Obamacare: The Details Obama\'s Health Care Bill

Obamacare: The Details

Obama's health care bill (23 March, 2010), passed by 219 votes to 212 in the House of Representatives with no Republican support, has been the biggest change in many years. In many ways a landmark, it will affect virtually every American depending on age and income, and will bring about changes in the health care industry, whilst also affecting coverage.

Changes are manifold and include the following:

million American, who are currently uninsured due to inability to afford insurance, or who are deemed too sick by insurance companies -- children included - to qualify for coverage, will be assisted

Insurers will be prevented from putting lifetime caps on coverage

Restrictions will be placed on the use of annual limits to ensure that people can access care.

million individuals, who lack health insurance due to economic reasons, will be afforded tax credit that will help them buy insurance on new medical insurance, state-based or market based, exchanges.

16 million individuals will become eligible for Medicaid, government funded healthcare

Rebates and discounts will be given on brand name drugs (as opposed to the present when people have to pay if their prescription exceeds $2,700 and receive coverage if the cost exceeds $6,154)

Young adults will be able to retain their parents' health plans until they are 26 (as opposed to the present when many insurance companies drip dependents at age 19 of when they graduate college)

From 2014, most people will be required to buy insurance or pay an annual fine of $695 or 2.5% of their income.

Insurance companies will be disallowed to drop people when they get sick

Increased funding for primary care residences and for medical schools that train rural doctors (who work in underprivileged sectors); it will similarly provide $9.5 billion for clinics and health centers that cater to underserved patients.

Promised results are heartwarming: Aside from healthcare becoming more affordable and insurance companies more accountable to recipients, the bill, whilst costing the nation $940b by 2019, will actually reduce the federal deficit (instead of raise it as expected) by $143b over the same period. This is due to the fact that fraud, wastage, and abuse will be dealt with, whilst more people will be able to, and compelled to, pay for medical treatments and drugs. The services of Medicare and Medicaid will be expanded, whilst employers will have to offer pricier healthcare plans that are subject to tax once they exceed premium.

However, all critical bills have a challenging time coming to fruition, and this seems to be no exception. Stormy when passed, there are still efforts to overturn it. Opposition comes from predicable sectors. The wealthy reject the bill since it raises their taxes; employers reject it since those with 50 or more workers will be compelled to provide health insurance plans; Republicans deem it unconstitutional on the grounds that it compels private citizens to buy health insurance (whether they wish to or not); attorney general in Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina have indicated that they will fight the bill for the same reasons; and the Tea Party movement has viscerally protested. People, on the whole, support particular elements of the reform, although, many oppose the overall legislation.