As a rule, health care reform is one of the most frequently discussed issues in different spheres of life. The main reason why people need to talk about it is its impact on the population and the ways of how people can live, get appropriate medical and financial support, and evaluate their working conditions. The New York Times is one of the American daily media sources that highlight health care issues regularly and consider the opinion of people on health care reforms and improvements. The current paper aims at discussing three articles from this newspaper and proving that health care reforms have an impact, both negative and positive, on population.
The article by Abelson and Armendariz tells about the example of Colorado and the ways how various unreasonable changes in health care plans and reforms may lead to certain misunderstandings and problems within a society. People want to believe that their government takes care of their future and thinks about possible improvements without any kind of compensation. However, the research conducted by the author shows that even the clearest story of success has its ambitions and limitations: “while 10 insurers offer plans to individuals in Colorado through the state’s online marketplace, the law does not require insurers to offer all plans in all regions of a state” (Abelson & Armendariz, 2015, para. 3). Even if people get some low-level insurance, it cannot be sustainable for a long period of time.
The effects of the health care reforms may be also observed at the workplace and differ, employees, employers, and self-employed people. Under the Affordable Care Act, employees should pay only a half of the “Social Security and Medicare taxes”, and employers have to cover the other half (Aenlle, 2015). This is why it turns out to be beneficial and less expensive to use the term “contractors” for workers “with higher earnings and big potential tax write-offs” (Aenlle, 2015, para. 21) and hide some portion of incomes. In other words, unfair business and the desire to earn more at the expense of social incomes and profits are the topics for consideration even in the sphere of medicine, and health care reforms are not able to gain control but promote new ideas to circumvent the law.
Finally, Pear’s article provides certain numbers on how health care reforms may influence the population. Within a short period of time, more than “800,000 taxpayers who enrolled in insurance policies through HealthCare.org received erroneous tax information from the government and were urged… to hold off on filing tax returns” (Pear, 2015, para.1). Though it was one of the first serious mistakes after the Affordable Care Act was taken, people feel that a number of dangers and unpredictable outcomes may be expected from a clearly established order. There is no need to make fast conclusions or try to blame one particular person. Sometimes, it is enough to evaluate the situation and think about possible improvements regarding the current problems.
In general, the chosen articles help to comprehend the essence of the health care reform and its impact on population from different perspectives. It is wrong to believe that even the most successful political decisions are always beneficial for people. There may be some obstacles, misunderstandings, or challenges that have to be understood and overcome in case it is necessary. The health care system is not perfect; still, it is constantly improved regarding population’s expectations and needs.
Reference List
Aenlle, C. (2015). Employee or contractor? Health care law raises stakes. The New York Times. Web.
Abelson, R. & Armendariz, A. (2015). In Colorado, disparity in health plan prices underscores ambitions, and limits, of Affordable Care Act. The New York Times. Web.
Pear, R. (2015). Tax error in health act has impact on 800,000. The New York Times. Web.