Finishing Up the Democratic Side of the Argument...

So, here’s the deal with Obama and his plans for healthcare in America. According to a website promoting the election of Barack Obama, his plans include the ability to cover uninsured American’s. He plans on doing this by guaranteeing eligibility of coverage to all American’s. He assures that no American will be turned down because of any illness or other pre-existing conditions. This plan will cover all essential medical expenses, which also include preventative care, maternity, and mental healthcare. It will also be similar to the plan offered to the members of Congress. It will offer affordable co-pays, deductibles and premiums. His new plan will be easier to enroll in and require less paperwork. Individuals will be able to move from job to job without having their healthcare plans changed.
The National Health Insurance Exchange is another part of Obama’s plan. This plan is designed for those who want to purchase a private healthcare plan. It will make healthcare more affordable and accessible to individuals by ensuring fairness to all who are enrolled in their plans. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status.
Businesses that are not currently offering healthcare plans or are not making some type of contribution towards the cost will be required to contribute a certain percentage of the payroll toward the National Health Insurance Exchange. However, smaller businesses that meet certain tax revenue thresholds will be exempt from this requirement.
Healthcare coverage for all children in America will be required. Young people under the age of 25 will be allowed to remain on their parents plans.
As for the individuals who do not qualify for programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP but still need help financially will receive a subsidy from the government that is income-based. Eligibility for these programs will be expanded.
Plans that are offered through State Plans will still be allowed to make their own rules as long as they meet the minimum standards of the National Plan.
Obama plans to help patients by implementing the requirement to utilize disease management programs. In doing this doctors will be provided with better information to help patients while patients pay lower costs. He will also require that all hospitals and other healthcare providers to publicly report such things as preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections and disparities in care.
He will ensure quality care by tackling disparities in healthcare, addressing differences in access to health coverage and promoting prevention and public health. He will strengthen anti-trust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance. He also plans to promote new models for addressing errors that improve patient safety, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and reduce the need for malpractice suits.
Part of Obama’s plan is to increase the use of technology by making health records electronic as opposed to paper. He claims that by doing this it will cut down on healthcare costs by better coordinating care, measuring the quality of healthcare as well as medical errors.
Another plan to lower the cost is to increase the competition in the insurance and drug markets. His plan will force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care instead of keeping an excessive amount of the money they receive for profits and administrative costs. He will lower prescription drug costs as well as increase the use of generic drugs as opposed to the higher priced name brands.
Obama is very supportive of helping those with disabilities.
Obama is very supportive of mental health care. He will ensure that the coverage for serious mental illnesses is provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
My opinion over Obama’s plan is kind of fuzzy at the moment. I believe the fact that no American can be turned down regardless of their illness or pre-existing conditions is a very positive aspect of his plan. I have this opinion because it hits pretty close to home for me. As most people know by now, I am almost six months pregnant. When I found out the great news I didn’t have a job, which meant I didn’t have any health insurance. The bigger problem with this was that even if I got a job that offered insurance my maternity still wouldn’t be covered because it was pre-existing. Therefore it has been very difficult for me to receive much help as far as medical care goes.
Some weaknesses to his plan, in my opinion, are his desires to lower the eligibility of receiving Medicaid as well as not requiring small businesses to offer some type of healthcare plan. Judging by observation it is already pretty easy to get help through Medicaid as long as you don’t have a job or a family. I mean, how much more can you lower the standards? As far as the small business thing goes I don’t see that it will help much, especially around here. There are several small businesses in our area which are occupied by several types of people. Most of these people can’t afford healthcare because those who work for small businesses don’t make enough to purchase healthcare. If these businesses are exempt from offering affordable healthcare to their employees then how is that going to change anything? Those people are still going to be unable to purchase healthcare.
Okay, so we’ve made it through the plans for America on the democratic level. Next time we’ll explore that of Republican Nominee John McCain…