Free Essay Sample about Healthcare Policies

Healthcare policies set basic guidelines that assist people in making better and well-informed decisions regarding healthcare. However, how people experience and access healthcare goes beyond the health insurance. The dilemma here is to find the best way of improving access to healthcare and how to make it more cost-effective, more efficient and more convenient (Almgren, 2013). There are, however, the government alternatives and free market alternatives to healthcare seeking to make life more bearable for the American citizens. The following are some of the other options: the low premium high deductible policy, holding a primary care membership, the Health Sharing Ministries, the Health Savings Account (HSA), and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as the Obamacare (Hickey, 2012). Among these alternatives, the Obamacare and the Health Sharing Ministries are worth support in any future health care policy because of the following.

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First, in consideration of both the current and future health requirements, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act assist all Americans to access more convenient and cost-effective health insurance. The Act avails a wide range of benefits to the citizens including coverage for the outpatient care with large and sufficient networks' size which is convenient for all people. Under this law, at least one prescription drug is covered in each class or category for all small- group or individual plans (Hickey, 2012). In addition to that, there are also emergency care benefits such as free visits to the emergency room without any pre-authorization or additional charges in case of an out-of-network appointment. The Obamacare is one of the few policies to cover behavioural or mental health services. It offers convenient and cost-effective treatment for both behavioural and psychological health care services for as low as $40 every session (Almgren, 2013). However, this coverage may be limited in some states for a particular number of therapeutic visits every year. Under the Obamacare, the insurer has to cover hospitalisation for their customers. However, one may pay as little as twenty per cent or more of the bill especially before attaining the out-of-pocket limit (Almgren, 2013). The Act has provided a significant healthcare relief to thousands of American households especially those whose insurance covers are drowned by the massive hospital bills due to severe illnesses.

Moreover, the Obamacare provides the rare cover for habilitative therapies that are meant purposely for long-term disabilities that may come as a result of infection by some diseases such as multiple sclerosis. It also covers rehabilitative services. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes the cover for wellness visits, vaccines, and the physicals. In addition to that, the law requires that insurers offer the rest of the preventive services at absolutely no cost at all for the people (Almgren, 2013). The other benefits of Obamacare include the cover for laboratory services, vision and dental health care for children under the age of nineteen years. Furthermore, it covers the healthcare provision for mothers and their young children.

The free market alternative which I can support in any future healthcare policy is the health sharing ministries. Given that some people may not be well-off enough to take care of their health service needs, the health sharing ministries offers them an ample opportunity to obtain an insurance cover for their health needs (Hickey, 2012). The healthcare cost sharing can be tremendously cheap especially if the ministry has many members who make their monthly contributions. As a result, an individual only needs very low deductibles and annual costs for their financial protection. In addition to that, various families may collaborate with others with similar interests to pool their money together and fund their healthcare insurance cover, hence, avoid the unnecessary penalties arising from lack of health insurance coverage.

References

Almgren, G. R. (2013). Health care politics, policy, and services: A social justice analysis.

Hickey, J. V., & Brosnan, C. A. (2012). Evaluation of health care quality in the advanced practice of nursing. New York: Springer Pub. Co.