Understanding Obama Care: Health Care Reform for Affordable Insurance and Better Services

Obama Care and health care reform is the same thing. The official name for "Obama Care" is the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act, a bill signed into law to reform the health care industry. Some aspects of Obama Care health care reform are already enacted. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law March 23, 2010. Over 100 million Americans have already benefited from the new health care law.

The Obama Care insurance requires that all insurance plans cover preventive services and stops insurance companies from dropping you when you are sick, as well as offering a number of other reforms and protections. Obama Care's goal is to provide affordable health insurance for all US citizens and to reduce the growth in health care spending. Obama Care does not replace private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. The Fact is that Obama Care gives 47 million women access to preventive health services and makes it illegal to charge women different rates than men.

Obama Care also gives seniors access to cheaper drugs, free preventive care, reforms Medicare Advantage, and closes the Medicare Part D. The AARP agrees, costs won't rise because of Obama Care, if anything, the improvements to the system will decrease the average cost of health care for seniors. Obama Care also states that "affordable insurance" means that you pay no more than 8% of your annual income on insurance. Obama Care ensures that there are no out-of-pocket costs on patients receiving mammograms and colonoscopies which are two of the most widely used forms of preventive health care.

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Obama Care's new Medicare Value-Based Purchasing Program means hospitals can lose or gain up to 1% of Medicare funding based on a quality v. quantity system. Hospitals are graded on a number of quality measures related to treatment of patients with heart attacks, heart failures, pneumonia, certain surgical issues, re-admittance rate, as well as patient satisfaction. Obama Care Mandates that those who choose not to purchase insurance will have to pay a tax "penalty" unless they qualify for an exemption. Exemptions from Obama Care's tax "penalty" mandate are available to a number of Americans.

The mandate exemptions cover a variety of people, including: members of certain religious groups and Native American tribes; undocumented immigrants (who are not eligible for health insurance subsidies under the law); incarcerated individuals; people whose incomes are so low they don't have to file taxes (currently $9,500 for individuals and $19,000 for married couples); and people for whom health insurance is considered unaffordable (where insurance premiums after employer contributions and federal subsidies exceed 8% of family income).

Starting Oct 1st, 2013 the Obama Care online health insurance exchange is where all Americans can buy affordable quality health insurance. Those under the 400% FPL and employers will be able to use subsidies to purchase plans at an average of 60% less than they pay now. The Obama Care Insurance Exchanges Online Market Place are implemented in 2014 health insurance premiums is projected to drop dramatically for many Americans. Low-income Americans will enjoy more Obama Care pros than cons.

Since Obama Care works on a sliding scale most low income Americans, especially those without insurance, will see nothing but benefits. Medicaid expansion will cover over 15 million previously uninsured low-income individuals and families below the 133% FPL mark. All Americans (including Congress) will be able to buy their health insurance through the exchange as long as they are above the poverty level (those Americans will be covered under Medicaid expansion).

Anyone (except congress) can opt out and keep their current health insurance, pay a tax, purchase private insurance or stay with their private health insurance company. The cons of Obama Care for low-income Americans are that some states will have the option of opting out of coverage for their poorest, despite 100% federal funding for the first year and 90% thereafter. In some cases rejecting Medicaid Expansion isn't just about saving money. It’s actually a politically driven move to "break" Obama Care.

The opt-out is projected to leave 2 to 3 million low-income Americans without coverage. Some State reps are trying to "break" Obama Care. It's no secret a portion of the GOP wants to repeal Obama Care, they just so happen to have a strategic plan that includes "breaking" the Exchanges and Medicaid Expansion. Obama Care isn't just going to go away, but while the battle goes on Americans continue to be caught in the crossfire. It's also worth noting that the amount of uninsured Medicaid eligible Americans differs from State to State.

Obama Care is projected to cost $1. 1 trillion over the next ten years, and in order for the program to work as intended this is going to include funding from the tax payers and from the States. However, the end result of Obama care spending is a $200 billion dollar reduction of the deficit over the next decade, states also receive between 90 - 100% of funding for most Obama Care related programs they set up. A few states including Nevada and Michigan have done studies that show how the States can save billions with Obama Care.

Health Insurance companies stand to make billions, despite a loss on profit per plan, since they will be insuring millions of new Americans. In conclusion the Obama Care health care program will benefit all Americans from the bottom of the barrel to the top dogs in the congress. It will also help the US repair the economic deficit. The states that are trying to opt-out need to see the benefit of this plan. They are putting too much Infosys on money and not enough focus on the well-being of the American people.

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