The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – Rationale for Healthcare ReformEssay Preview: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – Rationale for Healthcare ReformReport this essayThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActRationale for healthcare reform“Healthcare reform is a high national priority for the public, policymakers, payers, health professionals and healthcare organizations. Reforms are driven by multiple factors including patient and caregiver demand for higher quality and safer care at lower costs; health professionals who are pursuing safer care for our society; health professional shortages; and demographic, social and economic influences” (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 2013). One thing was certain, costs were increasingly growing out of control. “By the 1990s, healthcare was viewed as an industry crisis. Medicare spending reached $110 billion annually”(Radomile, 2012). Some of the factors contributing to the growing number were: Technology, prescription drugs, chronic disease, aging population and administrative costs.
Technology and prescription drugs can be insinuated as one of the top spending forces in the healthcare cost. ” Some analysts state that the availability of more expensive, state-of-the-art technological services and new drugs fuel health care spending not only because the development costs if these products must be recouped by industry but also because they generate consumer demand for more intense, costly services even if they are not necessarily cost-effective”(Health Policy Explained, 2010).
In todays world, chronic diseases are becoming more prevalent. Demand from these diseases on the health care system becomes more expensive. The cost of patients treatments and long term stays in the hospital will rise. ” It is estimated that health care costs for chronic disease treatment account for over 75% of national health expenditures”(Health Policy Explained, 2010).
Another main cause for a health care reform is the aging population. People are starting to have a longer life span, which means the chance of developing a illness is greater. One of the commonly mentioned generations known for their huge population are the ” baby boomers”. The babies of post world war II soldiers are now reaching an age where the need for health care is essential. “Some say caring for this population has raised costs. This trend will continue as the baby boomers will begin qualifying for Medicare in 2011 and many of the costs are shifted to the public sector”(Health Policy Explained, 2010).
One of the least recognized factors of the increase in cost are administrative costs. “It is estimated that at least 7% of health care expenditures are for administrative costs (e.g., marketing, billing) and this portion is much lower in the Medicare program (<2%), which is operated by the federal government"(Health Policy Explained, 2010). People cant sometimes tell that this is an issue because the mixed private and public system. Political climate and socio-economic events that drove this legislature As of the 2008 election heated up, it was made clear that the United States was in a healthcare crisis. The newly elected president Barack Obama didnt waste any time in fulfilling his election promises. On March 23, 2011 he proudly signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. For the 43 million people uninsured, this was going to be available to them and reduce the overall costs of health care. One of the main problems socio-economically driving this legislator was that the government spending was at an all time high. "Health care costs have been rising for several years. Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.3 trillion in 2008, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980. Stemming this growth has become a major policy priority, as the government, employers, and consumers increasingly struggle to keep up with health care costs" (Health Policy Explained, 2010). As expected, the healthcare bill is being met with a slew of attacks. When talking about Obamacare, healthcare groups like Americans for Prosperity (AAP) had also accused the bill of "Obamacare taxes, a repeal of Affordable Care Act and tax credits for companies that are not compliant." As of October 5, 2010, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) had spent $3.75 billion on negative ads on the bill. At the same time, a number of organizations called the ACLU had called for a halt to the healthcare reform. They argued that the Affordable Care Act and its subsequent repeal "gore the health care system into chaos with an increasingly unaffordable healthcare system." As was also mentioned, Americans for Prosperity, in its "Medicare for All for the People" campaign, had also slammed the healthcare bill. For some time, this had been portrayed as a social conservatives plan to solve the US' health care problems. They pointed out, "The Obamacare bill is a giveaway to a political party and their donors. If health care is a given in this country, what will happen if the current bill passes and the Affordable Care Act becomes law? On the other hand, there was also concern among some Americans that the American HealthCare Bill would lead to "free choice" programs, where doctors can prescribe drugs for their patients. This was opposed by a number of anti-Obamacare activists. Americans for Prosperity's campaign group, Americans Healthline, had criticized the ACA. During the campaign, the ACA stated that its goal of "extending and increasing medical and family planning services for all Americans" is to make up for the shortfall in medical facilities because "one-parent families are expected to pay nearly 40 percent of their bills in medical costs during the year when many people will be covered by state and federal health insurance plans." Americans for Prosperity would not agree with this point of view; it was the pro-choice group that actually opposed the ACA. The ACA's claim, which was used extensively in its original "Medicare for All" campaign by the Affordable Care Act proponents, states that "Medicaid is to be provided to every American of all abilities to avoid paying their own way to emergency room visits, prescription drugs, expensive medical insurance, and much more. The law provides for access to this basic medical care as well as other necessities. In addition, we're going to ensure that all Americans have access to and benefit from reliable, high quality, affordable healthcare to their fullest possible potential." The ACA bill then goes on to say. "The ACA will provide expanded, cost-effective coverage to everybody in the United States – health insurance will be available to virtually everyone in the United States. It also will include enhanced government benefits for seniors, who have experienced significant reductions in premiums over the past decade. The President's tax plan will eliminate the top rate of medical premiums for many seniors. And it will eliminate the requirement that most businesses be required to provide health insurance for all their workers. We will reduce mandatory employer contributions for employer-sponsored health insurance for employees and encourage employers to provide all of their employees coverage to meet employees deductible contributions. We are also developing a new health care system that will be more cost-effective over the long term to improve Americans' health, while reducing health care costs for everybody." The bill, titled "Medicare For All," will repeal the individual mandate and also require employers to provide health insurance for their workers and create a new "job-centered" plan, which will allow non-union employees to buy health insurance from both their employers and their local government to stay employed while they continue to enjoy state and federal benefits that are lower than in 1980". On December 1, 2010, the American Hospital Association also weighed "Medicare For All." These As expected, the healthcare bill is being met with a slew of attacks. When talking about Obamacare, healthcare groups like Americans for Prosperity (AAP) had also accused the bill of "Obamacare taxes, a repeal of Affordable Care Act and tax credits for companies that are not compliant." As of October 5, 2010, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) had spent $3.75 billion on negative ads on the bill. At the same time, a number of organizations called the ACLU had called for a halt to the healthcare reform. They argued that the Affordable Care Act and its subsequent repeal "gore the health care system into chaos with an increasingly unaffordable healthcare system." As was also mentioned, Americans for Prosperity, in its "Medicare for All for the People" campaign, had also slammed the healthcare bill. For some time, this had been portrayed as a social conservatives plan to solve the US' health care problems. They pointed out, "The Obamacare bill is a giveaway to a political party and their donors. If health care is a given in this country, what will happen if the current bill passes and the Affordable Care Act becomes law? On the other hand, there was also concern among some Americans that the American HealthCare Bill would lead to "free choice" programs, where doctors can prescribe drugs for their patients. This was opposed by a number of anti-Obamacare activists. Americans for Prosperity's campaign group, Americans Healthline, had criticized the ACA. During the campaign, the ACA stated that its goal of "extending and increasing medical and family planning services for all Americans" is to make up for the shortfall in medical facilities because "one-parent families are expected to pay nearly 40 percent of their bills in medical costs during the year when many people will be covered by state and federal health insurance plans." Americans for Prosperity would not agree with this point of view; it was the pro-choice group that actually opposed the ACA. The ACA's claim, which was used extensively in its original "Medicare for All" campaign by the Affordable Care Act proponents, states that "Medicaid is to be provided to every American of all abilities to avoid paying their own way to emergency room visits, prescription drugs, expensive medical insurance, and much more. The law provides for access to this basic medical care as well as other necessities. In addition, we're going to ensure that all Americans have access to and benefit from reliable, high quality, affordable healthcare to their fullest possible potential." The ACA bill then goes on to say. "The ACA will provide expanded, cost-effective coverage to everybody in the United States – health insurance will be available to virtually everyone in the United States. It also will include enhanced government benefits for seniors, who have experienced significant reductions in premiums over the past decade. The President's tax plan will eliminate the top rate of medical premiums for many seniors. And it will eliminate the requirement that most businesses be required to provide health insurance for all their workers. We will reduce mandatory employer contributions for employer-sponsored health insurance for employees and encourage employers to provide all of their employees coverage to meet employees deductible contributions. We are also developing a new health care system that will be more cost-effective over the long term to improve Americans' health, while reducing health care costs for everybody." The bill, titled "Medicare For All," will repeal the individual mandate and also require employers to provide health insurance for their workers and create a new "job-centered" plan, which will allow non-union employees to buy health insurance from both their employers and their local government to stay employed while they continue to enjoy state and federal benefits that are lower than in 1980". On December 1, 2010, the American Hospital Association also weighed "Medicare For All." These Also, for the 43 Million citizens uninsured in the United States, this plan was going to make it so every citizen was covered. One reason