Reform Proposal 3- Access

Reform Proposal 3- Access

Maroon-Finance, Written by Jessica Wysocki

The Obama administration has many plans to change the health care system so every citizen has access to the care they need. The key points are to expand the Medicaid program, mandate coverage for all children, create a “National Health Insurance Exchange” plan, provide subsidies to lower-income individuals and small businesses to help lower the costs of purchasing insurance, and taxing larger firms that will not provide their employees with health insurance coverage. Obama plans to create a system that will cover everyone, opposed to a system run by the government because some Americans still approve of their private insurance plans, and changing to a single government-run plan is such a drastic change that some Americas are not ready for.

By expanding the Medicaid program, or by creating a program similar to the current Medicaid program, it would be available to individuals who do no have access to an employer insurance plan or for those who do not qualify for existing government programs. By expanding/creating this program, it will allow more citizens who are not currently eligible for Medicaid to receive health care coverage. In addition, all children who do not qualify for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), will also be covered.

As for insurance companies, they will be required to cover pre-existing conditions so that all Americans can receive coverage regardless of their health status. By doing this insurance companies cannot pick and choose whom they will cover based on health conditions, thus everyone has the opportunity for coverage. Part of the plan is to also prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for their malpractice insurance and invest in strategies to lower preventable medical errors. The “National Health Insurance Exchange” is a government run organization that would sell insurance plans directly to those who do not have an employer plan or public coverage. This would also require employers to either provide health insurance to their employees or contribute funds towards the cost of a public plan.

To finance these changes, money will come from the changes to Medicare, an expected $316 billion in the next decade, combined with $318 billion that will be generated from a tax increase on families earning more than $200,000 or more, equaling $634 billion allowed for the expansion of health coverage to all of the uninsured Americans. Money will also come from a program that will help small businesses to provide affordable health insurance to their employees, by requiring large employers that do not offer coverage to their employees to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of their employee’s health care. The Obama campaign is attempting to change to United States Health Care system so that every citizen can have access to affordable and equitable health coverage. By expanding or creating a new Medicaid program, making companies that do not offer health insurance coverage to their employees pay money to support a public health plan, and creating a “National Health Insurance Exchange”, are all steps towards creating changes in the current health care system.

Sources:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/05/obama-healthcare-plan-forbeslife-cx_rr_1105health.html

http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/03/obama-health-plan-lifestyle-health_obama_health_budget.html

http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2008/03/a-detailed-anal.html

In order to improve health care quality and create better health care access (with inevitably a rising cost), our group aligns its belief with Obama’s: expand the existing employer and government-based insurance system via the expansion of Medicaid and SCHIP. In this way, more Americans would be subjected to insurance, imparticularily the uninsured and children. Obama’s plan would require that all employers either offer health benefits to their employees or contribute to the cost of a new public program while smaller employers or individuals with no job-based insurance could receive insurance with this new insurance plan. Furthermore, all children would be required by law to have health insurance. Not only does Obama want to expand access in this way, he also wants to require that hospitals and providers make costs and quality outcomes public. While the price of $1.17 trillion to create this plan may shock Americans, it stands alone when compared to McCain’s proposed plan of $2.05 trillion, according to one researcher. This amount may also seem a little more agreeable knowing the fact that this money will reduce the number of uninsured by over 34 million Americans not to mention the ways Obama wants to improve health care quality using it. Not only does Obama want to improve the prevention and care of chronic conditions, allow drug reimportation, and promote generic drugs, he also wants to push for Medicare to be allowed to negotiate with drug companies on prices. Obama’s plan clearly cuts out unnecessary costs and Americans will be getting the most bang for their buck. It is highly unlikely that any other plan could create this heightened amount of access and health care quality. The biggest concern are those uninsured and children which this plan addresses directly. Even though this will cause an increase in cost, any plan that allows for this much coverage will see inflation. While some may believe that spending this kind of money during a recession is incompetent and careless, it is important to remember that the health of individuals is always of the most importance. Without healthy individuals, we won’t be able to lift the United States. Furthermore, this plan calls for a lesser amount of money than that of Senator John McCain. It is a very thought out plan that could benefit all Americans into creating the United States a healthier nation.


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