By Aaron Chelliah
Opinion Editor
The Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, is beneficial to the entire nation because it not only restructures the existing healthcare program to fix old problems, but it also builds on the successes of the previous healthcare methodology.
The primary goal of ObamaCare is to provide healthcare to more citizens of the United States by eliminating unfair company practices while holistically reducing spending on healthcare in the nation. According to the Economist, America spends two to three times more per capita on healthcare programs than our European counterparts due to different political ideology and our previously inefficient healthcare system. With ObamaCare in effect, up to 15 million citizens will be eligible for Medicaid expansion.
Additionally, ObamaCare does not establish a socialist system in which all healthcare is provided by the government. It merely establishes a well-organized exchange, or market, where individuals are able to find the healthcare plan that benefits them with the greatest amount of efficiency and least amount of extraneous spending. Due to this new organization of healthcare, over 100 million Americans will benefit from some form of cost reduction due to their ability to search through a state-established healthcare exchange.
A major argument against ObamaCare is that it will eliminate the freedom of the healthcare system; however, ObamaCare will not interfere with citizens’ ability to maintain their current healthcare unless they do not meet the minimum safety requirements outlined in the act. By requiring all Americans to acquire healthcare by 2014, the government will improve the standard of living of millions of Americans while also establishing universal standards to ensure the health of all Americans.
According to the American College of Physicians, ObamaCare will not impact the quality of medical attention because it restructures the way hospitals and other medical services are rewarded for performance by giving incentives based on the quality of their care, not the number of patients they see. This ensures that any negative implication of a larger pool of patients is counteracted by the benefits given to quality in medical operation.
Under the Affordable Care Act companies with more than 50 full time employees are required to give health benefits to their employees. Although troublesome, a large portion of health expenses are tax deductible and will provide lower to middle income Americans secure health care.
The Affordable Care Act also establishes new benefits, rights and protections including provisions that let young adults remain a part of their parents’ healthcare plan until age 26, prevents gender discrimination and requires all insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions. It goes without saying that a person with a preexisting medical condition should be able to get healthcare due to human decency, but before the law was in effect this was not the required policy.
Critics of ObamaCare fixate on the Shared Responsibility Provision of the Affordable Care Act because it penalizes Americans for not acquiring healthcare by 2014, but the tax cannot exceed $2,085; and reaching this maximum fine would take over two years. Furthermore, anyone the tax would greatly impact is eligible for free or highly subsidized healthcare.
In summation, the Affordable Care Act will provide more citizens with healthcare, provide more protection from health insurance exploitation, and provide a more efficient system of attaining health insurance.
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