Throughout the 2012 election, the single biggest debate was on healthcare and exactly how it should be approached are Americans entitled to healthcare, or is this just another ploy for government control? Many ethical questions and dilemmas arise when trying to consider all the pros and cons of the Affordable Care Act. A clear message was sent to American employers and employees when the Supreme Court passed the bill set in motion by the current president Mr, Barack Obama. We are in the midst of change that will have a valid impact on the working class, employers and the overall control of how our health care system operates Pros of Universal Health Care At a first glance, universal health care was deemed a great idea by many people.
This would allow health insurance to be extended to people in a bracket that did not meet poverty standards or qualify for Medicaid, but could not afford health care respectably.
The new regulations would put a stop to insurance companies mistreating the people who were supposedly protected under their care including but not limited to dropping insurance coverage on individuals who acquired a condition or disease through loopholes and other unethical means.
The new laws are to go in effect in 2014 and will also stop insurance companies from denying medical benefits to people with pre-existing conditions. This will allow families who have children that are born with disabilities to obtain the essentials for their special needs, thus, preventing even more costly consequences in the future due to the families not being able to afford the care needed.
In addition, by providing proper preventative care before more costly medications and treatments are needed for individuals and their families, will surly save the American consumer and tax payer a considerable amount of money in the long run.
Newly enforced laws would also ensure that employers offer their employees insurance that promotes preventative and essential caret Companies who employ more than fifty people, will be required to pay a penalty fee in the amount of three thousand dollars for every person who obtains insurance through the government exchange. Furthermore, the insurance offered through employment must be affordable and equal nine and a half percent or less of the family’s household income. Overall, The Affordable Care Act could offer immense help to families that need the extra support and create a healthier generation of young people and elders entering into retirement. The one underlying goal and most positive aspect of Health Care Reform is creating a generation of people who have less sick visits, hospitalization and need doctor’s assistance due to preventative maintenance, Cons of Universal Health Care With so many different angles to be viewed when dealing with Health Care Reform, we must also consider the negative effects this could have on the people of the United States as well.
Many people believe that the takeover of healthcare is another way for the government to control people and tighten the leash on freedom. The actions caused by the Affordable Care Act (another term used when referring to health care reform) would allocate people to depend on the government. With funds and grants being award to states who decide to partake in the new policy, this will also allow for more skimming off the top for these same officials. Likewise, it can be argued that it is ridiculous to believe that millions of people can simply be added to the healthcare system overnight. This could cause a major shortage of doctors, which would allow for less qualified people to take their place and make diagnoses only a medical doctor should. This list includes but is not limited to nurses, physician’s assistants and medical technicians. If this is the case, are patients really benefiting from the ACA?
Moreover, it is assumed that there will be a standard of care followed, the standard of care allows for certain regulations that will allow a third-party group to designate who gets what type of care based on their diagnosis. With each diagnosis a little different than the next, how can anyone other than a doctor decide which test should be performed on their patient, regardless of their insurance policy? Pariser also points out that “,,.the many exceptions that will occur as individual patient groups, disease advocates, and special interest make the political case as to why their demographic group, disease entity, or type should receive “special” treatment and benefits”. This type of practice would make evidence based medicine extremely unfair to anyone who feels their impairments are just as important as other people with this same disability regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age or status.
Another important aspect to think about is where all this extra funding and grant money is coming from for the states that do accept this legislation. As any sensible person would guess, it’s coming right out of the taxpayer’s pocket. The most considerable thing when looking at the negative effects of the ACA, would be how is it going to make the overall system better and how does it affect the average taxpayer. Conclusion as someone who is a consumer, health care worker and a user of the health care system, I have to say that my overall opinion on health care reform is still to be decided. While I feel our system is severely flawed, I also feel it could be a lot worse and that we are more fortunate than a lot of other countries in the world.
Over the last century, many problems have been presented in the health care system. The main three being costs, coverage and consequence. Before I rally for either side, 1 would like to ensure that my profession (which is centered on helping people) and my hard-earned money are being put to good use and not creating more momentum in the three problems mentioned above. In closure, if the United States can find a middle ground and come together as one strong entity, I feel our chances to succeed in finding a valuable, worth-while and respected health care system will be much more likely.
The Pros and Cons of the Universal Health Care. (2023, Mar 09). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-universal-health-care/