There are Currently 32 million people without health insurance in the United States. This means that roughly 83 per cent of citizens have to live day by day hoping they won’t get sick. For this reason, President Obama signed the U. S health reform bill into law. The health reform will make health care more affordable for citizens. Employers with more than 50 employees will be forced to provide coverage for all, or they will have to pay a fine. It will also make health insures more responsible.
For example, health insurance carriers are forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions, and from canceling policies because someone gets sick. It will also expand health coverage to all American’s, it will make the health system sustainable, it will stabilize family budgets, the federal budget, and it will help the economy. It is said to be a historic event, some past presidents and many U. S. citizens have fought and have tried to pass this bill, but it was never accomplished until now.
On March 23rd the health reform bill became a law in the United States of America. Even though it will take four years to implement fully, the reforms that are desperately needed will take effect right away. The congress was the first to pass the new law. The senate has also passed the bill, but they will be making some changes. According to president Obama, the changes that the senate will arrange won’t make a big difference to the bill. It is said that the health care bill will benefit ‘the regular hard working Americans’, this is why some people oppose the bill because the wealthy people will get taxed a little more than they normally do.
But this is done with a good cause, the health reform will help especially children, hard working healthy, adults, anyone with a pre- existing condition, seniors, small businesses, small companies, and it will offer many new jobs. The health reform will help parents and of course their children by providing greater coverage. Some parents won’t have to pay any co-payments or even deductibles when they visit their doctor. This will maximize regular check –up’s which will help provide and prevent any information regarding future illnesses.
This will help save many children form common obesity, heart problems, vision problems, lungs, kidneys, liver, and stomach problems. Regular visits can also provide information about good eating habits, the importance of exercise, and good personal hygiene. This will eventually lead children to higher self esteems, and a bright, healthy future to look forward too. Not only children will benefit from this new law, but young adults as well. They will be able to stay on their parent’s policies until they’re 26 years old.
Health insurance reform offers free prevention coverage to all insured people and invests in public health to create a system that prevents illness and disease instead of just treating it when it’s too late and costs more. Simple prevention can prevent a small health problem from getting worse. Health insurance reform will offer special young adult policies that will be offered by private insurance plans and a competitive public option. They will have increased choices and increased competition that holds private insurance companies accountable.
This will help end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions. This means that young adults won’t be denied coverage because of a current sickness or illness. Clearly, the system we have today is broken. If you don’t have health coverage, there’s no limit on how much insurance companies can and will charge you, and they can decide to refuse to sell you a policy at their whim. Health insurance reform will change all of that. For the first time in history, there will be limits on how much anyone will have to pay to receive health care coverage.
This will be depending upon a person’s income. There will be tens of millions of Americans who will get a tax credit to help pay for their health coverage. For the first time in history, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to simply tell a person “no”. They will be required to offer coverage and accommodate regardless of a person’s health status, and they will not be able to jack up rates or drop any one from coverage when the main person in the insurance packet gets sick. Seniors who fall under a coverage hole will start getting some help.
Some are saying that seniors may lose Medicare benefits they now enjoy, but that is not true. The health reform act will not cut guaranteed benefits; a person will still be able to maintain the coverage they want. Americans on Medicare will receive free preventive care without co- payments or deductibles. Seniors will also receive $250 to help pay for their prescriptions. There will also be alternatives to nursing home placement, such as day-service programs, home-care aides, meal programs, senior centers and transportation services.
A public, voluntary long-term care insurance program known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports, have enrolled individuals who have substantial daily needs to receive at least $50 a day. This money is to be used to defray the costs of services such as home care, family caregiver support, and adult day-care or residential care. This health reform will offer tax credits to about four million small business men and women to help cover the cost The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit will be able to cover up to 35 percent of the premiums a small business pays to cover its workers.
It also creates health insurance exchanges to increase bargaining power and reduce administrative costs. Usually small businesses have little bargaining power and they often face high administrative costs. Currently, small businesses face not only premiums that are 18 percent higher than large businesses pay, but also face higher administrative costs to set up and maintain a health plan. The premiums that the small businesses pay have 3 to 4 times as much administrative cost built into them as plans in the large business group market.
For this reason Health Insurance Exchanges will be forced to provide more choices, lower prices, and better bargaining plans for businesses with up to 100 Employees. Starting by 2014, businesses with 100 or fewer workers will be able pool their buying power and reduce administrative costs by purchasing insurance through an exchange. This is according to CBO, coverage that small businesses have purchased through an exchange “would have lower administrative costs, on average, than the policies those firms would buy under current law, particularly for very small firms.
Insurance companies will not be able to place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive. Insurance companies will not be able to deny coverage because of a pre existing condition; they will not be allowed to drop any type of coverage that was included in the person’s original policy. It will decrease dishonest billing practices in the Medicare program, the President’s Proposal will assist in reducing the number of individuals and agencies with a history of fraudulent activities participating in Federal health care programs.
In conclusion, the healthcare reform will provide lower cost for millions of families, and for businesses. It also represents the largest middle- class tax cut for health care in history. People will not be denied coverage because of pre- existing conditions. The American people will finally be able to afford the health coverage they need. Like the poet, Virgil, once said, “The greatest wealth is health”.