Health Care Reform - Research Paper Example

It was in this context that new health care reforms were introduced. These reforms have given America's people, lots of rights and benefits regarding their health options but also have brought in some inconveniences along with that. The need for reforms Ten years back, around 45 million Americans were still outside insurance coverage (Garson). Kronenfeld and Kronenfeld have observed that “health care reform, or modification of the US health care system so that affordable, high-quality health care services are available to every one, is a public policy issue that has received discussion in the United States off an on since World War II” (1).

One major criticism that arose from the period of George Bush’s Presidentship was that, “once the events of September 11, 2011, and the war with Iraq in 2003 led to a greater focus on international concerns and terrorism, the prominence of health care issues became fairly low” (Kronenfeld and Kronenfeld, 1). It was in this backdrop that public demand arose for a health care reform. The 'Acts' The health reforms comprise of two bills (The Economist). Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act became was introduced and adopted in March 2010 (Healthcare.gov). The second has been a “reconciliation” act which was added to the reform package to compensate some of the pitfalls in the initial act (The Economist).

This reform has been termed as the “biggest reform of health care in the country for 40 years” (BBC). This reform has also been hailed as an act to end “some of the worst abuses of the insurance industry” (Healthcare.gov). The government sponsored web site, Healthcare.gov, has also described this act in terms of its benefits to the citizens in the following words: These reforms will give Americans new rights and benefits, including helping more children get health coverage, ending lifetime and most annual limits on care, and giving patients access to recommended preventive services without cost-sharing.

These reforms will apply to all new health plans, and to many existing health plans as they are renewed. Many other new benefits of the law have already taken effect, including rebate checks for seniors in the Medicare donut hole and tax credits for small businesses. Advantages This new law has also extended “the life of the Medicare Trust fund at least 12 years” thereby benefiting the senior citizens (Healthcare.gov). This is supposed to be brought about by “reducing waste, fraud and abuse, and slowing cost growth in Medicare” (Healthcare.gov). The expectation is that, “this will provide [the beneficiaries][…] with future cost savings on […] premiums and coinsurance” (Healthcare.gov). One ambitious declaration made by President Barek Obama has been that medicare fraud will be reduced by “50 percent by 2012” (Healthcare.gov). Another major feature of this act has been that it, “starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act offers additional protections for Medicare Advantage Plan members by taking strong steps that limit the amount these plans spend on administrative costs, insurance company profits, and things other than health care”