In “Our Common Future,” the author states that, “Overriding priority should be given to needs, in particular essential needs.” Following his argument, the most essential need must be the health of the people so the first and most important step towards a sustainable future must be to expand healthcare to everyone in the nation. Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is supposed to expand healthcare to 34 million out of the over 50 million uninsured Americans. The plan is taking steps towards a sustainable future, but at what cost to the rest of the population?
The first problem with this plan is that it will cost over one trillion dollars over the next ten years during a time when the economy is crumbling and nation is deeply in debt. In order to pay for this plan, the government will make major cuts in funding for many government projects, especially Medicare. They are also increasing taxes for many people and also imposing extra taxes and fees on health industries. The fees will only account for 63 million dollars out of the one trillion dollar price tag, and these companies will merely increase the prices for their services in order to offset the cost of the fees.
One of the changes that the PPACA makes is called guaranteed issue. It bans insurance companies from denying coverage or charging increased rates to anyone with preexisting conditions. Researchers from the Oliver Wyman Company say that changes such as guaranteed issue will force the company to increase average prices for all of their customers because people with preexisting conditions have high medical costs and can no longer be charged more for their extra care. There are also many other provisions in this bill that will cause insurance costs to rise. (The articles below explain the other provisions and the cost of each one)
Rising healthcare costs is one of the most important issues in the country right now and it will continue to be a problem until a proper plan for reform is in place. Even though insurance costs have been rising for years, researchers suggest that the PPACA will cause insurance prices to go up by 54% after reform, not including medical inflation. The bill must be repealed before substantial rate increases begins to take place. If no changes are made, insurance costs will continue to skyrocket, causing even more people to be left without healthcare.
This nation needs a quality healthcare system that is expansive and inexpensive. Obama’s plan is taking steps in the right direction, but he does not stop the insurance companies from charging more for healthcare due to the provisions of this bill. If insurance costs go up by 54% like is predicted, a lot more people will be unable to afford health insurance. In order to stop this, Obama must get the government to be able to regulate how much insurers charge their customers. Without proper regulation, prices will skyrocket.
A better method would be to repeal the PPACA and create a new bill that focuses on reducing healthcare costs. The cost of healthcare is rising every year and the PPACA will only cause these costs to rise even more dramatically. The government must find a way to lower the cost of healthcare and they have to remain low. If costs are lowered, more people will be able to afford healthcare so that will in and of itself will expand coverage. Lower costs coupled with government aid will have a dramatic effect on health coverage and it is a step towards a healthy and sustainable future.
Works Cited
Elmendorf, Douglas W. Congressional Budget Office, 18 Nov. 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. <http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10731/Reid_letter_11_18_09.pdf>.
Grau, Jason, and Kurt Giesa. "Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Costs." Oliver Wyman, 01 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Mar. 2011. <http://www.oliverwyman.com/ow/pdf_files/YBS009-11-28_PPACA120309.pdf>.
Grier, Peter. "Health Care Reform Bill 101: Who Will Pay for Reform." Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0321/Health-care-reform-bill-101-Who-will-pay-for-reform>
H.R. 3590, 111th Cong., Http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3590: (2009-2010) (enacted).
Young, Michael. "The Real Costs of Obamacare." Washington Times 28 Dec. 2010: 1. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/ehost/detail?hid=105&sid=237b7ee3-2c21-4649-9ede-0ab46b2c62e1%40sessionmgr110&vid=2&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nfh&AN=4KB520101228041318000009>.
I believe that Healthcare policies will remain the way they are. Companies are just too self concerned. The economy as a whole is too focused on what can benefit each company individually rather than trying to accommodate all citizens. The only way that something would shift a little is if the government begins to tightly regulate these companies.
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ReplyDeleteMichael I totally agree and Brittney you said it best "Companies are just too self concerned," which is absolutely right and the point I wanted to make after reading the blog. If the Insurance companies and others involved in the "business" not excluding the government would just stop worrying about their pockets. They need to deal with the consequences and endure a time where they do not have so much wealth. That is the only way change will come about, if the wealthy make a simple sacrifice.
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