The American Healthcare Reforms

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The American Healthcare Reforms

Introduction

A healthcare reform is a general term used to discuss the major health policies initiated by the government to ensure that there is proper health care delivery. The field combines several aspects such as broadening the population that gets healthcare coverage through either the public or private sector insurance cover (Albright et al., 6). The system focuses on decreasing the cost of healthcare, improving and expanding access to healthcare facilities and specialists and expansion of the array of healthcare services provision to the public at the cheapest and most affordable cost (Rosen et al., 801).

Background Analysis

Healthcare reforms have been discussed in the American senate for many years even before the beginning of the 20th century. In 1854, for instance, the Bill for the benefit of the indigent insane was passed by the congress, but failed at the stage of presidential assent (Albright et al., 8). Notable years were the 1930-1950s period where there was a great global depression mostly as a result of the effects Second World War and many citizens required access to publicly funded healthcare programs (Gold and Susan, 5). Although the American president by then Franklin Roosevelt, had intended to approve the bill, there was widespread criticism from the American Medical Association (Toth, 86). During the same period, hospitals began issuing insurance programs. The 1960s and 70s period was termed as the civil rights era where the elderly members of the American society focused on the issue of uninsured. Their efforts bore fruit because the elderly achieved in the implementation of the “socialized medicine” (Rosen et al., 800).

The subsequent years saw a number of achievements in terms of modifying and improving the healthcare reforms starting from the Ronald Reagan regime to the Clinton and eventually the George Bush era. However, in the 2008 elections campaigns both Obama and his competitor John McCain offered their varied version in the manner in which they wish the healthcare reforms to be implemented and also cater for the vast majority of the citizens (Albright et al., 12). With McCain advocating for the open market competition, Obama focused his campaigns on creation of a universal healthcare system. The latter’s system seemed to attract a vast majority of Americans especially the low and middle earners who are the vast majority. The system on provision of Healthcare cover to children by their parents and at adult age, the purchase of insurance would not be required. After his election, President Obama advocated for the implementation of the plan though it received criticism from the republican front programs (Gold and Susan, 5). In recent years several healthcare bills have been passed, the state, during the second tenure of Obama as president has played a key role in the healthcare system through regulation of healthcare plans and many states as per now are actively participating in the implementation of proper and improved Health care. The latest enacted healthcare reforms are the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act under the senate bill H.R. 3590 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act that was enacted in 2010 under senate Bill H.R 4872.

The patient protection and affordable care and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act are laws that were designed to take four years before becoming fully functional. The law recommends the implementation and expansion of the Medicaid which is entitled to persons of up to 133% of the FPL (federal poverty level) and a further subsidy on insurance premiums for people who make up to 400% of the 400% of FPL. The law outlines the implementation of the Health Insurance exchanges and provides financial support to medical research.

Benefits of Healthcare reforms

Healthcare reforms are critical in the modern American society in a number of ways. It is estimated that at least one in six Americans has no healthcare insurance. The current trends in the medical sector indicate that health care spending is on the sharp increase and in fact, the costs of medical administrative costs are fast escalating (Cummings et al., 40). These circumstances result to the rise of medical errors where patients frequently overuse or underuse medicine.

According to the 2013 statistics, an estimated over 44 million Americans lack healthcare insurance. This proportion translates to 16% of the total population (Cummings et al., 27). The majority of the 44 million people are the working class who mostly are low earners and therefore cannot afford paying healthcare insurance. Through implementation of healthcare reforms, these individuals will access better medical care expansion of Medicaid which offers medical health insurance via insurance marketplaces. Estimates generated from modeling indicate that by the end of 2014, 13 % of the 16% will be insured (Albright et al., 8).

Cost assistance subsidizations for premiums reductions lower out of costs. This therefore means that persons and families that make below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level get access to good healthcare services programs (Gold and Susan, 7). To add on that middle income earners have access to care which discounts are provided via health insurance market which is also called health insurance exchange. The cost of paying for healthcare is extremely high that demographers estimate by 2040, 34% of the Gross domestic product shall be used in funding healthcare unless the reforms are implemented (Cummings et al., 30).

Healthcare reforms are essential in eliminating pre-existing conditions and diminishing gender discrimination in the event of accessing healthcare. Americans are liable to get access to quality healthcare services that are centered around preventive and emphasis on wellness (Rosen et al., 800). These services raise the standards of essential basic healthcare access and coverage across the country. Despite personal financial status, every citizen enjoy the privilege of accessing the best healthcare services available that otherwise cannot be obtained through employers.

The healthcare reforms play a vital role in in creating reforms in the American budgetary allocation through reducing the wastage and misappropriation of funds and increases consumer protection in a number of ways; for instance if an employee’s contract is terminated on the basis of sickness and then denied good healthcare having lifetime limits and if the person is denied the care required for pre-existing conditions, the persons is granted a good legal base by the government to urge his/ her case against the health insurance companies (Cummings et al., 20). The American citizen gets a relief because the cost of paying for a good health insurance cover is extremely expensive and in this case most citizens survive on the verge of bankruptcy (Rosen et al., 801). The healthcare reforms will not only lower the cost of healthcare insurance, but also encourage the Americans to start embracing the saving culture as a result of reduced costs regarding health insurance cover.

The improved healthcare reforms will transform the manner in which citizens pay and maintain their healthcare payments. The reforms will instill competition in the healthcare service provision arena and for this reason; monopoly and controlled pricing run by health insurance companies will be countered forcing their prices to go down or else the business will be closed down because of lack of patients. The gap for older children will be closed immensely and for this reason, the child can still be covered under their parent’s insurance cover until he/ she is financially stable to pay for the services offered.

Challenges

Despite having a public majority backing, the health reformation process faces a number of challenges for instance educating the members of the public on signing up for health coverage is complicated and hard. It has bees three years since President Obama assented the reforms to become laws, a small proportion of the Americans have not done it and a bigger proportion of these people still believe the congress repealed the law (Toth, 88).

The new health plans set minimum benefit standards as well as rules that prohibit health insurance firms from covering people with preexisting conditions (Toth, 83). Conversely, in as much as 16% of the population lacked insurance cover, even after the laws were set to subsidize the cost of having an insurance cover, few people have turned to embrace the new set laws programs (Gold and Susan, 12). In fact, some especially from the republican front strongly oppose the medical reforms on the basis that they are for democrats.

Conclusion

The newly implemented healthcare reforms offers the Americans with numerous benefits, rights as well protections and setting up an insurance cover affordable to the vast majority of the citizens. The 2010 amended laws were designed to improve Medicare, expand Medicaid and ensure that all Americans have access to quality healthcare service regardless of their financial muscle. Although the bills result an increase in terms of taxes paid by the citizens, the taxation procedure is systematically spread in the four year process to ensure that the citizens feel a minimal increment in terms of taxes.

Works Cited

Albright, Heidi W., Mark Moreno, Thomas W. Feeley, Ronald Walters, Marc Samuels, Alissa Pereira, and Thomas W. Burke. “The Implications Of The 2010 Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act And The Health Care And Education Reconciliation Act On Cancer Care Delivery.” Cancer 3.1 (2010): 4-20. Print.

Cummings, Nicholas A., and William T. Donohue. Understanding the behavioral healthcare crisis: the promise of integrated care and diagnostic reform. New York: Routledge, 2011. Print.

Gold, Susan Dudley. Health Care Act. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish, 2012. Print.

Law, explanation and analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: including Reconciliation Act impact. Chicago, IL: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business :, 2010. Print.

Rosen, B. S., P. J. Maddox, and N. Ray. “A Position Paper on How Cost and Quality Reforms Are Changing Healthcare in America: Focus on Nutrition.” Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 37.6 (2013): 796-801. Print.

Toth, Federico. “Healthcare policies over the last 20 years: Reforms and counter-reforms.” Health Policy 95.1 (2010): 82-89. Print.