidential term of Teddy Roosevelt, 1901-1909, he felt that “no country could be strong whose people were sick and poor.” (Palmer 1999) He did however back health insurance as a whole. Roosevelt was not the one fighting for the health care though, there were outside forces that impacted health care. The American Association of Labor Legislation (AALL) led the campaign for health insurance. They drafted their first bill by 1915. This bill wanted to limit the coverage toward the working class and anyone who earned less than $1,200 a year including dependents. The American Medical Association (AMA) backed this bill because they felt the same way about coverage. The AMA did not speak for all doctors and those who opposed this backing spoke up. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) opposed the bill because they felt that it would weaken the unions and they wanted to maintain their strength. The private insurance

The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a federal statute that was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by the Obama Administration. PPACA is more commonly referred to as the “ACA” or “Obamacare”. “A primary goal of the ACA was to increase access to health care services, largely through major expansions of state Medicaid programs in 2014 and beyond” (Wilk, 2014). The quest for health care reform began in the early 1900s and has become increasingly more debated throughout the century. The American Medical Association (AMA) began the journey and has been joined throughout the many decades by the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL), President Roosevelt, President Truman, President Johnson, President Nixon, President Clinton, and President Obama, to name a few. The ACA demonstrates the need for the balance of power between state and federal government, as well as, how America has been handling the balance of power. This law has been in the making since 1989, conceptually beginning as the Individual Health Insurance Mandate through the Heritage Foundation. The individual health insurance mandate had been introduced by Republicans twice in 1993, in hopes of providing “a bill to provide comprehensive reform of the health care system of the United States” (Sen Chafee, 1993). The bill has been revised multiple times since 1993, budding into what is commonly called Obamacare.