Obama Care

The president has been under fire for the promises he made the American people regarding his Affordable Care Act. The Act is designed make medical insurance affordable to those who don’t already have health insurance as well as to offer quality care for those who purchase their own insurance. It’s geared towards providing quality care at an affordable price for all Americans despite any preexisting medical conditions and to ensure comprehensive care would now be accessible to the “48 million Americans who don’t have any coverage”. Today the system is under criticism, from problems logging on to the Obama-Care website, to insurers discontinuing insurance policies of those who privately buy their own insurance. The president promised the public that those “who liked their health insurance plans won’t lose them once Obama care kicks in”, but it turns out that many of these people are now being forced to change plans often at higher premiums.  In light of these setbacks, in interview with Chuck Todd of NBC news, the President apologized to those Americans who were forced to switch plans, assuring them that he would do everything he could “to make sure that people are finding themselves in a good position, a better position than they were before this law happened”. Despite his promises we need new guidelines put in place to protect those people, who are being dropped from their insurance companies, so that these people are not left without any insurance protection if they get sick.

Prior to the Obama Care Plan being enacted, the President promised the people that those who were “content with the plan they already had would be able to keep them” (npr.org), but so far this has not always been the case. Many have been forced to sign up for more expensive plans and those who buy their own insurance may not be able to keep their plans if they don’t meet the Obama-Care’s standards of care. David Simpson of CNN tells us: that Insurers are: “sending cancellation notices to some of the 12 million Americans whose individual policies don't meet Obama-Care requirements for more comprehensive care”. Today insurance companies are also cancelling people’s policies and withdrawing from states with fewer subscribers to save money, but despite these problems the President is still optimistic, “Ari Sharprio of NPR tells us that, “The president insisted that people losing their plans would get better and, in some cases, cheaper ones”.

Opposers argue that depending on the state in which one lives, the cost associated with the Affordable Care Act will increase to cover the new requirements such as caps on out of pocket expenses, quality coverage at a lower price, and preexisting conditions. The Kaiser Family Foundation wrote that the premiums for families and members “will be somewhat higher under reform than they are today” (cnn.com). They argue that these high premiums can prevent people from being able to pay the monthly cost associated with the plan, while ensuring others do everything in their power to not get sick. Since “people who make 138% of the poverty level, or about $31,300 for a family of four” (cnn.com) qualify for subsidies for medical insurance, the opposition believe that our low income families would fall into a coverage gap, whereby many of them would be unable to qualify for Medicare since they make more than the median, while at the same time don’t make enough money to qualify for the federal subsidies in the Affordable Care marketplace, making purchasing insurance under this plan cost prohibitive. 

Supporters of the ObamaCare Act argue that the Act is geared towards ensuring the American people has access to the minimum standard of care, such as access to maternity, and mental care, something they were not privy to before the Act was passed. ObamaCare will create new competitive markets among insurers leading to lower prices and those who qualify would receive subsidies in the form of tax credits to help offset the cost. ObamaCare helps to eliminate the cost Americans have to pay to offset those who need health care but have no insurance. It eliminates the cost of those uninsured who receive treatment from shifting to the people into one of shared responsibility, as Ezekiel Emanuel from the University of Pennsylvania tells us “We all share in the costs so that everyone can get it". Even though there are problems with the health care law, Bill Maher tells us, we “should work together to fix it” and that in those “States where they want the plan to work, where they’re cooperating, it is working”. Instead of fighting with each other, and shutting down our government because we’re against ObamaCare, we need to stop filibustering and repelling this law, instead we need to work together to find ways to improve the system so that our poor and uninsured, our mentally ill and our pregnant mothers can receive the quality care they need

 

Under the Affordable Care Act, Americans suffering from mental health disabilities and addiction will now be provided with the same care as those suffering from regular illnesses. These men and women will now have access to rehabilitation and outpatient services. Kathleen Sherbas tells us” the Affordable Care Act will expand and protect behavioral health benefits for more than 62 million Americans”. Those persons who have been denied coverage and/or has no insurance coverage because of a mental illness diagnosis, will now be able to get the medication, treatment and care that they need to help deal with their illness. Mental illness, is not a choice and these people deserve to be treated with the same respect and care as the rest of society, yet critics argue that “mental health treatments are often drawn out and costly, with some patients requiring a lifetime of treatment” (America.aljazeera.com). Too often society focuses on the symptoms and not on the victim and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. We don’t consider the struggles these people face every day to cope with their delusions, instead of worrying about the cost we need to offer these people and their family the resources they need to understand, treat and cope with their mental disease.

ObamaCare takes us one step closer towards improving our health care system, so that our poor and our overlooked mentally ill citizens can get the care they need so they have a chance to live improved lives, be able to cope with their illness and have an opportunity to move up the social and economic ladder.

Facts:

•  “48 million Americans don’t have any coverage” (cnn.com)
• The President assured the people that he would do everything he can “to make sure that people are finding themselves in a good position, a better position than they were before this law happened
• Insurers are: “sending cancellation notices to some of the 12 million Americans whose individual policies don't meet Obama-Care requirements for more comprehensive care” (cnn.com)
•  “The president insisted that people losing their plans would get better and, in some cases, cheaper ones” (Ari Sharprio of NPR)
• The premiums for families and members “will be somewhat higher under reform than they are today” (the Kaiser Family Foundation, cnn.com).
• “People who make 138% of the poverty level, or about $31,300 for a family of four” qualify for subsidies (cnn.com)
•  “We all share in the costs so that everyone can get it" (Ezekiel Emanuel, Univ. of Penn)
•  “Should work together to fix it” (Bill Maher)
• In those “States where they want the plan to work, where they’re cooperating, it is working” (Bill Maher)
• ” The Affordable Care Act will expand and protect behavioral health benefits for more than 62 million Americans” (Kathleen Sherbas)
• “Mental health treatments are often drawn out and costly, with some patients requiring a lifetime of treatment” (America.aljazeera.com)