Universal Health Care: A Case Study

Improved Essays
Out of all of the leading countries America has become one of the last to offer universal health care. Obamacare, which is the nickname for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), was approved in 2010 (Schacht, 2015). The last five years since Obamacare was created has shown how difficult it is to bring affordable health care into the U.S.
I believe the idea of everyone having universal health care is an amazing concept and a human right; however as we have seen, can come with many repercussions. Obamacare has yet to be perfected. Although several other developed countries have accomplished this, the U.S. still has yet to find a way to provide universal health care in a fair way. In France, their universal healthcare works because citizens are offered healthcare no matter what their personal income is; this is not the case for Obamacare. The issues with Obamacare illustrated in this paper include drug prices, the individual mandate, subsidies, and the employer mandate. Each of these issues demonstrates how healthcare is a major social problem as it affects everyone in different ways. My reasoning for why Obamacare could improve involves, first, the individual mandate. Obamacare, as a law, allows for the poverty line to be provided with healthcare. However, it also penalizes
…show more content…
The individual mandate, subsidies, employer mandate, and industry standards make it so that Obamacare affects everyone in various means. The U.S. must find a way to provide affordable health care for everyone so the healthy can defray the costs of the sick. The government must find ways to actually reduce the cost of health care. The first logical place is for the government to negotiate drug prices and insure that we are not paying more for prescription drugs than other

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    health care system works is either you have insurance or you cannot afford health care. Big businesses were running the system, they were able to do what they wanted. They had prices wherever they wanted because people need hospitals and whatnot when they get injured or sick. Once released they are billed, this is an enormous amount to come out of pocket if they do not have insurance. Even if they do have health insurance their rates are raised. The health care system in America is expensive, a simple box of gauze pads are $77. People are refused attention because they cannot afford it, Brill watched as patients were denied cancer treatment at a hospital. If you do not have insurance you cannot come out of the hospital in debt, but insurance is not cheap either. Obamacare would have helped me personally growing up, I have not had insurance until I came here. My family was never able to afford health care for me or my brother, this would help consumers. This goes to show how broken the system was, it has improved but it needs to keep getting…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Universal Healthcare Essay

    • 2059 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The United States is a wealthy nation, yet there are millions of Americans who cannot afford adequate healthcare. The current healthcare system uses a tremendous amount of money, yet is grossly inefficient. There is only one practical solution to this escalating problem; The U.S. needs to replace its current private healthcare system with a universal healthcare program due to its benefits in cost, availability to all and increased efficiency.…

    • 2059 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Obamacare

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    ObamaCare covers ten essential health benefits: outpatient care, emergency room visits, treatment in the hospital for inpatient care, care before/after a baby is born, mental health and substance use disorder services, prescription drugs, services/devices to help you recover if injured/disability/chronic condition, lab tests, preventive services, pediatric services. No one is ever denied coverage for any preexisting conditions and Medicaid has expanded. It is estimated that the budget deficit will be $143 billion lower in ten years. Although there are few advantages to the Affordable Care Act, like various others, Donald Trump says otherwise. “I support health care for people. I want people well taken care of. But I also want health care that we can afford as a country. I have people and friends closing down their businesses because of…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Initially, the Affordable Care Act was meant to help with the cost of insurance. Obama said that it was meant to spare people from “double-digit premium" that seem to increase ever year. Because of the attempt to cut costs, insurance companies like BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois and Minnesota are asking anywhere from 29-51% increase in rates. (Pipes) In a recent article written by Chris Conover in Forbes, he says that it has been found by experts working for Medicare’s actuary have reported that in its first 10 years, Obamacare will boost health spending by…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    After much scrutiny, The Affordable Care Act, termed “Obamacare,” finally passed through The Senate and House of Representatives, and upheld by the Supreme Court on June 28th, 2012. Through its’ passing, it caused millions of American’s healthcare insurance rates to skyrocket, and drove up insurance rates nationwide. On another note, this also opened insurance to millions of American’s who lacked any kind of health insurance at all. Throughout the country, there is evidence if we walk into doctors’ offices and try to make appointments, a lot of times we are turned away, especially if the doctors are specialists. Physicians who refuse to help Americans’ with government based insurance are detrimental to society in multiple ways. There must be…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Before 2010, millions of Americans suffered from the issues of not having health insurance. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed into law with high hopes of reducing the number of uninsured by making health insurance available to all U.S. citizens regardless of having an employer or not and living with a pre-existing condition while reducing additional healthcare spending outside the deductibles and premiums. Even with the best intentions to solve the problem of uninsured Americans, another problem surfaced from the Act, the cost. Since the current Federal Health care system burdens millions of Americans with unaffordable cost, which are caused by rising prices in pharmaceuticals, hospital care, and inadequate health…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Obamacare Pros And Cons

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Since March of 2010, the American people have had to suffer under the incredible economic burden of the Affordable Care Act—Obamacare. This legislation, passed by totally partisan votes in the House and Senate and signed into law by the most divisive and partisan President in American history, has tragically but predictably resulted in runaway costs, websites that don’t work, greater rationing of care, higher premiums, less competition and fewer choices. Obamacare has raised the economic uncertainty of every single person residing in this country. As it appears Obamacare is certain to collapse of its own weight, the damage done by the Democrats and President Obama, and abetted by the Supreme Court, will be difficult to repair unless the next…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Effects Of Obamacare

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Obamacare will upend health insurance coverage for millions (“Losing Health..” 1-2). Obamacare allows Americans to stay with whichever insurance provider they choose; however, the insurance plan must meet the requirements that Obamacare mandated.The Obama Administration set regulations stating that other insurance plans cannot be used if there is “an increase in co-payments of more than $5, or an increase in the employee’s share of premiums paid by more than 5 percent” (1-2). Americans who rely on themselves to purchase health insurance tend to seek out economical insurance plans because they are living paycheck to paycheck just like millions of other Americans.These economical plans to do not meet the mandated requirements of the Obama Administration, so this has directly led to a 20% drop in insurance coverage for Americans(1-2). Obamacare not only affects those wanting Obamacare, but also those looking to remain with independent insurance…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Obamacare: A Case Study

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    However, there are still improvements that need to happen and more support to be gained. Obamacare was developed to better the cost, quality, access, and protect the citizens of America. In the past few years the number of uninsured citizens have dropped. Obamacarefact.com stated, “According to the CDC and Census data, for the first three months of 2015 the uninsured rate is 9.2% down from 15.7% before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law.” Not only is this a step to improving the access to care; but creating a healthier America also, which are some goals of the ACA. Health care spending may still be seen as excessively high for some but with the ACA, more citizens now have affordable health care and can seek medical attention. The quality of care is on a rise with the health of America. Even though Obamacare is seen as a waste of time or in a negative aspect to some, mostly the upper class individuals, it is beginning to turn around the health care system one day at a time. The policy of Obamacare is pushing the U.S into more of a universal type of health care, which could potentially benefit all Americans and improve the health of the…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some people believe it is addressed more politically, than economically. I believe the actual means used to address the Affordable Care Act is more political than economical. Addressing the means of the Affordable Care Act is more political because it is a controversial debate between the Democrats and the Republicans. Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not destroy them. Congress addressed the Affordable Care Act to expand health insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million uninsured Americans and strengthen existing coverage. Politically it is a debate between the Democrats and the Republicans. The actual means used to address the Affordable Care Act is political debate between the Republicans and the Democrats. The Democrats believe that we should have the mandatory system. Democrats want more government, and that no one should be uninsured. Obama fulfilled a promise that Democrats have been trying to pursue for a century making quality, affordable health care available to all Americans. In all, seven presidents pushed for health reform over the years. Today, we are finally able to say that every American has access to quality health care, and no one will get bankrupt just because they get sick. On the other hand, the Republicans want less government. The Republican side is that why should we be forced to have health care? If we do not have health care, we are…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Affordable Health Care Act was passed in March, 2010; by former President Barack Obama. According to (Affordable Care Act-HealthCare.gov), “the act has 3 main goals, to make affordable health insurance available to more people, to expand the Medicaid program, and to support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally”. This research paper will discuss why the premiums are rising under the ACA, why insurance companies are backing out of the ACA, and what effects it has on our economy. The act is also referred to as “Obamacare” or “the Patient Protection…

    • 1729 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Obamacare Cons

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Since the creation of the law, it has gone through many challenges. Obamacare did not have many people supporting it at first; the bill, before it was made a law was controversial, even though it became a law it continues to be a controversial topic. (Feldman, 241) In addition to the challenging of the law, the entire idea itself has been accused as unconstitutional because it requires people to either buy the insurance or pay a penalty. The Supreme Court decision in June 2012 defended ACA’s constitutionality which dealt a serious blow to those that believed Obamacare was unconstitutional because it took the liberty and freedom from Americans away. The Supreme Court holds laws in harmony, if it deemed unconstitutional than ACA would not have been passed. Although one of the main arguments against Obamacare is that it is unconstitutional. This would not matter because regardless of the individual mandate, taxpayers cover the costs of uninsured people’s visits to the ER. So it really depends on if the costs should be paid now or at the end of the year. The individual mandate is also perfectly constitutional because it is a tax, as the Supreme Court ruled it two years ago. The purpose of Obamacare is not to rob…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Affordable Care Act (2010) also known as Obama Care has been a topic of controversy. It is the most significant reform to the U.S health care system since Medicaid and Medicare. Some view it as a great and some believe it will be bad for the economy. I believe the Affordable Care Act will be great and its benefit to the well-being of citizens and will go further to be a great reform over all.…

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Obama Care Pros And Cons

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Unfortunately, the issue is not a simple one and cannot be easily resolved. Regardless, there are those whole believe that Obamacare is doing more good than harm. The main goal of Obamacare was to make sure that everyone was insured and they managed to achieve that. According to Sally Kohn, one hundred and five million people no longer have life expense caps. This means that before Obamacare, the elderly would be denied access to health insurance because of chronic illnesses or restrictive policies set forth by the provider. This also set president for preexisting conditions. If someone were to have, for example, diabetes and they tried to change insurance carriers, it would be very difficult because they could claim this to be a preexisting condition and would not legally have to cover this person, but this changed with Obamacare. The youth of America also benefit because they are allowed to remain on their parent or guardians health care plan until the age of twenty-six. This benefits approximately three million youths. The list goes on and on, however the main point the supporters of Obamacare try to make is that everybody is covered, from the youth to the elderly and from the low income households to small businesses and their workers. Also, the Affordable care act mandates that a minimum of eighty percent of the premiums be used on health care rather than advertisements and…

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “Affordable universal health care for every single American must not be a question of whether, it must be a question of how” (Obama 1). As Barack Obama neared the end of his first presidential campaign, he spoke about the need for universal health care in America. While he did implement Obamacare, this policy has left many people angry and disappointed. The end product was nowhere near what the public hoped for, so as a nation we were back to square one. This does raise a good question about the U.S. health care system and whether we should pursue a different healthcare model all together. To answer this question, we must find out more about the options that the U.S. currently has for its health care system.…

    • 2489 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays