Hot Button Debate Topics

Many people feel there is a need for reform in the health care arena to bring rising health care costs under control and increase health care services access to everyone, while monitoring these services. This type of reform needs to address a variety of topics that do, will and have affected Americans everywhere, at some point in their life. American health care, public or private is the undisputed most expensive care in the world, but there is some question as to whether the quality is top notch. A few measurable examples are infant mortality and life expectancy rates place the U.S. behind other nations. It is no secret according to studies that Americans spend a large sum of money on insurance coverage while the deductibles stay unusually high.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes effect over the next four years. The Act was signed into law by President Obama along with the Health Care and Reconciliation Act in 2010. The Acts attempt to address many current health care reform issues by broadening the population that receives health care coverage, making it easier to access specialists, improving health care quality, give more care to citizens while decreasing health care costs.

The Act does supply some advantages for many people including Medicaid to cover more individuals, allowing subsidized insurance premiums and providing incentives to business who off health care benefits. Other parts will prohibit denying coverage and/or pre-existing conditions as well as removing the annual coverage caps. Tax penalties will be imposed on anyone who does not obtain health insurance, except of course if they are low income exempted, or are exempt because any one of the other permissible reasons.

This new law is at the center of many hot debates for may reasons. A few include the forced purchase issue while expanding health care coverage, the resentment associated with being told what to purchase and being penalized if they refuse to. The new act will allow parents to keep their children on the insurance policy until they reach age 26. Expanding the new Medicaid's coverage to more individuals will also make insurers more accountable for any questionable actions and many people hope this will better sustain the health care system.

Control costs, increasing access and regulating health insurance agencies is what health care reform is all about. The new sheriff in town is the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will be in full force by 2014 and to say the least, it is a controversial Act. It will address issues such as access, quality of health care and new regulating effort for health insurance agencies. Many, including several states are in fierce opposition to this Act, insisting that business will suffer because of what this Act imposes and that a forced buy is unconstitutional as well as the cost of health care will not be reduced as promised.