Healthcare Reform: National Health Insurance

Proponents of national health insurance propose several hypotheses to support universal coverage. The primary argument is that national health insurance would help to improve the health of the population by increasing access to care (Fuchs, 1991). With national health insurance, more people obtain access to insurance coverage that they could use to access better healthcare. The second hypothesis is that national health insurance would eliminate the negative features of private insurance such as the denial of coverage for those with preexisting conditions (Dalen et al., 2015). According to Dalen et al (2015), the number of Americans without health insurance decreased from 18 percent in July 2013 to 13.4 percent in June 2014 following the adoption of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Proponents of national health insurance also argue that national health insurance would reduce the number of persons living without health insurance, thus reducing differentials across socioeconomic groups (Fuchs, 1991). Another common proposition is that national health insurance helps to lower the cost of prescription drugs by eliminating copays (Dalen et al., 2015). This is particularly beneficial to older citizens, who are more prone to preexisting illnesses that require expensive medication.
Despite these positive arguments, a majority of senior American citizens oppose the Affordable Care Act. The most common argument is that the ACA imposes a cap on Medicare spending, which most senior citizens believe will limit access to proper healthcare. With these cuts on Medicare spending, Medicare payments to doctors will fall below Medicaid rates with each passing year, making senior citizens, who largely depend on Medicare, the least desirable patients. Sources project the cuts documented in the ACA will make it difficult for senior citizens to obtain proper care, which may force them to seek care at safety net hospitals and community health centers (Goodman, 2014).
References
Dalen, J. E., Waterbrook, K., & Alpert, J. S. (2015). Why do So Many Americans Oppose the Affordable Care Act? American Journal of Medicine, 128(8), 807-10.
Fuchs, V. (1991). National Health Insurance Revisited. Health Affairs, 10(4), 7-17.
Goodman, J. C. (2014). What Seniors have to Fear from Obamacare. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2014/10/28/what-seniors-have-to-fear-from-obamacare/?sh=501f9b264562