Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes known as Obamacare, was enacted in 2010. The ACA aimed at providing affordable health insurance coverage for every American and protecting the consumers from insurance organization tactics which might restrict care or drive up patient costs (Béland, Rocco, & Waddan, 2016). The Obamacare strategy was working to extend health coverage to uninsured Americans and gradually reduce the rise of healthcare costs.
One of the benefits of ACA involves more Americans having health insurance. The number of uninsured Americans decreased since Obamacare, as more people have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance. Another benefit is that health insurance has become more affordable for many Americans. Over tens of millions of uninsured Americans can be able to afford health insurance. Obamacare provides tax credits for insurance to the middle class; those income falls below 400% of the poverty line and extends Medicaid of the federal poverty level. Insurance companies have to spend more than 70% of insurance premiums on improvements and medical care. Obamacare also aims to prevent insurance companies from making an unreasonable rate increase. Through Obamacare, people have a broader range of coverage options.
Thanks to Obamacare, no time limits exists on care and eliminating annual limits. Insurance companies set a limit on the money they would spend on an individual, and some people, especially with chronic conditions, ran out of coverage. The companies can no longer maintain a preset dollar limit on the coverage they provide. Obamacare helps those with chronic conditions get sufficient insurance to cover the treatment. Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with preexisting health conditions such as cancer, as most companies would not cover treatment for these conditions.
Although the ACA is good, it has been highly controversial. Several new taxes were passed into law to help pay for the ACA, inclusive of pharmaceutical sales and medical device. Taxes also increased for high-income earners. Since insurance companies now cover people with preexisting conditions and provide a broader range of benefits, this caused an increase in premiums (Haislmaier, & Badger, 2018). Also, organizations are cutting employee hours to avoid covering them. Businesses with 50 or more full-time workers must make payments to cover healthcare expenses or provide insurance. Through reducing, hours, companies can get by the 30-hour-per-week.
In conclusion, the Affordable Care Act has provided more benefits to the people of America. Particularly the low- and middle-income earners who get insurance coverage and preventative care are the best beneficiaries (Sommers, et al, 2017). And most essential, Obamacare prevents insurers from turning away or charging more to those with preexisting problems.