Health Care Reform in the United States Essay example -- President Oba

Health Care Reform in the United States In the United States, more than forty million people are without health insurance. Of these people, many are employed by firms that do not offer coverage and many others fall just below the poverty line. Many are poor but still do not qualify for Medicaid. At least twelve million of those without health insurance are children. Reliable sources indicate that the number of uninsured people could rise as high as sixty million by the year 2010. There is also a dilemma that the insured United States citizens face, that their healthcare system is sick, and everyone is aware of its illness: profit. In 2008, Malike Hassan's, an HMO stockholdings CEO, salary was 166.4 million dollars. Most experts agree that the lack of plan participants' personal involvement in the healthcare system is largely responsible for inflation within the plans. However, as the debate rages on about how to best resolve the issues, it is certain that, as individuals become more involved in the healthcare process, they become an integral part of the solution. If people wish to change the system, they must change their role in healthcare reform from passive to active. In order to bring unification and unconstrained functionality to the U.S. healthcare system, people must first educate themselves on how their healthcare works, voice their opinions, and finally join together to bring reform. The first action people must take to insure their own well being and safety is to stay thoroughly informed on how their HMO plans run. Managed care is often criticized for encouraging the withholding of beneficial care from patients. People need to be aware that many HMOs contain Gag Rules. These rules, in contracts ... ...normous medical bills. Then there are citizens who are caught in the surreal world of Workers Comp, where money, if it ever shows up, is often too late. Healthcare is the one asset that affects every United States citizen. US citizens need to realize that the demand for healthcare services starts and ends with individuals. As personal involvement and education increase, people become empowered to make informed healthcare decisions, and that is good medicine for America as a whole. Bibliography: 1. Orient Jane M M.D. Your Doctor Is Not In Healthy Skepticism About National Healthcare Crown Publishing, Inc., Macon, GA, 2007. 2. National Organization of Physicians Who Care http://www.pwc.org/ 3. Daniels Norman. Benchmarks of Fairness for Health Care Reform Oxford Univ Press, London, UK, 2006. 4. Labor Party Online http:www.ipc.apc.org