Introduction
Clearly, having health insurance is very important in today's economy. The push for all Americans to be able to all have healthcare coverage is at an all time high. The system of today is complex in which many people aren't able to afford healthcare. “Your finances don't come with an instruction manual, so it can be difficult to always make the best decisions with your money” (Vohwinkle, pg 2). With programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, it allows for many Americans to be able to have the opportunity to get healthcare based on their qualifications. With the jump to universal coverage, many Americans may experience higher prescription costs and or taxes which would not be so bad if everyone is able to have the opportunity to have Health Insurance.
Complex Healthcare System
The Complex Healthcare System that we live in today is very difficult because many people have difficulty getting quality medical care. Since there are a lot of increases in healthcare costs and health insurers who are skeptical to contain these costs, many patients are being discharged from hospitals quicker than ever and the hospitals have now placed restrictions on the medical treatments that a patient can receive. This is why it is very important for all Americans to know their healthcare rights and options because it varies depending on the situation. If a person doesn't know about his or her own healthcare rights and option, their mind will be limited to only so much detail and they will not know what to do in case something happens with them and will not know what they will or will not qualify for since the U.S. Healthcare System is very complex and has many rules and restrictions. For example, many insurance providers offer many different options and are more complex than others depending on a person's situation. For instance, a person may have an insurance provider that may offer coverage on some surgical procedures whereas another person may have an insurance company that doesn't cover any surgical procedures and just covers prescription and doctors visits. This is why it is very important for people to know about their coverage in case something happens you will be able to know where you stand at all times.
This is why there are managed care plans that are set up to assist the American people. Managed Care Plans will contract with different healthcare “providers” which includes doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities to handle patient care. A Managed Care Plan is a more organized and cost-efficient way to provide and pay for medical care. In this plan, healthcare costs are kept low by monitoring the medical services that are used by its members and making sure that the requested services are both medically necessary and cost-efficient.
Medicaid and Medicare
Medicaid and Medicare was developed by the United States government to determine or test eligible families and individuals with low incomes and resources. Medicaid is a program that provides health coverage to specific categories of low-income individuals which includes pregnant women, children, parents of eligible children, and people with disabilities. Medicaid will be beneficial to eligible individuals who have little or no medical insurance. Both of these unique programs are funded by both the federal and state governments and are managed by the states.
The Medicare spending for both the state and the federal has went as even as high as 300 billion dollars spent each year which is a lot of money. The spending levels for Medicaid which are federal and are determined by the states that receive funding. As long as that particular state is in compliance with federal rules, their state will be eligible for funding. Federal funding exceptions include disproportionate share hospital payments made to hospitals serving a large number of Medicaid or low-income patients, their territories, the QI program, and waivers so that all states can operate outside of normal federal rules. The annual appropriations process also provides an opportunity for Congress to place limitations on specified activities, including the circumstances under which federal funds can be used to pay for abortions.
The Medicare program is a program that is totally funded at a federal level and tries to direct all of their attention towards the older class of Americans who are the ages of 65 and older, people under age 65 with certain disabilities, and people of all ages with end stage renal disease. The U.S. States are the ones who are in control of their own Medicaid spending levels. Some examples why they are may include their altering eligibility, covered services, cost-sharing and premiums paid by beneficiaries, health care provider reimbursement rates, and other aspects of the program within broad federal guidelines. Medicaid's nonfederal share costs come from a variety of sources. Forty percent of those costs must be financed by the state and the remaining sixty percent will end up coming from local governments.
Medicare is broken down into four categories which consists of a part A, a part B, part C and a part D. Part A of Medicare covers hospital bills, Medicare Part B covers medical insurance coverage, part C covers all people with Medicare Parts A and B who wants to choose to receive all of their health care services through one provider C and Medicare Part D which covers prescription drugs. Medicare is financed in three different ways. The three ways that Medicare is financed is through payroll taxes paid by workers and their employers and by monthly premiums deducted from Americans social security checks. As you can see in this paragraph, both Medicare and Medicaid is very beneficial to the American people, but is financed differently according to a person's situation or status.
Universal Health Care System and Prescription Drugs
In today's world, many people have tended to question rather or not a Universal Healthcare System really works and why prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. In today's economic depression, it is very difficult for many people to be able to receive healthcare because either their employers don't offer it in their benefits package or they have lost their jobs and can't afford it. With a Universal Health Care Plan in place, this gives everyone the opportunity to have the chance to get health care and will cover medical, dental and mental health care. If the U.S accepts a universal health care coverage, it can be very beneficial and non beneficial. Some of the pros of a Universal Health Care System is that the U.S. can eliminate inefficiencies such as duplicate paper work, claim approval, insurance submission, patients with pre-existing conditions will still qualify to receive health coverage and the number of uninsured Americans has reached more than 45 million which will be very beneficial if a Universal health Care Plan is reached to help those people receive health care. The cons of a Universal Health Care System is that government controlled health care would eventually lead to a decrease in patient flexibility, government mandated procedures will most likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care, patients may experience longer waiting times for treatment, and the healthcare industry may experience corruption that is already present in other areas of the government.
The rises in costs of prescription medicines have affected all sections of the healthcare industry which includes private insurers, public programs, and patients. Prescription drug spending is a major health care concern due to rising pharmaceutical costs, the aging population, and increased use of costly specialty drugs. With all the current advancements in pharmaceutical, many health problems are preventable or curable. In today's world, ninety percent of seniors and fifty eight percent of nonelderly adults rely on a prescription medicine on a regular basis. With so many people relying on prescriptions, the cost implications have increased to the American public, health insurers, and government payers.
I also believe that prescription drugs and the Universal Health Care Plan will go hand in hand. I believe that if a Universal Health Care Plan is established, it will indeed have a major impact on prescription drug usage. I believe that prescription drug costs and usage will increase dramatically because if all Americans will have the opportunity to get healthcare, this will call for more pharmaceutical studies which will call for more money and research and that the prices for the drugs will go up simply because more and more people are going to need drugs especially the ones who already have health problems because they are going to need more medication. It is a good thing that everyone will have the opportunity to get healthcare, but I feel that most doctors and physicians aren't going to be too thrilled because the hospitals are going to be more busier which will call for more hours worked and the lines for medication will be extremely longer than usual. Despite these facts, I hope that America will switch to this plan because I do believe that no one should be denied healthcare and that everyone should be allowed to have it whether or not they were employed or unemployed.
Conclusion
In closing, I feel that the Universal Healthcare plan will be a success even though Americans will maybe have to pay higher taxes in order to make the program work. The chance for all Americans to be able to have Health Insurance will be very beneficial. “Now is the time to make a decision about how to finally reform health care so that it works, not just for the insurance companies, but for America's families and businesses” (Obama, pg1). Despite the state of disaster that our economy is in, President Obama must plan for the future in hopes that when Americans are in need of healthcare that they will not be denied. I look forward to the future and its new technological enhancements as well as the discovery of new medicines and procedures to ensure that all Americans will be able to live longer lives and stay as healthy as possible.
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