Current US Healthcare System - Essay Example

Health Sciences and Medicine Health Sciences and Medicine Introduction In most countries around the world, health care reforms usebuilding blocks strategy that begins with the health insurance system available in the country. The America proves to have had the worst system of healthcare among the superpowers of the world. As a result, the current regime of government shifts its attention to make things easier for most citizens concerning health care insurance. There are reforms brought about by the PPACA, which builds upon the country’s current health insurance policies to ensure that more people get access to health insurance coverage. In addition, the reforms establish legal protections for patients. This paper explores the US current healthcare policy and reforms proposed through PPACA, with reference to the situation in five capitalist democracies around the world. Best and Worst Healthcare Component from Five Capitalist Democracies The five major capitalist democracies to consider in this discussion include the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland. It is clear from available literature that these countries use different health care policies to ensure that their citizens access healthcare insurance. Within their diversity, there are strengths and weaknesses. According to Frontline (2008), in the United Kingdom, the best healthcare component is where the government runs the National Health Service (NHS), in which case it distributes funds acquired through taxation to healthcare providers. Contrary to this, the worst component is the stereotype attached to the socialized medicine associated with long waits and few choices. Japan’s best component is the social insurance system whereby all people either have to get health insurance, from their work, or bought from a nonprofit, community-based scheme. The worst aspect in Japan is the lack of gatekeepers, implying there are no checks on the frequency of healthcare usage, and some customers may lack medical homes. In Germany, the best component is where the poor receive help from the public to pay for their healthcare insurance policies. On the worst scale, the single-payment system in Germany causes some doctors to feel underpaid. Taiwan: the best component is where the working class pays for healthcare premiums shared with their employers; other people pay flat rates with the help of the government; and the rest (especially the poor and veterans) are completely subsidized. The worst aspect is that Taiwan is not taking in adequate funds to cover the medical care it offers. The best component, in the case of Switzerland, is that all citizens should have coverage, and those not covered are automatically allocated a company. The worst component of Switzerland healthcare insurance program is that it is the most expensive in the world. Problems with the Current US Healthcare System before Passing the Affordable Care Act Two major problems are evident in the current US healthcare system before the adoption of the Affordable Care Act. The first problem is cost: the current healthcare insurance policies are very expensive. Taking for instance a family, the average premium is about $14000 a year, and, which increases each day. Statistics indicate that premiums have doubled for the last one decade, escalating faster than the general inflation in the world economy. In addition, most of the US population is aging. This implies that over time, the country will have more people having health issues. This increases healthcare costs in the federal budget. The second biggest problem is that the current healthcare system has holes. For example, the fact that people purchasing their personal insurance can result into rejections for embracing a pre-existing health problem. Small businesses may end up paying something more in the even some employees fall sick, a move that make the insurance policy unaffordable. Furthermore, some premiums have a long-term limit on benefits. This means that some of the people least probable to receive coverage might need it the most (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). Major Components of the PPACA a. Assist uninsured Americans with pre-existing health issues until exchange is available PPACA law provides funding to help people not insured with pre-existing conditions through creation of provisional high-risk pools. The moment this program sets off, these people should access coverage without restrictions on pre-existing conditions (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). Apparently, New York does not give room to insurers to rebuff coverage to such people. Federal funding is necessary for this program. b. Small business tax credit The reform law provides tax credit to small businesses to ensure that employee coverage is affordable. The tax credits are up to 35 percent of the contributions given by employers towards premium (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). Tax credits are only available for those companies ready to provide coverage. Projections were that tax credits would cover half of the premium in this year. c. Consumer protection Healthcare reform laws because of PPACA have many changes that will offer protection to people with private health insurance. They apply to health insurance schemes that have schedule years beginning and after September 2010. Since such reforms allow people to keep their current premium plans as they deem, some of the changes are not applicable to those that were in place when the reform laws came into effect on March 23, 2010 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). Integration of Sick around, globally, with Health Care Reform in America Within the US health care system, the reform program is trying to integrate Taiwan’s best component. The working class pays for healthcare premiums shared with their employers. Other people pay flat rates under government’s assistance, while the rest (especially the poor and veterans) are completely subsidized. This happens through expansion of the healthcare premium system to cover all low-income individuals and families in every state. Depending on what a person earns, in the event of losing a job or the employer failing to provide good coverage, the government provides a health insurance tax credit. Since most of the US citizens will continue to get health insurance at work just as the situation is currently, lack of such an option requires that one buy coverage through “Exchange.” This would be like a virtual insurance mega-mall. Depending on the place of residence, people will gain an understanding of options to compare plans plainly. The function of the exchange will be to make sure that insurance corporations compete fairly under strict laws. Some barriers to this provision are that individuals must subscribe for insurance or comply with provisions for a specified tax. In the event the government does not collect enough revenues to cover up health care needs, the program may as well collapse. Another barrier is that some people oppose the program with claims that the government will have too much at hand to handle. Some states have moved to court asserting that the requirement for every person to purchase insurance is unconstitutional. Conclusion The current move to implement health care reforms in America will make insurance policies more favorable to patients. The federal government is pushing to embrace the socialized medicine technique of Germany to benefit the poor and less privileged in the society. Essentially, PPACA is crucial in keeping a healthy nation in addition to equitable distribution of medical resources. References Frontline. (2008). Sick around the World. Retrieved September 21, 2014 from, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/ Kaiser Family Foundation. (2014). Health Reform Hits Main Street. Retrieved on September 21, 2014 from, http://healthreform.kff.org/the-animation.aspx Read More