These people are projected to have incomes too high to qualify for their state’s existing Medicaid programs, but below the federal poverty level (nearly $11,500 for an individual) required to be eligible for federal subsidies to buy private coverage on the new online insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid is the state-federal health insurance program for the poor. “Millions of adults will remain outside the reach of the ACA and continue to have limited, if any, options for health coverage,” the study concludes. The law provides full federal funding for three years to states that expand Medicaid to cover residents under 138 percent of the poverty level (or just under $15,900 for an individual). But the Supreme Court made that requirement effectively optional for states, and most Republican led-states have opted against expanding the
Majority Leader Robert Dole (R, Kan.) has been one of the most vocal proponents of reducing tort settlements. Dole has claimed that legal and insurance costs stemming from malpractice litigation are not only burdensome to health care professionals, but are ultimately passed on to patients. Those costs, Dole says, raise the average American's medical expenses by about $1,200 a year. In 1995, the House passed sweeping legislation that would have limited the overall number of tort lawsuits in the U.S. and placed a $250,000 cap on punitive damages. The legislation was ultimately vetoed by Clinton, who said the law did not adequately protect consumers' rights.
Running Head: HEALTH CARE REFORM Health Care Reform Health Care Reform With our elections only a week away, Healthcare reform is a hot topic. According to 17 different polls analyzed, healthcare is only second to the economy as a major voting issue (Fox, 2010). Even though market supporters have been successful in creating the belief that “competition in health care markets can rein in uncontrolled costs”, it is the market failure that is at the origin of our current health care crisis (Geyman, 2010). Is healthcare reform the remedy or could this system wide issue be addressed differently? No matter what other solutions are implemented, it is apparent that the federal government will be involved.
As for whether slashing military spending would deny us needed protection, one could as well ask whether we are safe today with policies that risk "blowback”, bankruptcy, and monetary disarray. All through the debate over health-care reform last year, I cast a somewhat jaundiced eye on those critics who said the United States could not afford it, because frequently those critics also seemed to be supporters of the Iraq war. Their thrift seemed to stop at the war’s edge. They said we could not afford health care, when we plainly could afford it, given our outlandish spending on a war of choice, to say nothing of a Wall Street bailout. $700 billion for the war.
Initial Post Savetria Palmer Analysis and assessment of the ethical and economic challenges related to financing healthcare According to Kovner and Knickman, the issue of how we pay for health care service dominated the public policy agenda during the first 2 years of the Obama administration (2011). While we probably all agree that our healthcare system needs to be revamped it is not an easy fix. Thus, the issue remains elusive. The cost of healthcare continues to spiral out of control. Some of the drivers of rising healthcare cost are demographics and new technologies (Laureate Education, 2012).
Governor Jerry Brown calls the new healthcare program for the state of California “Covered California.” Covered California is supposed to start in the year 2014 which will provide healthcare to an estimated 1-million Californian’s. The plan is for the next 10 years is to reduce the number of uninsured Californian’s.” Today I am calling for a special session to deal with those issues that must be decided quickly if California is to get the Affordable Care Act started by next January. The broader expansion of Medi-Cal that the Act calls for is incredibly complex and will take more time” (State Address to California Legislature, Jan 24, 2013) Govenor Jerry Brown also signed a measure that requires insurance contracts signed by the State of California’s new health insurance coverage “Covered California,” to be open to public inspection under the California Public Records Act, but excluding the public knowledge of healthcare rates and contracts. It will become public in three to four
OBAMACARE: HELP OR HINDRANCE SOC120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility Monday, November 19, 2012 In our present state with the election only days away, we in America are found with the dame question that has plagued us for years which is: Does the government hold the key to making healthcare affordable? One of the primary issues that will make our current President sink or swim is the crisis that most Americans are faced with regarding affordable healthcare. The OBAMACARE or Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was approved by the then Democratic-controlled Congress and signed by President Obama in 2010. Americans are divided on the issue of healthcare.Citation However, various other countries have
The Federal Government Health Programs Introduction The Federal Governments three health care programs; Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP (child health insurance program) are costing $2.0 trillion per year. These programs accounted for 21 percent of the federal budget in 2010, or $753 billion. The costs of these programs to the Federal Government are astounding and have a large impact on the National Debt. An overhaul of the government health care programs is needed to reduce the continued spending of billions of wastefully dollars. Thesis statement An analysis of the Federal Governments three health care programs reveal a challenging job ahead in order to overhaul the programs to bring about reduce
That's because many people will receive preventive care for the first time in their lives. This could lead to treatment of unknown illnesses, driving up costs. To help pay for this costly plan will require the Medicare payroll tax to increase for those making over $200k a year. Another weakness of the legislation is that it requires every American to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty for not doing so, known as the individual mandate. The prices for coverage will still vary dramatically based on location; which makes if difficult to keep track.
Kaminski. J. (n.d.) Medical insurance rate increases requested and approved in Connecticut. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved February 17, 2010 from http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/rpt/2009-R-0442.htm Seshamani, M. (n.d.) Coverage Denied: How the current health insurance system leaves millions behind.