Obama Care: What Does This Mean For Us?
Four years ago, Barak Obama was elected as our 44th
president. Two years later, he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act or, as more commonly known, Obama Care. Recently Obama Care was
upheld, which brought a plethora of articles in the media, in turn causing a
lot of commotion in the public. Many proclaimed that the bill is against their constitutional
rights, retorting to move to Canada. I’m pretty sure they have universal health
care for a while now. Should we be
outraged that our government is mandating universal health care? Well not
outraged, but we should be concerned and informed. As college students, we have
a lot to worry about when it comes to money as most of it goes to schooling. With
the Obama Care, young adults are covered under their parents’ insurance until
the age of 26. This is a big help for a
lot of people, considering most jobs a college have does not provide health
benefits. Obama Care pledges many
positive assurances that caters to many Americans, but has a few exceptions and
setbacks you should know about.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
provides millions of people with coverage and expands Medicaid to citizens who
are a little above the poverty level. Obama
Care also brings new rights, called the Patient Bill of Rights, for all
citizens by setting higher standards to private insurance companies, and enforces
citizens to have a means of health insurance by 2014. Americans without health
insurance are required to purchase health care through the Healthcare for
America Act or forced to pay a penalty. The
Act also mandates that private insurers cannot drop individuals with pre-existing
conditions, protects your choice of doctor, and bans lifetime limits. Nutritional
facts are also required in restaurants, which will help us take control of what
we eat. In conjunction, preventive care to eligible citizens is also provided
including: screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, depression, type2 diabetes
for adults with high blood pressure, HIV, and immunization vaccines.
As with many great things, there are hindrances to
some due to the Affordable Care Act. By 2014, most citizens must have an
insurance plan, without a plan they may be faced to pay an individual mandate
tax of $95 or 1 percent of their taxable income and will rise slightly each
year, according to The Ledger. Obama Care
also requires Americans who have an income of over 250k thousand dollars will
have higher taxes to help supply cost of the bill.
The Obama Administration has done a lot to improve the
quality of health for Americans. Clearly, as a country we are taking the right
steps to better health care for ourselves and our future.
