Health Care Reform Act
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, putting in place comprehensive reforms that are intended to improve access to affordable health coverage for all U.S. citizens and to help protect consumers from abusive insurance company practices.
Changes in the health care reform act will take place between 2010 through 2014; in 2014 the law will be fully implemented.
The reform has many factors that can be considered good and bad. One is coverage. By a commonly cited estimate, more than 45 million people were uninsured at some point in 2007- more than one-seventh of the population. The recession may have increased this number. Without private insurance or coverage under government health programs, people can have difficulty obtaining needed care and problems paying for the care they receive. The reform will have more coverage available for nearly 95 percent of the U.S. residents.
One concern is cost and spending. Health care costs are rising for nearly everyone- employers, workers, retirees, providers, and taxpayers; sometimes in unexpected, erratic jumps. Costs are a particular source of anxiety for families where someone is seriously ill and unable to afford health coverage. National health care spending now exceeds $2.2 trillion; with the reform in place tax credits will be available for middle class families and small business: Millions of Americans will be eligible for tax credits to ensure that their health insurance is affordable and accessible. Although the United States spends substantially more on health care per person than other industrialized countries, it scores only average or somewhat worse on many qualities of care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act coverage of preventative health services ensures that preexisting conditions will be covered by health insurance companies and preventative services will have no out of pocket costs for the insurers. This act should help keep U.S. citizens keep and stay
Changes in the health care reform act will take place between 2010 through 2014; in 2014 the law will be fully implemented.
The reform has many factors that can be considered good and bad. One is coverage. By a commonly cited estimate, more than 45 million people were uninsured at some point in 2007- more than one-seventh of the population. The recession may have increased this number. Without private insurance or coverage under government health programs, people can have difficulty obtaining needed care and problems paying for the care they receive. The reform will have more coverage available for nearly 95 percent of the U.S. residents.
One concern is cost and spending. Health care costs are rising for nearly everyone- employers, workers, retirees, providers, and taxpayers; sometimes in unexpected, erratic jumps. Costs are a particular source of anxiety for families where someone is seriously ill and unable to afford health coverage. National health care spending now exceeds $2.2 trillion; with the reform in place tax credits will be available for middle class families and small business: Millions of Americans will be eligible for tax credits to ensure that their health insurance is affordable and accessible. Although the United States spends substantially more on health care per person than other industrialized countries, it scores only average or somewhat worse on many qualities of care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act coverage of preventative health services ensures that preexisting conditions will be covered by health insurance companies and preventative services will have no out of pocket costs for the insurers. This act should help keep U.S. citizens keep and stay