Background
Health insurance is a medical cover that is used to shield people from the risk of medical expenses. Individuals are expected to pay premiums that determine their support in time of need. Insurance is an effective way of promoting access to healthcare because it covers medical expenses. However, the economic disparity has made it impossible for people in the lower economic class to access care as they could not afford the premiums. One critical regulation that improved access to care is the affordable care act, commonly known as Obama care. Through the regulation, 31 million Americans could afford the insurance premiums and therefore had access to healthcare (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2016). The regulation is people-centered and aims at improving people’s lives by making healthcare accessible.
Benefits of Health Insurance on Access to Care
Health insurance covers an individual’s medical bills, improving access to care regardless of the person’s financial condition. Uncovered people use their savings and appeal to their families through fundraising to cover their medical expenses (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2016). Health insurance not only improves access to healthcare but also reduces financial stress on individuals, families, and communities, improving quality of life. For example, when a businessman falls ill and does not have insurance coverage, he spends all his savings and business proceeds for treatment. If the businessman has an active insurance cover, his business and savings would have been protected. Another example of the benefit of insurance is a family man who took the family floater and planned to take care of his entire family when affected by an outbreak. Were it not for the health coverage for the family, the man would have suffered substantial financial blows. Health insurance is beneficial as it offers flexibility and reduces financial stress.
Barriers to Accessing Healthcare
The critical barriers to accessing quality healthcare are socio-economic status and insufficient health coverage. 9.1% of people in the USA live under the poverty line and cannot pay their medical bills (Glied et al., 2020). Before the implementation of Obama care, people from the low economic cadre could not afford healthcare expenses. Osman is a Black American who lives in Harlem and is unemployed. His child succumbed to kidney failure because he could not afford the cost of care. The rising cost of healthcare requires health insurance coverage because a person’s savings may not be enough to cover medical expenses. The inadequate cover is a barrier to both the employed and the unemployed. Susan took a personal cover and did not include her two children. When there was an outbreak, her savings could not cater for her children’s bills, and they lost their lives.
The socio-economic barrier can be eliminated by government policy to offer insurance coverage to everyone regardless of their financial status. The case of Osman could have been different if government subsidy on unemployed citizens had catered for his child’s medical bill. In the case of Susan, she lost her kids because, despite being employed, she chose an insurance cover that did not cover her family. The barrier can be eliminated if the government sets a mandatory policy that requires all employed people to have insurance coverage for their children.
Summary and Key Provisions of the Affordable Care Act
The affordable care act is a particular reform in the insurance domain aimed at reducing the cost of coverage. The act was commonly known as Obama care and meant to extend insurance coverage to millions of Americans who were not insured (Glied et al., 2020). One of the act’s key provisions is the cost-sharing reduction and premium tax credits to lower expenses, especially for lower-income families. The critical elements of the affordable care act are expanding access to insurance coverage, improved prevention and wellness, and increased health quality. The two main provisions of the act that affect patient care include preventive service, immunization, and counseling for all people (Courtemanche et al., 2018). As a result of the provision, patient care has improved. Further, expanding provide more people access to care, increasing their quality of life.
References
Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Eckert, B., Yelowitz, A., & Zapata, D. (2018). Effects of the Affordable Care Act on health care access and self-assessed health after three years. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, p. 55, 0046958018796361. Web.
Glied, S. A., Collins, S. R., & Lin, S. (2020). Did The ACA Lower Americans’ Financial Barriers To Health Care? A review of evidence to determine whether the Affordable Care Act effectively lowered cost barriers to health insurance coverage and health care. Health Affairs, 39(3), 379-386. Web.
Teitelbaum, J. B., & Wilensky, S. E. (2016). Essentials of health policy and law. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.