The Pros and Cons of Obama Care - Research Proposal Example

The Pros and Cons of Obama Care Research Proposal By: Latasha Patterson I. INTRODUCTION Topic ment The research topic for this proposed studyis based on identifying the different aspects related to Obama Care. Recently, Obama Care (also known as the Affordable Care Act), is a healthcare plan initiated in the United States of America (US) by the current President Mr. Barack Obama. It has been the center point of excessive debate concerning its moral, economic and social efficacies (Cannon, 2013). Emphasizing this particular issue, the proposed research study will stress the advantages as well as disadvantages associated with Obama Care. An in-depth analysis of the research topic will further assist in having a comprehensive understanding about the intentions and implications of the healthcare plan for the people. Problem Statement In the US, healthcare plans and policies are developed as well as implemented with the objective of providing better care and treatment services for the public. Principally, initiators of healthcare plans aim at providing adequate care along with treatment services in a cost effective manner, contributing to the overall social health altogether. Additionally, the US government has been spending substantial amounts of funds concentrated on the continuous development and growth of healthcare segments and policies for the enhancement of the entire healthcare system. In this regard, Obama Care was introduced as an affordable healthcare plan, under the Affordable Care Act. Obama Care has been initiated with the provision of offering affordable as well as low cost health and care services to a large number of uninsured people. The health plan has been implemented in order to improve insurance coverage. The plan is beneficial for providing affordable health services with better coverage. On the other hand, the health plan has been criticized on the ground of racial prejudice and additional taxes. However, healthcare industry analysts criticized healthcare plans implemented through the Obama Care healthcare bill as fragmented in approach. Hence, the healthcare plan was also recognized to be ineffective as well as inefficient in its approach. In order to justify this claim, the healthcare plans were recognized to be inadequately covered within the diverse population. Contextually, the healthcare plans were perceived to provide uneven healthcare facilities and services. In addition, they were seen to have increasing gaps between the intended benefits to be delivered to the people and the realistic approach taken by the government (Chua, 2006). Subsequently, in this p proposed research study, a critical examination of the Obama Care regime will be conducted with the aim of ascertaining the positive along with the negative aspects associated with Obama Care. Contextually, the proposed study will also assist in identifying how the effectiveness of Obama Care can be enhanced. Thesis and Research Question: The 44th President of America, Mr. Barack Obama introduced Obama Care as a nationwide healthcare regime in the year 2010, with the vision of improving healthcare services within the country, against the reportedly vulnerable cost structure and hindered affordability of the health benefits liable to the citizens. Hence, the plan was initiated to assist the people to obtain improved quality of care services, health insurance and care facilities at minimized costs. The plans and the policies in relation to Obama Care were further formulated to provide affordable health insurance benefits, irrespective of the exclusionary clauses often included in the privatized healthcare plan. Obama Care has been experiencing various debatable issues since its initiation, concerning the imposition of new taxes and increased government spending within the healthcare sector. Correspondingly, many other factors were stressed by opposers of Obama Care, based on which, Obama Care has been criticized on legal as well as political grounds. These factors have included inefficient medical services and inadequate insurance coverage benefits provided to the public (Cannon, 2013). Taking due note of these aspects, the research questions formulated for this proposed study will be as follows. “What are the rationales of arguments against and in favor of Obama Care?” “Should Obama Care be continued or it should be withdrawn?” II. BACKGROUND OR LITERATURE REVIEW Topic Related to Thesis: Healthcare services in the US Affordable health insurance Source: 1. Smith, M. (2005). Pharmacy and the U.S. health care system, third edition. United States of America: CRC Press. In the present scenario, the government of the US has made adequate investments in the healthcare segments with the aim of developing effective healthcare plans and policies for the public. The US government has thus focused on transforming the healthcare system with the intention of ensuring that the patients are offered better care as well as treatment services. The healthcare plans are also offered in order to deliver quality care with the aim of enhancing healthcare quality, reducing health costs, improving life quality and ensuring satisfaction of patients (p. 94-95). 2. Fuchs, V. R. (2009). Eliminating “waste” in health care. Journal of American Medical Association, 302(22), 2481-2482. This publication implied that the US government has initiated different health reforms with the aim of minimizing wastes when promoting factors that are non-beneficial for the patients in the healthcare service. In this regard, the President has introduced different policies along with plans with the aim of ensuring that medical wastes are eliminated and the healthcare industry can efficiently perform to deliver quality assured and cost effective services to the patients. In this context, the reforms are formulated and implemented with the aim of reducing health care costs. 3. Fernandez, B., & Mach, A. L. (2013). Health insurance exchanges under the patient protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Congressional Research Service, 1-41. This article implied that citizens are provided with various healthcare policy aids along with health insurance benefits with the intention to support them in availing better affordable healthcare plans. In this manner, the patients, under the coverage of healthcare plans are facilitated with the opportunity of having better health protections that are offered through ‘Affordable Case Act’ (ACA). Additionally, the health insurance plans provide the people with better health related information along with healthcare choices, so that care along with treatment services are offered in accordance with their needs as well as preferences. Subsequently, Obama Care aids in providing enhanced quality care and medical treatment services. Additionally, the plan ensures that the people are insured with healthcare insurances largely. 4. Jonas, S., Goldsteen, R. L., & Goldsteen, K. (2007). An introduction to the U.S. health care system. United States of America: Springer Publishing Company. The healthcare policies under the Obama Care regime were formulated with the intention of improving the healthcare coverage of the industry to a larger number of people within the US. Arguments highlighted in this source also signified that the healthcare system of the US is enhanced with better efficiency and equity as well as access with the assistance of Obama Care. Providing a preliminary overview of the care regime, it further argued that people without health insurance coverage are unable to have a proper access to healthcare services. In this regard, the health reforms are made with the objectives of aligning the healthcare services with healthcare facilities to meet the needs of the patients effectively, which justifies its moral efficiency (p. 190-199). Topic Related to the Thesis Positive aspects of Obama care Negative aspects of Obama care Source: 5. Dvorak, D. (2013). Beyond Obamacare. Minnesota Medicine, 34-35. The article signified that Obama Care is enacted under law in the year 2010 by the President of the US Barack Obama with the aim of offering better health insurance policies to the common public, which is regulated as well as subsidized by the Federal government. With the provisions of this health care plan, the citizens of the US are provided with low cost as well as affordable health insurance benefits. This health care plan has also been managed with a visionary approach that it will assist people in obtaining health insurance at a much affordable cost within their economic convenience and therefore, strengthen social health prospects. In this regard, the plan has been implemented with the intention of improving healthcare insurance coverage through the inclusion of college students and old-aged people along with diverse cultural individuals in the insurance registration process. It also aided in protecting patients, who are commonly excluded in the privatized healthcare plans, by providing an opportunity to be insured with affordable health insurances. This health care plan also intends to aid consumers of health insurance in having a better legal standing as well as position in demand for legitimate services from the health insurance companies. 6. Marmor, T., Oberlander, J., & White, J. (2009). The Obama administration’s options for health care cost control: hope versus reality. Annals of Internal Medicine, 150, 485-489. The Obama Care healthcare plan has been implemented with the aim of reducing health cost to a substantial extent. The journal also signified that the healthcare plan has assisted in improving medical practices within the nation, so that patients are offered with quality care and treatment services. The plan also focused on managing chronic diseases, extensive use of ‘Health Information Technology’ (HIT), better prevention measures and reforming payments services among others. 7. Knowles, E. D., Lowery, B. S., & Schaumberg, R. L. (2010). Racial prejudice predicts opposition to Obama and his health care reform plan. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 420-423. This journal implied that Obama Care, the health insurance plan, has been criticized on the grounds of racial prejudice. Reportedly, it has been identified that politicians along with laypeople has opposed the healthcare policies that are imposed through the plan on racial grounds. 8. University of Maine. (2011). The U.S. Health Care System: Best in the World, or Just the Most Expensive? Retrieved from http://umaine.edu/ble/files/2011/01/US-healthcare-system.pdf The healthcare reforms implemented in the US have assisted in enhancing the quality of care and treatment services offered. However, the policies of the plan have been criticized on the grounds of inefficient coverage of healthcare insurance. The health care plans and policies have also been argued as expensive when compared to the policies that are implemented in other countries. Additionally, the healthcare plans are found to be ineffective in improving its insurance coverage. 9. Cannan, J. (2013). A legislative history of the Affordable Care Act: How legislative procedure shapes legislative history. Law Library Journal, 105(2), 131-173. This journal argued that the implementation of the Obama Care has imposed new taxes, which increased the healthcare costs to a substantial extent. Moreover, the execution of the health care plan has increased government spending owing to the fact that the people insured under the plan will receive an amount of subsidy. The government spending is also intensified due to the reason that in the US, most of the people are uninsured and thus, delivering such broad coverage through this plan shall increase financial burden on the government affecting other areas of social development. 10. Lowry, S., & Gravelle, J. G. (2014). The Affordable Care Act and small business: Economic issues. Congressional Research Service, 1-24. This particular study demonstrated the unfavorable impact of Obama Care specifically upon controlling the individual behaviors of various medical practitioners and hospital authorities, which plays an imperative role in delivering quality as well as effective healthcare to the Americans. According to the study, the focus upon the approach of top-down planning by the aforesaid Act eventually contributed in restricting the deliverance of quality healthcare to the individuals of America. This has been anticipated through limiting in controlling the respective behavioral attitudes of the physicians and the hospital authorities. III. MAJOR ARGUMENTS OR POINTS AND DISCUSSION Point 1: The healthcare plans along with policies promoted under the Obama Care regime in the US are supported with adequate investments with the aim of ensuring that quality care as well as treatment services are offered to a large number of people. Moreover, various reforms are made in the healthcare segment in order to provide low cost healthcare plan with better insurance coverage. The plans are formulated with the intention of improving life quality and meeting the needs of patients appropriately. Point 2: Obama Care has been criticized on the ground of racial prejudice as well. The policies associated with the healthcare plan have introduced additional taxes, which also became a base of argument against this policy regime. IV. CONCLUSION OR RECOMMENDATIONS Thesis: Obama Care focuses on promoting affordable healthcare plan implemented with the objective of providing quality care as well as treatment services to the people of the US. Additionally, the plan has been implemented to enhance health insurance coverage within the US population. The proposed study will be conducted to identify benefits and limitations associated with the healthcare plan. Support: From the review of literatures, it has been recognized that the US government intends to provide adequate monetary support to improve the quality of healthcare plans as well as policies. In this regard, Obama Care has been initiated with the intention of providing affordable care benefits along with treatment policy aids to a larger number of people, who are considered partially or entirely deprived of the care benefits available in the nation through privatized organizations. Contextually, it has been observed that the healthcare plan has both positive and negative aspects, making its effectiveness a debatable topic. References Cannan, J. (2013). A legislative history of the Affordable Care Act: How legislative procedure shapes legislative history. Law Library Journal, 105(2), 131-173. Chua, K. (2006). Overview of the U.S. health care system. Retrieved from http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Libraries/Committee_Docs/HealthCareSystemOverview.sflb.ashx Cannon, M. F. (2013). ObamaCare: The plot thickens. Harvard Health Policy Review, 14(1), 36-41. Dvorak, D. (2013). Beyond Obamacare. Minnesota Medicine, 34-35. Fernandez, B., & Mach, A. L. (2013). Health insurance exchanges under the patient protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Congressional Research Service, 1-41. Fuchs, V. R. (2009). Eliminating “waste” in health care. Journal of American Medical Association, 302(22), 2481-2482. Knowles, E. D., Lowery, B. S., & Schaumberg, R. L. (2010). Racial prejudice predicts opposition to Obama and his health care reform plan. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 420-423. Jonas, S., Goldsteen, R. L., & Goldsteen, K. (2007). An introduction to the U.S. health care system. United States of America: Springer Publishing Company. Lowry, S., & Gravelle, J. G. (2014). The Affordable Care Act and small business: Economic issues. Congressional Research Service, 1-24. Marmor, T., Oberlander, J., & White, J. (2009). The Obama administration’s options for health care cost control: hope versus reality. Annals of Internal Medicine, 150, 485-489. Smith, M. (2005). Pharmacy and the U.S. health care system, third edition. United States of America: CRC Press. University of Maine. (2011). The U.S. Health Care System: Best in the World, or Just the Most Expensive? Retrieved from http://umaine.edu/ble/files/2011/01/US-healthcare-system.pdf Read More