Introduction
Obamacare or what is commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) refers to a law that seeks to ensure that Americans have access to health insurance. Additionally, the law aims to minimize the cost of healthcare in the United States. The law dictates that no American should be denied the right to health insurance on the basis of their illness. According to Oberlander (2012), the primary objective of the Obamacare is to achieve universal healthcare in the United States. Obamacare has received praise and criticism in equal measures since its inception. However, before deciding if Obamacare is the ultimate solution to the challenges that face the healthcare system in the United States, it is imperative to evaluate its merits and demerits. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Obamacare. It will conclude by determining if the Obamacare is the solution to the challenges that ail the healthcare system in the United States.
Advantages of Obamacare
One of the benefits of Obamacare is that it has increased the number of the Americans who have medical insurance. Over 16 million Americans had access to health insurance within the initial five years after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. Oberlander (2012) argues that before the introduction of Obamacare, most low and middle-income earners did not have health insurance. A majority of these people could not access health services since it was too expensive. Besides, insurance companies discriminated against women and individuals with chronic illnesses. Women were charged higher rates than men. The introduction of Obamacare brought sanity to the insurance industry. Oberlander (2012) claims that it is important to note that Affordable care Act does not establish insurance. However, “the law regulates private insurance companies to ensure you get more rights and protections, and in doing so, helps tens of millions get access to high-quality, affordable health insurance” (Oberlander, 2012, p. 2166).
Affordable Care Act has made it possible for individuals with pre-existing medical conditions to access health insurance. Before the introduction of the ACA, it was difficult for people suffering from cancer and other pre-existing conditions to secure health insurance. A majority of the insurance companies declined to offer medical cover for these diseases. Today, patients can secure insurance cover regardless of their health status. Pushaw (2012) holds that the ACA guarantees that there is no limit on the maximum amount of money that an insurance company can spend on a patient. Before the Obamacare, some patients were forced to dig into their pockets after exhausting the insurance cover. The insurance companies had the liberty to decide the maximum amount that they could spend on a patient suffering from a chronic disease.
The Affordable Care Act “covers many screenings and preventive services” (Jones & Bradley, 2014, p. 99). Individuals are only required to pay a little amount of money for the services. The ACA operates under the assumption that if people are conscious of their healthcare, they can shun key health challenges in the future. For instance, diabetes screening helps individuals to take new precautions, thus preventing expensive and unbearable treatment afterwards. The Affordable Care Act has lowered the cost of prescription drugs. Presently, elder citizens can acquire drugs at reasonable prices. Jones and Bradley (2014) claim that the ACA continues to cover more generic and prescription drugs to guarantee that they are affordable to all people.
Disadvantages of Obamacare
The opponents of Obamacare claim that the law is intrusive. They allege that people should be given the right to decide if they need a health insurance. The Affordable Care Act demands that all Americans have medical insurance. Americans who do not have medical cover must acquire exemption or pay a penalty (Wilensky, 2012). The introduction of the Affordable Care Act led to increasing in taxes. The government introduced new taxes to facilitate the Obamacare program. The taxes became a burden to the citizens who were already struggling to meet the basic needs and services.
Obamacare is said to have destroyed jobs (Wilensky, 2012). Most companies have lowered the working hours to evade covering their workers. In spite of the increase in the number of full-time jobs, the companies have embarked on a strategy to minimize the working hours. The move has affected the income of a majority of the workers. The introduction of the Affordable care Act led to increasing the amount of premiums that people pay. The insurance companies raised the premiums to cater for the people suffering from pre-existing conditions. Indeed, health insurance has become expensive to individuals who already had medical cover.
Conclusion
After comparing the benefits and demerits of the Obamacare, it is clear that the ACA will help to resolve the challenges that exist in the healthcare system. The Obamacare will guarantee that the Americans have access to affordable healthcare in the future. Besides improving the affordability of healthcare, the ACA will boost the quality of medical services in the country. The provision of screening services will help to control terminal diseases like cancer.
References
Jones, D., & Bradley, K. (2014). Pascal’s wager: Health insurance exchanges, obamacare, and the republican dilemma. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 39(1), 97-137.
Oberlander, J. (2012). The future of obamacare. The New England Journal of Medicine, 367(3), 2165-2167.
Pushaw, R. (2012). Obamacare and the original meaning of the commerce clause: Identifying historical limits on congress’s powers. University of Illinois Law Review, 2012(1703), 23-76.
Wilensky, G. (2012). The shortfalls of obamacare. The New England Journal of Medicine, 367(1), 1479-1481.