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14 April 2019
Obamacare
In the past few years, the United States Federal government have in a tussle with the US citizens concerning healthcare insurance. During the era of president Barrack Obama, the health care crisis became an issue to both the democrats and the republicans. In his manifesto, retired president Barrack Obama promised the American people on affordable health insurance coverage. In the American constitution, a provision was established that bore the famous Obamacare under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2010. Obamacare improved health care insurance for the people of the United States (Center et al., 115). The health care focused first, mainly to minimize health cost for the American people. IN SO DOING, THE OBAMACARE ABSORBED ALL THE CITIZENS, MAKING IT MOST AFFORDABLE AND YET FLEXIBLE AS EXPLAINED ON PAPER.
As much as Congress and individuals are in the pursuit of repelling and replacing Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act promises extensive benefits to citizens and families that have limited or unreliable employment. The Act in itself embodies at least ten distinct legislative subjects. The core idea the Act aims is to provide a health care system the targets all the citizens in conjunction with the federal government, employers and the citizens in general. The Act also aims at providing a health care program that targets in ensuring an equitable, standard and inexpensive health care system.
Additionally, the act also aims at ensuring efficient service delivery in the health care system which in return will improve accountability in service delivery. It’s in these aspects that the Congress ought to consider before repealing and replacing Obamacare.
In the US, in a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the number of people receiving health insurance declined drastically from 44 million to 28 million in the fiscal year of 2016. According to the report was due to regulation changes in health care insurance.
Regulations in the insurance industry are vital in different ways. It’s therefore essential to include provisions while formatting health care programs. “First I would influence change in regulating competition and the premiums. It’s the focal point of the Act. Controlling competition and incentives available for citizens will reduce the overexploitation of the less privileged” (Sommers).
In ensuring that the Affordable Care Act reaches its goals, several regulations come in handy. The first regulation to be put in place should be monitoring. Monitoring involves providing mechanisms that the health care insurance programs use to present the financial reports, and in the service delivery to clients. Monitoring covers all the aspects contained in the healthcare programs.
Lastly, the government should establish regulations controlling the auditing on the health care program. These regulations will reduce, embezzlement of funds meant for the citizens, ensuring efficient service delivery.
The Obamacare under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, revolutionized the healthcare in the United States, however, despite its advantages and its extensiveness in service delivery, the Act has seen opposition in the House of Representatives that led to its replacement to American Health Care Act.
The Obamacare under the Affordable Care Act provides that it’s a mandate of every citizen to buy insurance coverage, failure to which one has to pay a penalty tax (Oberlander & Jonathan, 2166). Many critics oppose the provision, stating it as unconstitutional. However, in a ruling made by Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled that every citizen is mandated to have a health insurance policy or be liable to a tax. However, in the new bill, the ruling should be repealed as it’s unfair and does not consider the lower class citizens (Oberlander & Jonathan, 2166).
In conclusion, healthcare in the United States has revolutionized due to Obamacare. Obamacare since its establishment in 2010, has seen many families and individuals in the US get medical services in the most efficient and affordable means. Also, Obamacare focusses on ensuring the priority of the low-class citizen in the insurance coverage in receiving the health benefits under the care. With this in mind the Obamacare s undoubtedly the basis of a better healthcare program in the US.
To understand Obamacare and its positive and negative impacts on the American people, I visited Mr. Benjamin Sommers, A Harvard University health economist, and physician in a person-to-person interview.
Interviewer: What can you say about the American citizens that did not benefit from Obamacare?
Benjamin Sommers: Although the Affordable Care Act focusses on the less privileged citizens and the low income American, the Act since its establishment has not reached its target in ultimate coverage as promised. Additionally, the same people the Act targeted are still the same people suffering from the results of the Act. It is true because failing to apply for health policy is punishable by law by paying a tax fine. It is controversial to its agenda.
Interviewer: If you could transform the Obamacare, what exactly would you change?
Benjamin Sommers: First I would influence change in regulating competition and the premiums. It’s the focal point of the Act. Controlling competition and incentives available for citizens will reduce the overexploitation of the less privileged.
Interviewer: What’s worse, Repealing or replacement of the Act basing on the public healthcare system?
Benjamin Sommers: Currently many Republicans are reluctant to a repeal. The blow on their citizens on repealing are negative. Also replacing the Act will also negatively affects the citizens in such a way that many citizens will lack health insurance.
Work Cited
Center, Helm, et al. “A critical analysis of Obamacare: affordable care or insurance for many and coverage for few?.” Pain physician 20 (2017): 111-138.
Hall, Mark A., and Richard Lord. “Obamacare: what the Affordable Care Act means for patients and physicians.” Bmj349 (2014): g5376.
Oberlander, Jonathan. “The future of Obamacare.” New England Journal of Medicine 367.23 (2012): 2165-2167.