Health Care Reform

Health Care Reform

Michelle Ballou

HCS 578

January 14th, 2013

Professor: Michael Grossman

Health Care Reform

The health care system of the United States is a complex system and contributes to over 18% of the gross national product. The need for health care reform is apparent for four reasons: the cost of health care is increasing rapidly, a quarter of Americans do not have health insurance, quality of care must improve, and stopping the economic cost of health care fraud. Reform has been referred to as a “building block” system. One of the significant components in health care reform is building upon the current health insurance programs. The want for insurance for people is to have coverage if there was a need for a life-saving procedure. Health care reform provides people the ability to have access to insurance coverage, provides tools so consumers can shop knowledgably for insurance, and provides consumers with legal protection. Key elements to health care reform: (What is Health Care Refrom?, 2013, p, 1).

* Expand Medicaid to allow more people at the lowest income levels to qualify for coverage

* Encourage employers to offer health insurance

* Provide credits to purchase private health insurance coverage to moderate income Americans who do not qualify for Medicaid

* Streamline the purchase of health insurance through the establishment of the health insurance exchange

* Strengthen consumer protections and require transparency

* Impose protections to guard against unreasonable rate increases

* Encourage primary and preventative care

* Require most Americans to purchase health insurance

The purpose of this paper is to discuss who, how, and what effect health care reform will have in the United States. The Patient...