Affordable Care Act

Affordable Health Care Act

The President of the United States signed the Affordable Health Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. The law, affectionately known as Obamacare, has sparked controversy throughout the United States; people have questioned the legality of it, and whether or not it infringes on the rights of the citizens. The purpose of this law is to ensure that all United States citizens have access to quality health care at an affordable cost and calls for widespread health insurance reform. Both Republicans and Democrats agree that the full impact of this law will be felt by all U.S. citizens; the American people will fund health care reform through their taxes and insurance premiums.

Regardless of the opinion one has on the legality of Obama Care, every citizen now has four options. The first option is to either keep the health insurance provided by their employer or to purchase a new health insurance policy from their employer. The new law mandates that all companies with over fifty employees must provide health care insurance options. Approximately 50% population will choose this option as it is the easiest way to conform to the law; the majority of working citizens will keep the insurance provided by their employer. The second option is to purchase health insurance from the government. Approximately 33% of the population with choose this option; citizens without insurance that work at companies with less than fifty employees, senior citizens, and young people. The third option is to purchase a health insurance policy from a privately owned company. Approximately 10% of the population will choose this option. To assist those people the both the federal and state governments will establish insurance marketplaces where different companies, policies, and coverage packages can be browsed and purchased. The final option is for the citizen to do nothing. In doing so, the citizen will be penalized at tax time every year; the cost of the penalty will increase until an insurance policy is purchased.

The law calls for the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, this will cover millions of Americans without health insurance; low income families and senior citizens will see the most benefit. Other improvements to Medicare include yearly physical exams at no cost, free screening for high cholesterol, diabetes, and breast cancer. Americans with Medicare that are smokers will now be afforded free counseling to help them quit the habit. All of these incentives will increase the overall wellness of the Medicare customers. Prescription costs on both brand-name and generic medications will also go down over time, saving Americans thousands of dollars over their lifetimes. Americans that currently can’t afford health insurance can now qualify for Medicaid; annual income must be lower than $15,856 to qualify. Medicaid for low income families is subject to State approval. A state