Health Care Utilization Paper
Brandee Eckford
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September 22, 2014
Nita Magee-Cornelius
Health Care Utilization
Health Care Reform is a close first step towards fixing our health care system. From personal debt, bankruptcy, the growing cost of health care bills, treatment, medicine, the US health care system is spiraling out of control. This year the American people will spend approximately 2.8 trillion dollars on health care, and it is being projected that Americans will spend 4.5 trillion dollars on health care in 2019("Health Care Facts: Why We Need Health Care Reform", 2012). Millions of people become sick, have certain illnesses and diseases and can’t afford the cost of maintaining and receiving care. The health care reform crisis wasn't fixed overnight by the Affordable Care Act, but today the sheer amount of new benefits, rights and protections for consumers paired with new rules and regulations on the healthcare and health insurance industry have helped to curb spending in healthcare, curb the growth in consumer costs, and to reduce the uninsured rate ("Health Care Facts: Why We Need Health Care Reform", 2012).
The Reform
Many people have asked what ways have recent health care reform measures expanded or inhibited access to care, I have an answer for you. Recently Obama has signed in the health care reform by law, bringing about the Obama Healthcare. Obamacare which is also known as Affordable Care Act, contains over a thousand pages of provisions that give Americans more rights and protections and expand access to affordable quality health care to tens of millions of uninsured ("Obama Health Care Reform", 2013). According to "Obama Health Care Reform" (2013), "The Affordable Care Act requires that all Americans, purchase a private health care plan, get an exemption or pay a tax penalty on their year-end taxes”. Then if you come across certain individuals that can’t afford to pay for Obamacare each money or don’t make a lot of money Americans will most likely either qualify for Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or get assistance in the form of tax credits or assistance with up-front costs through their State's Health Insurance Exchanges.
Changes to access might influence utilization by allowing easier access for an individual to obtain needed medical services. Education and income usually result in higher use of health care, especially preventive visits and clinic visits; however, educated persons experience less acute disease (Muller, 1986). Universal health care is the belief that all people should have access to free affordable medical care. When proposing universal health care all expenses should be paid by the government. Currently in the United States, we don’t have any type or form of universal healthcare. In the United States, Americans are required under the Obamacare act, to sign up for insurance and pay a monthly premium to maintain health care insurance. The closet thing America has to universal health care in Medicaid and Medicare, which is for the elderly and low income proportion of the population in the United States ("Universal Health Care ", 2001). Current care of health care to individuals vary whether that person has insurance or not. If you have insurance, you’re provided with more necessary care than an individual who doesn’t have insurance at all. Universal Health Care in the United States has been attempted but failed three times.
The stakeholders involved in the movement towards a universal health care system is network of patients, physicians, hospitals, insurers, employers, and regulators. Consumers view health care through an intensely personal lens: Will the treatment I need be covered? How can I access care? Can I trust the quality? Can I afford it ( Cafasso, 2011). The patients’ perceptions of the changes will largely depend on how it impact their care, their private or main doctor and their paychecks. The most important factors that concern physicians include the