There is ample controversy surrounding the health care reform that creates friction between Republican nominees and the current President.
President Barack Obama has often stated his support for universal health care, with his priority being to promote affordable, accessible and high-quality health care.
According to his website, Obama believes health-related problems, like medical bills, are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.
The Obama administration has pushed the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare as the first step toward universal coverage.
Obama’s website states that the ACA will make health care more affordable for families and small businesses while bringing “transparency” to the insurance industry. He plans to create a national public insurance program to allow individuals and small businesses to buy health care similar to the affordable options for federal employees.
Obama’s plan also requires all employers to contribute to health coverage for employees.
Once the ACA is fully implemented, it will prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of consumers.
“With the new law, 34 million more Americans will gain coverage-many who will be able to afford insurance for the first time,” the Obama administration estimates. “Once the law is fully implemented, about 95 percent of Americans under age 65 will have insurance.”
Critics have argued that this is not true.
According to an article by Physicians for a National Health Program, the ACA will leave more than 25 million people uninsured with tens of millions more underinsured. Low income individuals will be brought into a stretched, but still poorly funded, Medicaid system.
In addition to the ACA, Obama has shown his support for hospitals to be graded on performance. He also wants to modernize medical record-keeping with a more cost-effective, computerized system.
Obama has also proposed to grant permission to American citizens to buy safe prescription drugs from other developed countries if the cost is significantly cheaper.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney has shown support for universal health care, but not a government program that would raise taxes.
According to Romney’s website, he plans to repeal the Patient Protection and ACA to replace them with a market-based reform, if he is elected. Romney has stated that increasing reliance on the free market will create competition which lowers costs.
His goal is to increase the number of people using private insurance companies.
As Governor of Massachusetts, Romney implemented a universal health care plan for the state.
Romney plans to block grants from the Medicaid system, which would transfer costs to the states. This would eventually result in fewer benefits for lower income individuals.
In an interview with CNN, Romney said his focus is on the middle class.
“I’m not concerned about the very poor,” Romney said. “There’s a safety net there, and if it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich; they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the heart of America, the 95 percent of Americans who are right now struggling.”
Romney gave Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers as examples of government programs that protect the poor.
Romney wants to offers incentives such as tax breaks to individuals without insurance. He would also allow tax deductions for medical expenses paid out-of-pocket.
Romney’s plan also involves the increased availability of health savings accounts combined with high deductible plans. Individuals and employers can deposit tax-free dollars into health savings accounts to pay for medical expenses. Romney believes that this plan will make consumers more “cost-sensitive” to the medical services they request and receive.
Critics have commented that these plans discourage preventive care. Also, these plans increase risk for the patient if the health savings account runs out because of unexpected illness or medical costs.
Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have expressed health reform plans that match Romney’s plan, according to their websites. The common items include the repeal of the ACA, the blocking of Medicaid, privatizing Medicare, and expanding the use of health savings accounts.
Gingrich and Santorum also believe that health care should be competitive and allowed across state lines, according to their websites. Competition would lower prices and provide more choices.
In addition, Gingrich hopes to set up a database in which people can look up and compare who is selling which drugs for what price.
According to his website, Gingrich believes that Medicare should focus on preventive health instead of illness.
Ron Paul, who spent most of his life in the medical profession, also holds these same ideals. According to his website, Paul “understands the key to effective and efficient medical care is the doctor-patient relationship.”
