US Health Care Services:
Contents
Health Services Issues and Consequences. 3
Abstract
When thinking about America’s health care system, most feel that it is time for a change. While most other countries provide some sort of limited health care plan for their citizens, America, having a high quality of care, should do the same. President Obama’s administration is pushing for a government run health care system, which has its benefits as well as its consequences. Health insurance companies cause scores of tedious problems for patients, which most times, in part, cause a delay in treatment. Any person regardless of insurance and/or money should always be able to seek and get the medical attention needed. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010, signed into law by President Obama on March 23, sought out to provide better affordable health care for most Americans (Oberlander, 2009). Despite some advantages, like abolishing pre-existing conditions for children under Age 19, there are some major disadvantages. This reform will increase taxes and decrease quality of coverage.
Key Words: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Taxes, Coverage
Quality
Introduction
Enacted into American Law on 23rd March 2010, the Patient Protections and Affordable Act (PPACA) aims at providing affordable healthcare to Americans. Fundamentally, this health care act emphasizes the need for improving access to primary health care for all American citizens irrespective of their economic backgrounds. Additionally, this act also seeks to provide affordable health care insurance at a low cost, so as to, allow easy access by all Americans (Newman, 2011). As researchers and policy makers explain, this healthcare legislation is bound to bring about changes in the US healthcare system for years to come. However, research studies cannot agree on whether or not these changes will be beneficial to America, especially with regards to the American healthcare system. Some believe that the PPACA will impact the health care system by reducing the quality of healthcare provided for Americans. Others believe that this legislation will increase taxes instead of reducing the cost of healthcare as Obama and his administration would like to believe (Hunt, 2010). Accordingly, the PPACA was designed to provide the required healthcare reform that America has been seeking for the last few years. However, in the process of the enactment of this law, other policies and legislations have been integrated into the Act, thus making the influence of this Act widespread. Not only has this act reformed the Federal Family Education Loan program (FFEL), it has also affected the health insurance policy, hence changing how health insurance is provided to companies. This has, in turn, received plenty of criticism and praise, owing to the immediate effects of this Act on the ways in which the different systems are run. In view of that, it is prerequisite that all professionals in the healthcare industry familiarize themselves with the scope, content, and implications of the PPACA, for proper comprehension and application of the Act (Kocher et al., 2010).
This paper presents a review of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Specifically, the paper will examine some of the components of the Act, as well as, the various ways it affects healthcare service and profession.
Significance
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a significant topic for discussion because it seeks to ensure that all Americans are granted access to good quality and affordable healthcare. Additionally, the PPACA also seeks to reduce the cost of healthcare in America, which is considered as one of the best improvements that America’s health care system can undergo (Goodson, 2010).
Health Services Issues and Consequences
Like other pieces of legislation in American federal law, the PPACA addresses various issues that have been a bother in the American healthcare system. Specifically, this legislation addresses various troublesome areas of healthcare in America. At the outset, the legislation seeks to ensure that Americans receive quality and affordable health care, which is believed to have been lacking in the past few years (Cavale, 2011). As Obama’s administration had observed, only the Americans who had a proper source of income could afford good quality healthcare for themselves. Americans without a proper source of income suffered because they could not afford to pay for their medical coverage as required. This act, therefore, pushes for shared responsibility in the insurance market that will assist in reducing these discriminatory practices in America’s healthcare system.
Public programs, such as the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs, as well as, their respective role in America’s healthcare system are also problems that America’s healthcare system have been forced to face in the last few years. Though these programs were developed for utilization by all Americans, the issue of program eligibility has brought about problems as most lower-income Americans have been deemed illegible for these programs. Specifically, the Children’s Health Insurance Program has been identified as having the biggest issues because children at a certain age have been disqualified from the program, thus putting their lives at risk because of lack to proper medical access (Elmendorf, 2011). In addition to the issue of eligibility, the health programs in America have also been accused of lacking transparency and integrity, which in turn promote unfair and illegal practices in America’s healthcare system.
Obama’s administration has also cited the existence of chronic diseases an issue that needs to be addressed effectively. Chronic diseases are issues and problems in America’s healthcare system, not because they increase the rate of mortality in the state, but because America’s healthcare system as failed in providing access to preventative treatment for all Americans (Harrington, 2010). Consequently, the rate of mortality as a result of chronic diseases has increased, hence revealing a problem in America’s healthcare system.
America’s health care workforce has also been identified as an issue and problem to America’s healthcare system. As most researchers in the field would explain, American healthcare practitioners have long been accused of incompetency, and for that reason, American citizens argue that they should not be in practice (Elmendorf, 2011). Additionally, the America medical workforce is lacking, in the sense that it does not provide a sufficient number of healthcare workers to attend to the needs of patients. This has, in turn, decreased the quality of healthcare provided to Americans as the healthcare workforce is overworked.
Health Reform Proposals
As a response to the issues presented above, the PPACA presents various reforms that are aimed at changing the state of the American healthcare system. Accordingly, the PPACA suggests nine main reform approaches that will assist in giving America’s healthcare system the change it requires. The first reform proposal emphasizes the need for the provision of quality and affordable healthcare for all Americans (Manchikanti & Hirsch, 2009). The implementation of this will be conducted to the assurance of the immediate improvement of healthcare services and increasing the available insurance coverage for patients. The second reform proposal as per the PPACA centres on changing the contents and role of American public healthcare programs. Two main healthcare programs will be affected in the process including MEDICAID and CHIP. The eligibility for these two healthcare programs will be changed through simplifying enrollment into these programs (Newman, 2011). Thirdly, the PPACA proposes a reform that is aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of America’s healthcare provisions. The first step towards the achievement of this will be the linking of a payment to quality outcomes of healthcare services, as well as, the reinforcement of the quality of medical infrastructure (Copeland & Carey, 2011). Additionally, for this reform to fully take shape, the government will also need to ensure a proper healthcare sustainability for years to come.
The fourth reform provision of the PPACA focuses on the prevention of the spread of chronic diseases, which will, in turn, improve the overall public health of Americans. For this to be achieved however, the US government is considering the possibility of modernizing the healthcare system, as well as, increasing access to preventative healthcare services. The healthcare workforce reform, as proposed in the PPACA, is the fifth provision of the act, and it aims at ensuring that the healthcare workforce is at its best at all times. The government will be required to increase the supply of medical practitioners in the field. Additionally, the government should ensure that these medical practitioners are well trained and educated regarding their duties and responsibilities (Gray & Sullivan, 2011). The sixth reform proposal in the PPACA is the transparency and program integrity reform, which seeks to put into place a new set of policies aimed at combating issues regarding fraud and malpractice. Another reform that has been proposed in the PPACA revolves around the improvement of access to new medical therapies for all Americans. According to Blendon and Benson (2010), The PPACA also proposes a reform on community assistance services and supports. This reform proposal aims at establishing voluntary insurance programs for the improvement of the health of communities. The last reform proposed in the PPACA entails revenue provisions, which defines how the government will gain funding for the provision of health insurance for Americans (Foster, 2010).
Criticism
As research studies explain, the PPACA presents both benefits and losses to the American healthcare system. Some of the benefits of the PPACA have been identified to include the abolition of pre-existing negative healthcare conditions in the American healthcare system. The PPACA will improve access to medical service for low-income earners, as well as, children under the age of 19, which is seen as the first step towards the improvement of the health of all Americans (Trumbull, 2010). The number of medical practitioners and workers will also be increased, which will, in turn, assure the American population of having access to a large number of competent staff in the field. However, because of the financial implications of the PPACA, critiques believe that this piece of legislation may be detrimental to Americans, as it risks an increase in taxes and a decrease in the quality of healthcare provided to Americans.
Justifications
I believe that the PPACA will be more costly than most Americans would like to believe. Although the Act will reduce America’s healthcare deficit by a significant amount, it will, in one way or another, increase the amount of money spend by individuals, as well as, the government as a whole on health care (Klein, 2009). At the outset, the implementation of the PPACA will increase the number of insured Americans, which inherently increases the budget for the number of people to receive insurance (Wolf, 2010). Non-Americans, who consist of a third of America’s population, will not be eligible for insurance, meaning that they will be forced to personally pay for the healthcare they receive. This implies that, in the long run, more money will have to be spent on a program that as initially designed to cut the cost on spending. Another factor that most people have failed to realize with relation to the implementation of the PPACA is that, for the government to raise the funds to support all Americans they need to increase the taxes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Government revenue and expenditure is solely dependent on the amount of taxes that people pay to the government. Accordingly, for the American government to offer quality and affordable medical insurance for American, they need to increases the tax amount to be paid for Americans.
References
Blendon, R. J., & Benson, J. M. (2010). Public opinion at the time of the vote on health care
reform. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(55): 344-350.
Cavale, A. R. (2011). Comments on the Affordable Care Act and the Future of Clinical
Medicine. Annals of Internal Medicine January 18(2):154:142.
Clancy, C. & Collins, F. C. (2010). Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute: The
Intersection of Science and Health Care. Sci Transl Med, 2(37): 37.
Copeland, C. W., & Carey, M. P. (2011). Upcoming Rules Pursuant to the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Darby PA: DIANE Publishing.
Cutler, D. M., Davis K., & Stremikis K. (2009). Why health reform will bend the cost curve.
Issue Brief (Commonwealth Fund), 72:1-16.
Elmendorf, D. W. (2011). CBO’s Analysis of the Major Health Care Legislation Enacted in
March 2010: Congressional Testimony. Darby PA: DIANE Publishing.
Foster, R. S. (2010). Estimated Financial Effects of the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act,’ as Amended. Darby PA: DIANE Publishing.
Goodson, J. D. (2010). Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Promise and Peril for
Primary Care. Annals of Internal Medicine, 152(11): 742-744.
Gray, B. J., & Sullivan, K. C. (2011). Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act (PPACA). New York: Nova Science Pub Inc.
Harrington, S. C. (2010). U.S. Health-care Reform: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act. Journal of Risk and Insurance, 77(3): 703–708.
Hunt, D. R. (2010). Support for Health Care Bill Repeal, Lawsuit. Florida Time-Union. March,
- Retrieved from: jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/davidhunt/2010-03-25/rasmussen-support-health-care-bill-repeal-lawsuit
Klein, E. (2009). Can Congress cut Medicare costs? Washington Post, December 4.
Retrieved from: voices.washingtonpost.com/ezraklein/2009/12/can_congress_cut_medicare_cost.html
Kocher, R., Emanuel, E. J., DeParle, N. M. (2010). The Affordable Care Act and the Future of
Clinical Medicine: The Opportunities and Challenges. Annals of Internal Medicine,
153(8): 536-539.
Manchikanti, L. & Hirsch J. A. (2009). Obama Health Care for All Americans: Practical
Implications. Pain Physician, 12: 289-304.
“New Affordable Care Act rules shed blight on high health insurance rate hikes” (2010). U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. December, 21. Retrieved from: www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/12/20101221a.html.
Newman, D. (2011). Accountable Care Organizations and the Medicare Shared Savings
Program. Darby, PA: DIANE Publishing.
Oberlander, J. (2009). Great expectations: The Obama administration and health care reform.
New England Journal of Medicine, 360:321-323.
“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (2010). Public Law No: 111-148: H.R. 3590.
March 23.
Trumbull, M. (2010). Obama signs health care bill: Who won’t be covered? Christian Science
Monitor, March 23. Retrieved from: www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0323/Obama-signs-health-care-bill-Who-won-t-be-covered
Wolf, R. (2010). Young A. Health bill spreads the pain, benefits. USA Today, March 22.
Retrieved from: www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-03-22-health-you_N.htm.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
