The Law makers in the United States have passed major health reform legislation. Employees, American families and employers will be able to obtain health care coverage in the country. The reform that was passed by Law makers was known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and was signed by president Obama into Law on March, 2010. The Law was later amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (2010). “This act requires workers and employers to have healthcare cover and also it provides financial assistance to less fortunate people in the United States” (Rushefsky 2008).
The Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, requires health care providers in the country to provide cheap insurance policy to the citizen of United States, for example hospitals to accommodate the needs of disabled people in their facilities. What this requirement means is that hospitals are required to redesign their diagnostic equipment and locations for patient with disabilities to use these equipments without any difficulty. These reforms on Rehabilitation Act has brought expenses to health care providers in the country. Health care providers are required to consider disabled people when they buy these diagnostic equipments and are a bit expensive.
Most companies (90 per cent) know the PPACA Act have a negative effect on their company health care policy. What is shocking is that most companies don’t intend to pass the cost increases to their customers. “More specifically 58 per cent of small companies believe large multi-companies that operate in the country will adopt a total replacement consumer-driven health plan for their workers” (Rushefsky 2008). This will mean these multi-companies will deduct some cost for their employee health care policy and this will be disastrous for small companies with modest profits that want to develop significant health plans for its employees. For employees, they are not required to drop any health care plan that is provided by the company, “as long as the actuarial value of 60 per cent is provided by the company i.e. employees will be prohibited from choosing any health care plan that suits him or his family at the national exchange” ( Nather 2010)..
There are many reasons why Health Security Act failed; Senator Clinton hid the detail of the bill to the opposition party and the people of United States. These bill it main purpose was to reform the health care for the people of United States. In that year it was not hard to make an educated guess, it was between the have and the have not- 60 per cent of Americans belong here in the health care system. The monopoly of provision of health care system was in the hands of the few. By the bill not passing in the floor of Law makers, it was not threatening not just the access to health care to almost all the citizens in America, it was putting into jeopardy the quality of life- health care. “Most of the American people were against the Clinton bill, but research group finding conducted that year in relationship to the bill was that, they did not understand the details of the bill” ( Nather 2010).
The failure for this bill was two fold: the quality and affordable health care which was out of reach for the majority of Citizens of United States. This bill could have brought healthcare reform in the history of the American government. The success of this bill could have improved the lives of American and it was upon the media industry to play a major role to the success of the bill. Yet the media conducting and reporting the debate did not create an informed public. It was not possible for Clinton bill to succeeded, she was seeking to change an industry which was generating billions of dollars annually and these businesses in the health care sectors had a life and death stake in the bill. “The environment at that time was not conducive when Clinton was trying to legislate those reforms in a partisan political environment; it was like dancing in a quicksand” (Kronenfeld 2005).
The strengths and weaknesses of the health care that is found in the United States can be compared to a puzzle. Although the bill would have been one of the best health care reform the whole world it was at a cost. In America the government spends 14 per cent of GNP on health care and this is more than any other industrialized country. But 15 per cent of the American population is not insured and those who have insurance are under covered including the elderly. Majority of American people are depending on the cover from their employers and this has left them more vulnerable to the job security and employer beneficence. The insurance companies in America have created massive bureaucracies that are absorbing substantial amount of money yearly, “technology advances that would prolong life for the sick in America like MRI come with swelling bills and premiums and this is being passed to the ordinary citizens” (Kronenfeld 2005). This bill could have brought healthcare reform in the history of the American government
Similarities
PPACA and PHSA has forbid the group health plan that was preferred by most companies in the United States but in return individual will be allowed to choose any insurance policy that suits him and his/her family. These two policies were to expand the restrictions which were in place under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Acts (HIPAA). This condition under HIPAA was to be excluded under certain conditions found in HIPAA. The two policies also imposed lifetime limits on the value of the dollar in relationship to the essential health benefits in the country. The policy rules do not allow flexible spending arrangements or health savings accounts. The two policies will not apply to retirees.
Differences
PPACA will impose some annual limits to the insurance policy, while PHSA did not have any limit on the health policy. PPACA has allowed a plan to withdraw a cover to any worker without notice given, but in PHSA did not have those powers.
Reference List
Kronenfeld, M.R. (2005). Healthcare reform in America: a reference handbook. New York: ABC-CLIO Publisher.
Nather, D. (2010). The New Health Care System: Everything You Need to Know. New York: St.Martin’s Press.
Rushefsky, M.E. (2008). Health care politics and policy in America. New York: M.E. Sharpe Publisher.