On 23rd March 2010, the president of the united states Barack Hussein Obama signed into law the Patient and protection affordable care act. This is one of the most important laws signed by President Obama in his entire time as head of state. For this reason, the law went on to get recognized as the Obama care act. Most of the provisions catered for in this law came into force in the year 2014. Many preliminary deliberations and preparations would ensure the law remains efficient and beneficial.
This particular law aims to achieve some objectives. The first mandate is to offer benefits and protection to all American citizens irrespective of financial status. There is a large number of Americans who are destitute and cannot gain access to quality healthcare. Their incomes restrict them from accessing the service. This law also enables the purchase of insurance in the marketplace.
This process means that insurance cover can get bought over the counter without the need for filling extensive paperwork. Too much bureaucracy makes the process tedious and time-consuming. Furthermore, it guarantees aid for the aged and physically challenged. Such groups of people normally have a diminished capacity to indulge in economic activities that generate income. Therefore, they might not be in a position to afford premiums (Gray, Lowery, Monogan & Godwin, 2010).
With the Obama care act, all states across the country will receive medical aid. This assistance offers a subsidy to the high cost of healthcare. Companies will also get mandated to provide cover for employees. They will have to provide health benefits and workmanship compensation in the event of occupational injuries. Workers thus get protected as they undertake their jobs.
However, this bill introduces a new form of taxation. It is the citizens who will bear the burden of funding the program (Wilensky, 2012). The plan to enact a healthcare bill came about in 2009 during President Obama first term in office. The House approved the act on November 7th, 2009 and the Senate passed it on 24th December 2009. Before its acceptance, the bill received numerous challenges. The Republicans opposed the bill claiming that it would place too much burden on the citizens through taxation. They feared that the economy might suffer as a result of the new law which will bring about overspending on the heath (Bradley, 2009).
Players in the healthcare policy and their roles
The government
The government has the primary function of creating and passing the laws. The senate and the house get tasked with deliberating and discussing bills. When there is unanimous agreement, the laws get passed, and the president eventually signs them into law. In the case of significant disagreements, the two houses vote on the bills before they get passed on to the next stage. A threshold of votes is usually required before it can proceed. If a bill fails to meet the required threshold and it fails.
Another role of the state is to oversee the implementation of laws. It provides avenues through which the laws get implemented. It employs health officials within the ministry and public health institutions as well as private health facilities. The personnel carries out the task of administering government services to the people.
The government regulates the health insurance companies. This action ensures that they do not exploit the public with exorbitant premiums. It monitors and regulates the activities of these groups and sets laws that control pricing and certain terms of the contracts between them and the clients. The state itself is also a provider of insurance. Some companies belong to the government. Through these institutions, citizens get assured of affordable healthcare in times of emergencies.
The insurance companies.
The insurance companies offer cover to the citizens of the United States of America. They package various insurance policy covers depending on conditions and needs of customers. They undertake various complex calculations to determine the cost, duration, and profitability. The premiums paid for an insurance cover rely on a variety of factors.
The age of the insured is a crucial consideration while starting a contract. Younger people would pay lesser health insurance premiums in comparison to elderly people. When it comes to occupation, those who work in hazardous conditions will pay more occupational insurance premiums as opposed to those who work in less dangerous environments.
There are various categories medical covers. Comprehensive health insurance covers insure the client against all ailments and medical conditions that they might experience. Occupational health insurance insures the customer's ageing health and medical conditions arising from occupational sources. Periodic health covers cover the insured against health conditions for a given time.
These insurance covers get priced differently depending on individual factors. For this reason, they may vary from person to person. Different companies also offer different covers at various prices. This situation creates a competitive environment for these firms. One fact that arises here is that this new healthcare act is a source of business for the insurers (Oberlander, 2012).
The American citizens
The citizens are the primary target of this legislation. President Obama signed the law to ensure that all people of the United States get access to proper healthcare regardless of their situation. The aim is universal healthcare for all. All over the world, societies are composed of the wealthy, middle class and the poor. America is not an exception to this rule. Some citizens live below the poverty line. They do not have access to primary healthcare. They live in the ghettos with poor sanitation conditions which pose a health risk.
The population also comprises of diverse people. These individuals have different tastes and preferences. They would love to have insurance covers that suit their personal needs as well as those of their families. For this reason, insurance companies always strive to create personalized policies.
Most citizens were happy with the new laws. Especially the middle-class ant the rich. They already had insurance covers as a routine. The low class, on the other hand, lamented about the new bill. They claimed it would place an enormous financial burden on them through the monthly premiums. They prefer to attend subsidized government health facilities. These facilities offer affordable healthcare within their budgets (Henderson & Hillygus, 2011).
Healthcare facilities
Hospitals and healthcare facilities play the role of linking the citizens to the insurance companies. When an insured patient visits a health facility, they have to give proof of their insurance. It is only then that they can get free medical attention. The hospital will then determine the medical bill and send it to the insurance company. The insurance company will then foot the bill on behalf of the patient.
Doctors are responsible for filling in the treatment forms that show a patient has undergone successful treatment. They will then communicate the information to the insurance company. Furthermore, hospitals keep medical records of patients. Patient health information is a treasured tool for determining how much premiums a customer should pay. Patients with more severe and more frequent medical conditions would pay higher premiums than those with fewer medical issues.
Political influence
The government
There are two major political factions within the government of the United States of America. These are the democrats and the republicans. President Obama was the main pusher of this policy. He won the support of most Democrats in his quest to provide all Americans with universal health care. He noticed the fact that most Americans could not receive proper healthcare despite the country being the richest in the world. Most developed countries had already implemented such policies. America was the only developed nation that had not yet established such laws.
The Republicans strongly lamented this legislation on grounds that it could harm the economy and place huge burdens on the citizens. They also saw it as a campaign strategy for the reelection of the president. Though not the primary concern of President Obama at the time, he indeed used it in his reelection campaign. He claimed it as one of the milestones his administration had achieved.
The citizens
Politically, this low divided the citizens into those who stood with the Republicans and those who stood with the Democrats. The Democratic supporters hailed President Obama for his remarkable efforts in bringing universal healthcare to all Americans. Every citizen could now access professional healthcare at low cost. With the competitive nature of insurance companies, the consumers got a myriad of options when it came to choosing the best insurance provider for their needs.
Most of the wealthy and middle-class citizens already had insurance covers. So for them, they knew laws did not influence them politically. Insurance cover was something routine to them. In fact not only were they utilizing health insurance, but also other insurance covers such as life assurance, vehicle assurance, pensions, and many other covers. Minority communities such as the blacks and Latinos had mixed reactions to the law. Some accepted it while some had reservations about it (Tesler, 2012).
References
Bradley, B. (2009). Tax reform’s lesson for health care reform. New York Times.
Gray, V., Lowery, D., Monogan, J., & Godwin, E. K. (2010). Incrementing toward nowhere: Universal health care coverage in the states. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 40(1), 82-113.
Henderson, M., & Hillygus, D. S. (2011). The dynamics of health care opinion, 2008–2010: Partisanship, self-interest, and racial resentment.Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, 36(6), 945-960.
Tesler, M. (2012). The spillover of racialization into health care: How President Obama polarized public opinion by racial attitudes and race.American Journal of Political Science, 56(3), 690-704.
Oberlander, J. (2012). The future of Obamacare. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(23), 2165-2167.
Wilensky, G. R. (2012). The shortfalls of “Obamacare”. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(16), 1479-1481.
