Health care reform is one of the most important topics that need consideration as it touches the most sensitive issue in all regions of the world. The main objective of health care reform is as follows:
- Extend the health care coverage in both the private and public sectors by giving rise to insurance and health care agencies.
- Broaden the health care range which provides a broad platform
- Enhance access to health care specialists
- Make the quality of health care service better
- Minimize the health care cost
Every country has its health care reform strategies and policies designed to keep an eye on financial conditions and situational factors. The consequences on healthcare reform in the United States at health care centers face questions of a right to access, fairness, sustainability, and health care quality bought by the large amount spent. In the United States, mixed public-private health care architecture is one of the most expensive systems worldwide, with the inclusion of health care costing to a greater extent per person than in any other country, and a larger portion of (GDP) gross domestic product is usually exhausted on health care than in any other member state of united nations excluding the Marshall Islands.
Description
In the United States, every president has contributed his efforts to health care reform and implemented few strategies to provide easy access to quality health care services. President Bush has endorsed his best efforts for providing quality health care to all (President Bush’s health care reform proposal, 2007). President’s bush health care reform proposal is highly based on the following two components:
- To develop a standard tax deduction on buying health care insurance,
- To deploy the best economic initiatives or an” Affordable Choices Initiative”, which will highly focus on federal funding to help poor and needy people and designing of such policies to obtain more insurance in the private market.
Tax Deduction
President Bush suggests that all families which need health care services and could not afford the high expenses of health care services. Such families can claim a tax deduction on the $15,000 of earnings. Individuals will get a tax deduction of about $7,500 on health care services. The above-mentioned deduction implies to all those who hold private insurance excluding Medicare, Medicaid, or any other political program), no matter whether they acquire it by their job or by an insurance company.
The big advantage to this is that it would facilitate all job-based coverage as payable earning. This statement illustrates that if a person gets his insurance by his job, the charges of that insurance including both individual’s contribution and his employer’s contribution both will be counted in his total payable or taxable income. This will provide an advantage to those who obtain insurance through work. This program highly facilitates those who own their insurance on their own. Those who earn their insurance on their own will be great achievers under this proposal, as they will get the full tax deduction regardless of any increment in their income.
According to an estimate that around 20% of people who hold job-based coverage will get greater taxes according to the policy.
The only reason is their job-based plan charges which give them more than the tax deduction. The main objective of his proposal is to serve humanity and provide easy access to quality health services to all. A person will have better options provided by his employer on which he can easily switch; he can purchase his insurance policy from the private market. People can also avail President’s” Affordable Choices Initiatives”
The second component of the president’s proposal suggests a new” affordable choices initiative” for getting federal funds to assist all who are facing difficulties in getting health care facilities coverage at economic rates.
All description on this component is still muddy, as the federal government will highly depend on states to be attractive and creative in designing these supportive programs. Everyone needs proper and effective care during sickness but everyone cannot get easy quality health care service. For this purpose, several other programs and health care service reform are necessary according to the frequent change in the environment (The Case for Single Payer). Health care facilities in the united states are one of the most expensive services which everyone cannot afford but Bush’s proposal contains all the pillars which can provide easy access to quality health care to all. Although this policy contains lots of attraction and relaxes for the job based and for those who own insurance themselves but still there are some flaws in the proposal due to which this proposal did not get a largely positive response (Wynand 2008).
This proposal has an option to facilitate those who lose their job-based insurance coverage; they can get COBRA continuation coverage. A person has to pay a 2% administrative fee to COBRA and after that, a person can enjoy the benefits of the tax deduction scheme. There are two issues involved in President’s Bush Proposals. The first issue is the affordability of health insurance and the second issue involved in this vein is that Mr. Bush’s proposal will bring a new direction in the created health care cost (G lied S 2002). President’s Bush Proposals was one of the best proposals but unfortunately, there were some flaws.
There is some critique on Mr. President’s health care reform proposal that Mr. Bush’s proposal has nothing to do with information technology, performance transparency which adds unnecessary cost on health care cost and everyone could not afford the extra charges of such services. Mr. Bush’s proposal has nothing to do with the above-mentioned services so how it could be effective for all classes in the United States.
Financial implications
Financial implications of the proposal can be viewed in many different aspects for instance, if a person gets an insurance plan through his job and his total household income is $60,000 per year. He gets $36,00 each year from his paycheck for health insurance coverage. A person calls human resource department that $3600 is just a tip or what and than company contributes $8400 towards his insurance and he gets around $ 12,000 per year which raises his total income to $72,000 per anum. According to President’s Bush proposal a person can get $1500 tax deduction (Health Systems Resources 2008). President health reform proposal contains all the elements favorable for job based and tax deduction on health care facilities is specially designed keeping an eye on frequent changing environment.
Conclusion
President Bush proposed health reform proposal in United States with a main objective of providing quality health care to all individuals at low rates. The main motive of his proposal is to make possible health care service for all. The health care service in United States is one of the most expensive services around the globe. Tax deduction option will give a relief to all those who cannot afford expensive treatments for themselves and their beloved ones. President Bush proposal if approved than it would not come into affect until 2009. However, it contains a great facility for job people but still they have mixed feelings for this proposal. It would make job based people to provide less benefit as they have to pay full amount by adding it to their income which will definitely make COBRA continuation coverage.
People who do not hold job based coverage are little satisfied with this proposal as they have found tax break which is helpful in setting coverage cost. Mr. President’s proposal had faced little criticism that it’s not a perfect proposal there is nothing mentioned for performance transparency which adds extra cost on health care facility. There should be something in order to sort the cost of performance transparency. Here should be little more flexibility while designing proposals for health care industry so that every one gains the advantage of economical health care service. President Bush Proposal was a good and effective approach in order to make easy access of quality health care service to all but unfortunately there were some flaws due to which the plan was not successfully adjusted in all communities. Several other plans and policies come up time to time but still health care service needs special consideration and efforts in order to make it in reach of every individual.
List of References
The Case for Single Payer, Universal Health Care for The United States Sherry Glied, (2002 ), Dahlia K. Remler and Joshua Graff Zivin, “Inside the Sausage Factory: Improving Estimates of the Effects of Health Insurance Expansion Proposals,” The Milbank Quarterly, Vol. 80, No. 4,
Wynand P.M.M (2008), , “Universal Mandatory Health Insurance In The Netherlands: A Model For The United States?,” Health Affairs, Volume 27, Number 3, Health Systems Resources” World Health Statistics Global Health Indicators. World Health Organization. Web.
President Bush, health care reform proposal, (2008), President Bush, health care reform proposal,Web.