ABSTRACT As a growing number of Americans find themselves without health insurance, it is demanded that the United States explore innovative policies aimed at extending coverage. The high cost of expanding coverage raises many questions about how best to improve access while preserving individual choice and maintaining quality of care. Differing viewpoints among policymakers, insurers, doctors, hospital administrators, employers, public health advocates, and health policy researchers provide a complete picture of the current and desired state of American healthcare. INTRODUCTION 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 …show more content…
As the overall U.S. population experienced increases in unmet need and delayed care between 2003 and 2007, children were no exception. Low-income children encountered the greatest increase in unmet needs among all children and access to healthcare declined more for people in fair or poor health than for healthier people. The likelihood that a child is uninsured has fallen from 13.9 percent in 1998 to 11.7 percent in 2006. This is highly correlated with the education level of the family head, and the firm size of the family head, and varies with the industry, occupation, work status, and work hours of the family head. An estimated 5 million uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not enrolled. SCHIP was created in 1997 to provide coverage for children who live in families with incomes that exceed Medicaid eligibility caps but cannot afford private coverage. Like Medicaid, it is financed by a combination of federal and state funds. Because of SCHIP, millions of children can now see a doctor when they are sick and get the health care they need. Despite the success of SCHIP, there are still 8.7 million children living without health insurance. This number amounts to more than the total number of kids enrolled in the first and second grades in the United States public school system. To aid in helping these children, Congress must continue to fund SCHIP and make it stronger.
In addition to those who are unemployed, you also have the Americans that are employed and still uninsured. These Americans either choose not to have health insurance or they are still unable to afford it. I have been there, I had to choose more money on my paycheck over having health insurance. For most, being uninsured is not a choice, insurance is simply unaffordable. In an article on The Economic Impact Of The Uninsured it states that “eighty percent of uninsured people are employed, or live in a home where a family member is employed. Their plight has nothing to do with a slow economy” (Knowledge@Emory). More young Americans look at insurance as a luxury not a necessity. However, when the unknown happens then these young people are faced with an enormous
So why don’t these people get insurance? Well, as is so often quoted, “money makes the world go round.” When it comes to health insurance however, it is not the world, but only America that seems to have a problem with providing health care for a reasonable price to its citizens. 55 percent of uninsured people answered that the reason they are without the safety of insurance is the reason everyone expects--they cannot afford it (NRHA 1).
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
For those adults with children that are not eligible for Medicaid but their income is not enough for private insurance, KidsCare was an option until it froze in January 2010 due to a cost-cutting effort. KidsCare is a state sponsored insurance program for low-income families that is part of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Arizona is currently the only state that does not have a CHIP program which forces families that were on the program to partake in the health care exchange and pay for private insurance or forgo health coverage and be uninsured (Whiteman, M., 2014). The number of children covered at the time of the program freeze went from 45,000 to about 2,000, which was a ninety-five percent drop (Whiteman, M., 2014). Governor Jan Brewer proposed to restore coverage to thousand of children through KidsCare II, where Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Maricopa Integrated Health System, and the University of Arizona Health Network would pull money together and receive extra federal funds. The federal funds that the
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.
The complexity of health care could take the rates on a massive trajectory that does not favor the people covered. Therefore, the financial protection that the levels of health insurance covers, help to guard against the risks related to the unexpected costs of health care. The source of coverage could still have an impact by the insurance coverage and financing alternatives that one has access to; Conversely, private insurance, social insurance, and the national health services are the types of healthcare systems by funding and provision. As we look to health care coverage and the reform of Obamacare, I’ll analyze the impact of the uninsured in the industry and look for a resolution to improve the
Not having health insurance makes a difference in people’s access to needed medical care and their financial security. The barriers the uninsured face in getting the care that they need means they are less likely to receive preventive care, are more likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been prevented, and are more likely to die in the hospital than those with insurance. The financial impact can also be severe. Uninsured families already struggle financially to meet basic needs, and medical bills, even for minor problems, can quickly lead to medical debt. (McCarter, 2011)
CHIP is also known as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and was created by the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, enacted
| State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was created in 1997 to insure children in families with too much income to qualify for Medicaid and too little to afford private insurance. It emerged from a budget negotiation between a Democratic president and Republican Congress. As such, the program represents a fine balance, designed to maintain equilibrium between states and the federal government, as well as between political conservatives and liberals. States have the option of providing child health assistance in SCHIP through Medicaid, a separate program, or a combination of the two. There is also flexibility in benefits designed; through benefits must meet certain set standards. On average, the federal government pays
SCHIP stands for State’s Children Health Insurance Program introduced in January 24, 1997. The bill is part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 which was signed by President William Clinton in August 5, 1997 and became a public law1. The bill allows the States to designate the fund given by the federal government to families that qualifies under certain conditions. However, in September 7, 1997 it received a disapproval bill originating from the House. And in 2007, during the 110th Congressional session, the House introduced the State’s Children Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007, H.R. 3963. The bill is introduced by the House Representative John D. Dingell and was placed under House Calendar No. 141 with one general
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
Affordable and adequate health insurance for children in the United States a vital public good. Research indicates that children who have health insurance have better health outcomes in their childhood, adolescence and adulthood. (cite). During the mid 1900’s there were more 11 million uninsured children in the United States (Institute of Medicine, 1998). In what yr Senators Edward Kennedy and Orrin Hatch worked together to introduce a bill to provide healthcare insurance for children (Milliigan, 2009). Initially, their bill was not passed because it did not work in accordance with the existing Balanced Budget Act. After much deliberation, in 1997, Congress enacted State Children 's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in order to
The article "State Children's Health Insurance Program: Origins and Present Status" by Barbara Velsor-Friedrich indicates that State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was signed in 1997 by president Clinton. SHIP is financed by both federal and state government funds. The main aim of SCHIP was to provide medical cover for children whose parents had limited earning potential. There was inequality in terms of health care, based on income levels. The children of the working poor did not qualify for Medicaid. Most of the time, such children went without the most basic medical care. The program mostly uses the levels of income as the major parameter for qualification. It worth mentioning that in 1996, there were over 14.5 million children
US health care expenditures have been rising quickly over the past few years; it has risen more than the national financial system. Nonetheless a number of citizens in the US still lack appropriate health care. If the truth be told, health care expenditures are going to continue to increase; in addition numerous individuals will possibly have to make difficult choices pertaining to their health care. Our health system has grave problems that require reform, through reforming, there is optimism that there will be an increase in affordable health care and high-quality of care for America. Medicaid, Medicare and private sector insurances are all going through trials and tribulations because of
Although dental insurance is not as prevalent as medical insurance, coverage did improve from 2000 to 2005, and remained steady until 2010, similar to the trend for medical insurance. The increase in the number of children receiving public insurance (Medicaid and hawk-i) likely also increased dental care access, since both programs cover a comprehensive list of dental services. In contrast, many private health insurance policies have limited or no dental insurance benefits. However, the higher unmet need for dental care indicates that the increase in insurance coverage did not automatically translate into better access to dental care for lower income children.