OBAMA HEALTHCARE 1
Annotated Bibliography America: Affordable Health Care
10 December 2013
Belcher, L. M. (2010). What are the benefitsof a Universal Health Care System?
Livestrong, Retrieved March 22, 2013, from
Care-system/
The article tries to explain the benefits of having a universal healthcare plan similar to those of Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. However, the writer highlights the differences between the countries. Canadians, for instance, do not have private insurance schemes and all citizens have to contribute to the scheme. The United Kingdom citizens have an option to take out private insurance plans. The writer points out the benefits of the universal plan.
The writer rightly points out that United States citizens arethe only ones that are not guaranteed health care. Even though the country spends the highest amount per capita on healthcare, thesystem hinges on private citizen’s ability to pay into the insurance system. The universal healthcare system eliminates this inequality, creating a situation such as in Canada where all persons can access healthcare regardless oftheir age or income bracket. The writer also points out that implementation of a universal healthcare system would eliminate the paperwork that characterizes the current system. Currently, when a patient visits a hospital, medical records must be filled out so that a claim can bemade from their insurer. A new system would come with electronic records, which are cheaper to store, sort and retrieve.
Lastly, the scheme would see the overall cost of healthcare go down and would eliminate the situation where the cost of living increases despite economic growth. The writer argues that small enterprises and unemployed individuals are sidelined in the current system, resulting in a large number of uninsured people. The writer insists that under a universal care system, the cost of healthcare administration and regulation wouldbe lower because the management would be the responsibility of a single authority- government.
Crissey, J. (2013). Are you ready for Obamacare?Commercial Carrier Journal.Vol 170
(6): 6.
In this article, Crissey talks to an employee benefits manager at a big firm who shares his insights on the implications of the passing into law of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. In the interview, it comes out clearly that under the new law, employees, employers and insurance companies will share the responsibility in ensuring all Americans have access to affordable healthcare.
First, individuals will be liable for a fine for not being enrolled inany insurance plan, and this sounds quite absurd. The article also highlights the responsibilities of both small companies and large ones under the new plan. Large companies with more than 50 workers must provide health insurance to their staff. This is optional for small companies but if they choose to do so, the premiums will be higher than thosethey currently pay. If they decide not to pay these premiums, they will be liable to higher tax rates. This encourages all employers to pay insurance premiums for their staff.
The article also highlights statistics regarding employers’ views on the plan, revealing thatmost think business costs will go up. Further, Crissey cites several surveys regarding citizen’s awareness of changes to healthcare law and their views on the new Act. The article also quotes figures showing the percentage increases in health insurance for individuals and families. Lastly, the article shows that large companies are the most affected by the new law, given that they have no choice but to provide some form of healthcare insurance for their employees. The law also proposes fines for employers who fail to comply, and this article gives a breakdown of the fines based on the number of employees.
Philip T,W., (2009). The pros and cons of Universal Health Care in The United States.
Brazen Life,Retrieved March 22, 2013, from
care-in-the-united-states/
The writer explains what a universal healthcare means for citizens and how the system is funded through taxes. He explains the implications that it would have fornurses, doctors, dentists and other health practitioners in a situation where the health industry is fully under government control. When delving into the benefits of the universal healthcare system, the writer explains that health insurance would become a basic right; similar to how police services are available to the rich and poor. This would eliminate worry for families who lose their source of income, or the unemployed. Secondly, the writer argues that the universal healthcare system would reduce healthcare costs for the country. He goes further to explain the purchasing economies of scale the country would enjoy. Interestingly, the writer sees the taxes imposed on persons without healthcare as an advantage because hospitals would stop passing on the costs of unpaid bills to other patients.
The writer submits that a universal healthcare would hinder innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Companies would be forced to share their innovations and profits. This kills the motivation to invest in research and development. The writer also has fears that the government, which would control the universal care, will mismanage the fund. The fact that social programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are on the brink of bankruptcy due to mismanagement informs these fears. Citizens too are guilty of taking advantage of the facilities and enrolling even when they can afford to pay their insurance. Lastly, there is a reasonable chance that there will be inefficiencies in the program, going by observations in countries such as Canada. There may be a situation where too many people report to health facilities at the same time to see a particular specialist. This will necessitate people waiting for weeks before they are slotted in for an appointment. Sometimes people will prefer to see a private practitioner even thoughthey have paid their insurance premiums.
Ponnuru, R., & Levin, Y. (2010). Obamacare: Act II.National Review. Vol 62(1): 16-18.
In this article, the writers delve into the political debate that surrounds the passing the Affordable Healthcare Act in Congress. The writers first agree that President Obama managed to achieve what other famous Democrats such as Clinton and Truman failed to do- successfully pass such sweeping changes into legislation.However,the article agrees that though it had been hoped that the president’s eloquence would help rally public support for the bill, many Americans were quite skeptical about its effects and affordability. The writers seem to suggest that the mood in the Senate was unrepresentative of public opinion at the time of passing the Bill.
Further, the writers opine that Democrats rushed to pass the bill hoping to score political points, and masked its major cost implications by highlighting only the benefits when making speeches. However, they presented Republicans with an opportunity to make it an issue in subsequent elections by pointing out flaws in the legislation. The writers state that the two sides made wrong assumptions prior to the passing of the law. The Democrats feared that if the bill failed it would plungethem into a political abyss and the President would face a tough task when seeking re-election. The Republicans also feared that if the bill passed they would have lost the war in the healthcare sector. Still, a chance still exists for Republicans to use the issue as a stepping-stone by failing to let the debate die. In conclusion, the writers insist that the beginning of the implementation of the healthcare plan will not signal an end to the debate but rather a start of endless back and forth argument between proponents and opponents.
Souter, P. D, &Gurevitz, J. (2012). Health and Taxes: What Obamacare Now Means for Employers.Financial Executive. Vol28(7): 54-57.
This article focuses on the ruling by the US Supreme court on issues presented to it regarding Obama-Healthcare. First, the writers explain the two issues that the Supreme Court ruled on; the first being whether the penalty imposed on persons without individual healthcare was a penalty or a tax. This would determine the issue of whether Congress had any power overit. The ruling, in the end was that the penaltywas indeed a form of tax. The second issue was on whether the state could take action against states that did not increase the cut-off point for persons eligible for Medicaid. The Supreme Court ruled that the state could only withhold additional funding for states that did not increase the number of persons covered under the plan.
The article then explains the implications of these rulings to the citizens. First, ithighlights the amounts that individuals will be liable to pay for failure to have insurance policies. The writers also raise concerns over the failure of the IRS to disclose details of how they will deal with persons who fail to pay these fines. This is because the agency has no power to arrest or prosecute. The article also highlights the attitudes of different states towards implementation of Medicaid expansion, with some states already starting expansion plans while others have beenwaiting upon the Supreme Court ruling.
Lastly, the writers explain health insurance exchange and its meaning and the various options available for implementation. They also explain the likely impacts on businesses, including both large and small companies. The final part of the article is abouthow the tax liabilities will change for individuals, as well as the cost implications the new law will have on insurance and health care service providers.
References
Belcher, L. M. (2010). What are the benefits of a Universal Health Care System?
Livestrong, Retrieved March 22, 2013, from
Care-system/
Crissey, J. (2013). Are you ready for Obamacare?Commercial Carrier Journal.Vol 170
(6): 6.
Philip T, W., (2009). The pros and cons of Universal Health Care in The United States.
Brazen Life, Retrieved March 22, 2013, from
In-the-united-states/
Ponnuru, R., & Levin, Y. (2010). Obamacare: Act II.National Review. Vol 62(1): 16-18.
Souter, P. D, &Gurevitz, J. (2012). Health and Taxes: What Obamacare Now Means for Employers.Financial Executive. Vol28(7): 54-57.