Health Care Reform In The United States-north Carolina

By Author: Henry Ford
Total Articles: 189
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The debate on health care reform has been one of the most crucial debates on the domestic agenda pursued by the current and successive past governments. The year 2009 has seen President Obama’s administration push towards a milestone legislative act that is going to have far reaching ramifications on the way health care is managed ( Bunce & Mathews, 2008). As of this month, the president has expressed optimism in passing the reforms and described the steps taken as huge steps though the battle is far from over. The senate finance committee which was charged with scrutinizing the health care reform bill gave it a clean bill of health on 13th Oct 2009 when they voted 14-9 in favor of the reforms. Several US presidents have in the past called on the Congress to do what was in their power to give Americans provision for sufficient medical care and eliminate the economic concerns associated with sickness. The most vocal have been President Harry Truman, more than 60 years ago, President Bill Clinton in the 90’s and now President Barrack Obama. The move by the senate committee has taken the debate closest to victory than ...
... ever. In the month of July 2009, President Obama paid a visit to Raleigh, North Carolina where he described the situation as obvious; that the current system has not worked for too many people yet there was a chance to do much better.

Health Care Reforms in the Last Two To Five Years
Health care in Carolina is rated as average. Statistics indicate that the number of people not insured in the state rose from 1.1 million in 2001 1.4 million last year. The problems that have been identified in this state during this period of time include the fact that private coverage has deteriorated over this duration of time (Tom, 2008). There has also been an increase in the number of workers who are left without protection across different income gaps. The last five years have seen an ambitious development of recommendations for more comprehensive reforms in the state. These reforms were aimed at expanding private sector reforms and public coverage programs. The reforms which embraced components from other states included delivery system redesign and coverage expansion. These reforms included health and wellness programs aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among residents (Bunce & Mathews, 2008). The reforms during this period have been driven by calls for lower cost health care for North Carolina which includes ending the hidden tax in health premiums and provision of relief on insurance premiums. There has also been agitation for strengthening small businesses and improving insurance stability and security (Tom, 2008). The reforms have been necessitated also by the need for guaranteeing choices and eliminating discrimination for gender, pre-existing conditions and health status.

Health Care Reforms Being Considered Currently
The year 2009 has been described as the year of health care reforms. It is in this year that the administration of President Obama has pushed a reform bill past five committees of experts, the most recent being in mid October. The administration has described this period as the most appropriate so that the rising costs of medical care can be addressed( Bunce & Mathews, 2008). In North Carolina, reforms that proposed are those that embrace both health system improvements and coverage aimed at improving the overall health care system. Normally, the state uses State Children Health Insurance Program and Medicaid to increase coverage to individuals especially children. There is a call for reforms in this where the state will expand access to private based insurance by providing premium assistance programs and small business incentives which will enable workers to purchase Health Saving Accounts (HSAs) employer-sponsored health insurance(Tom, 2008). The state is also considering reforming the privately run insurance market place. This reform is being pursued in a participatory approach manner where employers and individuals are being encouraged to obtain health insurance. The state is also encouraging employers to establish section 125 plans to enable workers to deduct their insurance premiums before taxation. These proposed reforms include but are not limited to; using both private and public expansions to develop innovative coverage approaches (Bunce & Mathews, 2008). Part of the reforms will address issues such as choice to a doctor, reduced costs of care and coverage for all citizens of North Carolina. Many American citizens normally lose their medical cover when they lose their jobs and part of the reforms includes a coverage that is not curtailed by a job loss (Tom, 2008). Earlier this year, President Obama signed an act which saw the number of kids insured rise from seven to eleven million. The insurance Reauthorization Act on children’s health is part of the bigger initiative to ensure coverage for all Americans. Part of the reforms intended this year includes the Recovery Act which will attempt to protect over seven million Americans who are at risk of losing jobs. The act provides a 65% subsidy, which implies that an average American will access choice medical care by paying a only 35%. The recovery act also provides a breakdown on financial directives regarding necessary reforms. The act provides In excess of $ 19 billion for computerizing medical records to help hasten delivery services and ensure privacy of patients. It also provides $ 1 and $ 1.1 billion for preventive medical efforts and research on medical fields by doctors respectively. There is an allocation for training the next generation of workforce including doctors and nurses to the excess of $ 500 million. The bill, now a crucial stage amounts to $829 billion for a period of the next 10 years. Consumer protection incentives included in the deal is a limitation deductibles and deductibles. The deal has a requirement for federal incentives to assist families of low income to access coverage. There is also a requirement for insurance companies to include everyone on coverage. Major call for reforms has been to overhaul the system of corporate care where privately run insurance companies provide for costs of care to members who pay a premium.

Conclusion
In a democratic society, services are exchanged for a fee. In the US health sector, there is disconnect between services rendered and the cost. The country spends more than double on healthcare compared to other developed nations yet many citizens continue to languish in poor quality healthcare. There is need for a critical analysis on the current system, with an aim of using the current resources more humanely. The guiding principle in the reforms would be creating a system where all citizens can access medical care of choice regardless of their stats in the society.

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