The healthcare system, in the opinion of many Americans, is broken and requires significant reform. The good news is that many of americans healthcare issues have been addressed by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The bad news is that most of the new healthcare law won’t go into effect right away; rather, most of it will be phased in over the next three years, with all of the changes that were mandated to be implemented by 2014. The fact that the Affordable Care Act of 2010 does not cover significant issues with the American healthcare system is additional bad news.
americans healthcare accounted for two-thirds of the economy in 1900. Today, agriculture contributes less than 3% of the nation’s GDP. Based on research, technology, farm management, and agricultural practices, significant advancements have been made. Farms typically have much more space. Nobody could have anticipated the changes that would occur in agriculture in 1900. Healthcare must undergo the same level of transformation, but it must do so in less than ten years. We met President Kennedy’s challenge to send someone to the moon within ten years. Healthcare reform requires the same kind of challenge and mobilization right now.
To persuade a few Republicans in the Senate to support the bill and make it a law, Democrats omitted many important provisions and Republicans fought the law’s passage every step of the way. A less-than-perfect partial solution to a large set of issues is the outcome.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 focuses primarily on reforming health insurance. There was a lot of debate surrounding this law’s passage. Numerous issues that have required attention for decades are addressed in the new healthcare law. There are aspects of the law that can and should be improved, and there are numerous americans healthcare issues that must still be addressed, particularly those about healthcare quality and cost.
The Major Issues Facing the American Healthcare System The following is a list of many of the major issues facing the American healthcare system: 1. health reporters costs account for more than 17 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and they continue to significantly rise annually. The United States pays significantly more per capita than any other nation for healthcare, which is hurting our economic competitiveness in international markets. Despite paying more for healthcare than many other nations, the United States has a lower life expectancy and overall health than many other nations. In and of itself, this is cause for concern and a call to action.
2:health reporters costs too much, both for consumers and businesses. Over the past few years, annual increases in health insurance costs for many employers and their employees have averaged 15% to 25% or more. This is due to actual increases in medical costs as well as insurance companies raising premiums in anticipation of healthcare legislation. The majority of Democrats in Congress and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office assert that the Affordable Care Act partially addresses cost issues; however, Republicans in Congress assert otherwise.
3: The majority of people have an opinion regarding the new healthcare law, with many strongly supporting or opposing it. However, few people are aware of the provisions of the law and the reasons why they should support or oppose it.
4: Republicans have no chance of succeeding in their attempt to repeal the new healthcare law. They are unable to secure 60 votes in the Senate to support repealing the healthcare law, and even if they did, President Obama would undoubtedly veto it.
5 – Insurance companies employ hundreds of thousands of people to manage healthcare, but none of them provide healthcare services. The healthcare system incurs a significant overhead expense from this.
6: Inefficient, error-prone paper, and partially automated processes are used by countless individuals who handle medical records, billing, patient scheduling, insurance forms, and other paperwork in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
7: The best healthcare in the world is available to those who can afford it, but millions of Americans do not have access to it at all.
8 – Although Americans invest billions of dollars annually in a variety of diet plans, their average weight rises annually, resulting in epidemic levels of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and other medical conditions. Another billion people continue to smoke, engage in risky drug use, and lead unhealthy lifestyles. Healthcare costs are rising as a result of all this.
9: The cost of medications developed and manufactured by American pharmaceutical companies is significantly lower elsewhere than it is in the United States. 10: The quality of healthcare is a very serious issue. One of the most common causes of death and injury in the United States each year is a medical error made by doctors, nurses, and others. Medical and sanitation best practices are frequently established but not followed.
11 – Because of medical errors, medical malpractice insurance costs too much. However, if you or a member of your family is hurt or dies as a result of medical errors, are you prepared to have your legal options limited?
12 – Americans can purchase almost anything across state lines, except for health reporters. We travel a lot and frequently require healthcare outside of our home state, so we may need to travel to another state to get it. By allowing health insurance companies to sell insurance across the country, why not create competition?
13 – Choosing health insurance is very expensive because there are too many options. If you want to significantly reduce the costs associated with selling health insurance, why not make the policy selection process simpler and allow customers to buy health insurance online?
14 -Millions of heterosexual couples who have been together for a long time but are not married cannot include their partner in their health insurance plan.
15 – Serious illnesses that were either not covered by medical insurance or were not covered enough, or because they were unable to obtain health insurance, have devastated numerous families financially.
16 – Pharmaceutical advertising significantly raises drug prices. Advertising also significantly boosts pharmaceutical consumption as consumers learn about and encourage doctors to prescribe medications that are sometimes unnecessary or inappropriate.
17 – In recent years, significant advancements have been made in pharmaceutical drugs as well as in medical diagnostic, operating room, and other medical equipment. These advances are very expensive and sometimes used beyond their intended purpose. The valid and unnecessary use of pharmaceutical products and advanced medical tests contributes to rising healthcare costs.
18 – Employees are asked about and satisfied with their employer’s employee benefits in employee surveys (employee satisfaction surveys, employee opinion surveys, and employee benefits surveys). The majority of workers in numerous industries claim that their health insurance premiums are rising far too quickly while they are losing coverage. In their responses to the survey, some employees state that they cannot afford health reporters insurance and are opting out.
Conclusions The Affordable Healthcare Act addresses some of the aforementioned issues as well as others. However, there are a lot of issues that the new law does not address or does not adequately address.
Concerning healthcare, Congress still has a long way to go. Will Republicans continue to impede progress, or are they up to the challenge? Will Democrats be in favor of crucial points that Republicans would like to incorporate into any new or revised healthcare legislation?
As this article is being written, the former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has come out in support of the Affordable Healthcare Act and has openly challenged the current Republican leaders and members of Congress. Bill Frist is a highly skilled physician. He strongly supports keeping the Affordable Care Act and improving it to address cost, quality, and other important issues. It is hoped that congressional Republicans will comprehend Bill Frist’s message.
In addition to the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides substantial funding for streamlining and improving the healthcare system. These funds include
$25.8 billion for investments and incentive payments in health information technology, as well as $10 billion for health research and the construction of National Institutes of Health facilities.
The polls show that Americans are becoming more supportive of the new healthcare law as they learn more about its actual provisions. Unfortunately, Republican politicians and lobbyists spread lies and misinformation about the Affordable Care Act that led to the opposition of millions of Americans.
The Challenge: Are there new healthcare models that will offer better care at significantly lower prices?
Should the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics be used as a model for providing superior healthcare?
– Would a single-payer approach to healthcare insurance significantly lower the cost curve?
Should physicians and hospitals be compensated, at the very least in part, for maintaining patients’ health rather than only for treating medical issues? Should healthcare providers focus more on proactive rather than reactive medicine?
Can Americans become more responsible for their health reporters by changing their diet, getting more exercise, losing weight, staying away from illegal drugs and alcohol, and going to the doctor when they need to and listening to them?
– Are medical professionals, including nurses and doctors, capable of learning and adhering to best practices to significantly reduce medical errors?
When will individuals in the United States be able to buy health insurance across state lines?
– Will the Affordable Care Act mandate that medical records be automated? Should pharmaceutical companies stop relying on Americans to subsidize the expensive development of new drugs by paying significantly more for the same drugs that are sold at significantly lower prices in other countries?
Should pharmaceutical companies stop marketing their products to the general public and instead educate doctors about the products they sell and rely on doctors to prescribe the right ones?
– Should consumers have access to information about how well hospitals and doctors perform on a single, tightly controlled, and managed website?
