Introduction
Understanding the complex structure of the many health care subsystems in the United States goes a long way to explaining why it is often so hard to get anything done or to create change; a system this complicated does not move quickly or easily—or sometimes, at all. Understanding that the system is made up of multiple separate and unconnected collections of financing and provision of care reveals how difficult it is to carry out any reasonable system-wide planning for the entire system and the entire population (Williams, Torrens, 2007). For these reasons the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the first of its kind in American history, may change the way policy is implemented in the future. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the first policy to be implemented while breaking almost all of the old legislative rules about communication and public comment and consumption.
Thesis
This paper will critique both my health policy framework and the Affordable Care Act. The paper will outline my small successes and focus on the ineffectiveness of my prior policy framework through an analysis of the Affordable Care Act implementation. While highlighting my framework failures, I will provide some modifications for success using the Affordable Care Act as the guiding policy.
Affordable Care Act Analysis
It’s common knowledge that there are problems with United States health care system. First and foremost, the prior fragmented United States healthcare system did not
The concept of providing basic healthcare services to individuals in need has undergone an agonizing transition, from a luxury once only afforded by the affluent to a basic human right granted to citizens of every economic station, and the recently enacted Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to finalize this ethical evolution. Reflecting perhaps the bitter political enmity currently consuming the nation's once cherished democratic process, Republican legislatures in states throughout the union have bristled at the ACA's primary provisions, threatening all manner of procedural protestation as they attempt to delay and derail the bill's eventual implementation. One of the most intriguing aspects of the sprawling, thousand page law, however, has been the stipulation that individual states will be given a choice to either accept federal funding to expand their statewide Medicaid roster, or to forfeit all federal funding for that program in perpetuity. The role of government in monitoring and regulating the healthcare industry has been long debated, and the bitterly contested passage of President Obama's ACA, a law aimed at revising the country's health insurance system through the creating of a federal health insurance exchange to facilitate increased competition among insurers, has rekindled the debate over who holds the ultimate responsibility for regulating the care provided by hospitals, community clinics, and private practices.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a topic of dispute since its introduction and continues to be discussed by politicians in the U.S. and throughout the world even after its passage. The Act has many opponents and is the cause of much controversy nationwide, primarily because it introduces higher healthcare costs for the richest citizens. Nevertheless, the ACA is an important stage in the American healthcare development process as it not only allows more people to receive healthcare services, but will also reduce the deficit. However, not everyone agrees. The policy is controversial in terms of cost vs. benefits, but the benefits ultimately outweigh the costs.
Social Problem The ACA has addressed the problem of individuals lacking health care insurance. Not only did the ACA set forth goals to make sure individuals had more access to healthcare it fixed the root of the problem as to why people were not receiving healthcare from the beginning.
The goal of this paper is to explain the downfalls of Obamacare and share the stories of individuals affected negatively and directly by the approval of the policy. Although Obamacare set out with good intentions, many people are still left without health care coverage because of the constant revisions of the bill. There have been many taxes raised for the approval of this policy, and has caused problems for individuals who do not want coverage under Obamacare but would want coverage under a different company. Obamacare has helped some, but has caused other problems that would make it a bill that should be up for repeal.
On March 23, 2010, the Affordable care act also known as “obamacare” was signed into law by president Barrack Obama. Only gay marriage legislations and gun laws have elicited more public response than the affordable care act. Both opponents and proponents have presented constructive arguments of the perceived failures and strengths of the act. Owing to the intense debate surrounding the act, very few people understand that the act only came into full implementation in 2014. The raving reviews and critiques of the debate have bordered on myths and perception influenced by political alignments. Pertinent questions have been asked about the affordable care act. There have been conflicting accounts on the role of the affordable care act in regulating the health insurance industry. Concerns have been raised on why patients are paying higher out of pocket expenses yet the affordable care act was meant to introduce checks and balance in healthcare provisions. This paper therefore seeks to deeply explore the affordable care act by researching on these questions. The paper will also demonstrate perspectives on the good and the bad that comes from the affordable care act. Lastly, the paper will analyze healthcare situation in New York City with statistics showing that healthcare services are becoming more expensive in the city even after the full implementation of the affordable care act.
When President Barack Obama ran for office in 2008 he vowed to revolutionize the healthcare environment as it stood. With overwhelming election resuts Obama took the helm as the leader of our nation’s Medicaid program and immedialty begain lobbying for legislation to expand. Not since 1965 had our nation seen such a demeand from a president to change the landscape of healthcare for consumers and providers alike. One of the crucial elements of The Patient Protection and Afordable Care Act (Obamacare) was the need for states to expand eligibility to Medicaid in a bid aimed at improving the health of the welfare of the country Medicaid is a component of what the federal government enacted in the year 1965 that seeks to finance the delivery of better and affordable health care services to those designated “needy families” and to children. The program required states to expand the eligibility criteria to 138 percent of the federal government poverty levels to allow for the increased coverage of the children and an increase in the number of low-income earners. However, the Affordable care Act made the decision to expand the eligibility criteria the discretion of the States resulting in different state level governments opting for different approaches as some chose to expand while others decided not to expand. The subject is essential since it provides a clear insight into the effects policies pose to the healthcare sector and how people are affected. This study also allows one
The act according to Obama at the signing was “the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care” (Rogers, 2014). Many Americans have gained from the PPACA but there are also those who have lost to the reform. While the intent of the act was made for the better of Americans health, Republicans deem Obamacare to be a progressing disaster and seek to demolish the law. The conception that Obamacare is beneficial to Americans has created a debate between the political parties. Different groups and individuals have taken the law and have broken down their interpretation of its true intentions. After 75 years of an unsuccessful health system some find it hard to believe that the PPACA will be effective in the long run. The many reasons range from the PPACA being categorized as socialism, communism, capitalism and/or corporatism. Through writers Catherin Evans, Gus Voss and conservative writer David Horowitz we are given insight and facts to the many questions that have derived with the passing of PPACA. The PPACA has been portrayed as a government program to help all Americans have health benefits and affordable health; but this government aid also questions how beneficial is the program and is it another approach of control.
Health care in the United States is driven by a patchwork of services and financing. Americans access health care services in a variety of ways — from private physicians’ offices, to public hospitals, to safety-net providers. This diverse network of health care providers is supported by an equally diverse set of funding streams. The United States spends almost twice as much on health care as any other country, topping $2 trillion each year. (WHO.INT 2000) However, even with overall spending amounting to more than $7,400 per person, millions of individuals cannot access the health care services they need.(Foundation 2009) So when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a the Affordable Care Act or ACA) was passed in the summer
Two simple questions, without a simple answer to either. In this paper were going to try and answer these questions and a few other important questions about the healthcare system in our country.
The ACA started rocky and has been through provisions that have aided to more American citizens being eligible for government health insurance. The social contract between the ACA health care policy and the American citizen’s is formed because of the U.S. governments concern for the health of it citizens. In 2011, almost 48 million citizens of America did not have health insurance and the under-insured nearly amount to 25 million (Horton, Abadia, Mulligan & Thompson, 2014). The rising numbers of health barriers have influenced the U.S. government and the policy making process. Social contracts in America have been molded around public policy throughout the years (Lind, 2007). A health care policy like the ACA goes through a complex system
Healthcare policy analysis has been a debate for citizens and government officials. The policy was initiated as a start to healthcare reform in the U.S. Initiated in 2010, by President Barack Obama the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was on its way to redeveloping the function of the healthcare field. The ACA puts people, families, and businesses in charge of their healthcare. All three branches (Legislative, Judicial, and Executive) had a part of the creation of the law and experienced a fair share of issues in the development. Outcries from the public and lobbyists a method of seeking a favored result has influenced the development of this law. In this paper, addressing all elements involved in
U.S. health care reform is currently one of the most heavily discussed topics in health discourse and politics. After former President Clinton’s failed attempt at health care reform in the mid-1990s, the Bush administration showed no serious efforts at achieving universal health coverage for the millions of uninsured Americans. With Barack Obama as the current U.S. President, health care reform is once again a top priority. President Obama has made a promise to “provide affordable, comprehensive, and portable health coverage for all Americans…” by the end of his first term (Barackobama.com). The heated debate between the two major political parties over health care reform revolves around how to pay for it and more importantly, whether it
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), popularly known as “Obamacare”, has drastically altered healthcare in America. The goal of this act was to give Americans access to affordable, high quality insurance while simultaneously decreasing overall healthcare spending. The ACA had intended to maximize health care coverage throughout the United States, but this lofty ambition resulted in staggeringly huge financial and human costs.
Since the initiation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Americans have been put back in charge of their individual health care. Under this new law, a health insurance marketplace provides a haven for individuals without insurance to gain coverage. Just this year, citizens found out early whether they qualified for Medicare or the CHIP formally known as the Children’s Health Insurance Program. So much is to be learned about the Affordable Care act and this paper provides the roles of the different governmental branches, along with other important factors associated with this law.
There is an ongoing debate regarding the potency of the new health care reform—Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—from the outset of its proposal. Many attempts had been presented in the past years but the root of the issue remains prevalent today, that there is a lack of quality in its delivery and the cost of care is continuously increasing beyond national economic edges. In this manuscript, we will discuss several factors that can positively sway the long-term significance, impact, and structure of the United States health care system. Many are wondering whether the Universal Coverage, to which will give more control and