Will Health Care in U.S Change for Better or For the Worse

In the current era of super specialization, health care for the common person is getting more and more complex by the minute. Our nation is on the verge of slugging it out Prime Time for an increasing share of national expenditures. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, nonpartisan think tank tracking health care, three-quarter Americans cannot define basic health insurance terms. This article aims to bring you up to date on health care issues that may change your future life.

1. What’s covered?

In the past, health care was left to employers, consumers and insurance companies. They could agree on what medical expenses each health plan covered. People chose to cover illnesses and ignore useless benefits. Insurers offered a wide range of options catering to every market place.

Employers or individuals would buy what they wanted and could afford.

The Affordable Care Act brought in “essential health benefits” whether you need it or not. Now you pay higher health costs because health plans pay for more things. Its true ACA plans vary costs but benefit categories remain uniform. The ACA is criticized to speed up insurance and medical costs in the guise of helping more people.

Do you want essential benefits supply good insurance or as a forced, cost-raising rule.

2. Old vs. young

The ACA with its essential health benefits wants to ‘look after’ the young and old alike. At least, they want to reduce the wide gap in health expenditures for the young and the old. This means taking from the young and giving it to the old. Private health insurance companies have always charged elders more than young customers. This ratio was 5-1 as far as prices were concerned. The ACA tried dealing with “age band rating” by compressing this ratio to 3-1.

ACA aims to spread the cost of health care more equitably among people of various ages. Its side effect resulted in rates going up for everyone – 40 % for young and 20% for elders. Consequently, more young people have started skipping insurance.

3. Why so upset?

Health care is important for physical, mental and emotional well-being. It is THE difference between longer life and early death. People are naturally upset for having to either forego or pay more for what they want to take for granted. They could rely on insurance until now for costs and quality of health care.

Now, people have begun seeing insurers making profits from their misfortune.

Truth is some consumers have benefited, others see no benefits. Consumers are getting solid insurance they couldn’t get before by having their health problems addressed. Others see the ACA law higher costs but no real benefit.

4. Medicare for all

Government can subsidize everybody’s health care with “Medicare for all” option, also known as a single-payer system, a national health program or universal health care. Doctors and hospitals may decide whether to accept the payments set by the government, or work outside the government system. Wealthy people can afford access to better care. Government-run health system cannot be as efficient as free-market competition and profit incentive. Despite flaws, the U.S. medical system needs its freedom to remain top-quality.

5. What’s next?

Health Care government policies are subject to influence from insurance companies, medical care providers, consumer advocates and the American people. Voters will have to consider health care policy before casting votes in 2018.