Healthcare is a key topic of the 2012 election campaign. However, many voters do not understand how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects the uninsured, current patients, payers, families, businesses, and caregivers. This blog will provide an opportunity for you to become more knowledgeable and a policy expert.
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, as a healthcare professional you can make a personal contribution to the debate over the Affordable Care Act. The ACA is a health care law that aims to improve our current health care system by increasing access to health coverage for Americans and introducing new protections for people who have health insurance.
If you have health insurance, you will benefit from steps to stop insurance companies from cancelling your coverage if you get sick. The ACA will also require insurance plans to cover your out-of-pocket costs for many proven preventive and screening services, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, to catch problems at their earliest, most treatable stages.
Your job might not offer health insurance. Or maybe you have been denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition such as asthma or cancer. The ACA now offers health plans for people with pre-existing conditions who have had trouble finding care. And it will increase access to coverage for more Americans in 2014.
The ACA helps small businesses pay for health insurance for their employees. And it supports programs that will help increase the number of primary care physicians, nurses, physician assistants and other health care professionals.
All sounds great. However, Mitt Romney feels ACA (Obamacare) is a huge cost in taxes(500 billion dollars on mainly middle class families). Romney also states, the ACA is a trillion dollar government takeover of the healthcare system, a 500 billion dollar slash to Medicare, is not constitutional and will decrease the quality/speed of care and that pay for healthcare caregiver positions will likely decrease. Therefore, he would reverse this Act and pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a healthcare reform plan that would be best for its own citizens.
Which side are you on? Since the outcome of this election determines the national direction of healthcare and how it affects you for the next four years, it is important for you to express your views on the issue and vote.
