Main Problems with USA Healthcare
It is hard to believe that the United States of America, one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in the world today, has only been providing healthcare for its citizens for a little over 50 years. Prior to 1965, many Americans were unable to afford medical care or health insurance. In fact, it was not until 1947 that President Harry Truman signed legislation establishing Social Security. With this new law came federal funding for hospitalization and doctor’s visits under certain conditions. It wasn’t until 1957 when Congress passed legislation establishing Medicare and Medicaid which allowed more people access to healthcare coverage through their employer or by joining a state-based program respectively.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Social Security Act of 1965 which provided medical care for seniors and those with low incomes. This legislation established Medicaid to provide federal funding for doctor’s visits, hospitalization and nursing home services under certain conditions. It also created Medicare Part A (premiums paid by beneficiaries) to pay doctors’ bills as well as Mediare Part B (fees are deducted from monthly social security checks). – The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 after a decades long battle led primarily by Democrats who felt that healthcare should be considered a right not only something wealthy Americans could afford. Under this new law, private insurers were no longer able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions like cancer or diabetes.
Still, even today USA citizens need some supplement plant for their Medicare Plan. Medigap open enrollment period is between the months of October and December. These policies provide supplemental coverage for Americans 65 or older to help with paying their Medicare-related costs.
The federal government does not regulate what insurance companies will cover at an individual policy level, but it sets some overarching requirements called essential health benefits that all plans must offer in order to be sold on the state exchanges (e.g., hospitalization). One part of this is a mandate requiring every American who can afford healthcare to purchase insurance coverage or pay a penalty fee if they do not have one; another is guaranteeing certain rights for those living with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or cancer through laws like HIPPA which prohibits discrimination based on these factors when providing medical care, treatment, and services.