Repeal of Obamacare
Instructions:
You are to write a current event paper, approximately 750 words in length, consisting of a summary and analysis of a current event having to do with American government and/or politics. You must cite a minimum of five references (sources) in the paper and include a works cited page at the end of the assignment to provide full bibliographic information for each of the references that was cited in the text of the paper.
Current event papers must be formatted according to MLA style, for papers with no title page (see the following link to access an online resource for MLA style: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/). In addition, please use Courier New 12 point as the paper’s font, and ensure the assignment is double-spaced.
The current event paper should have the following elements:
Provide a thorough, but brief, summary of the political issue. An understanding of the issue should be developed by reading the articles uncovered during research for the assignment. The information provided in the summary will lay the foundation for you to react and respond to (analyze) the political issue. Be sure to properly cite within the text (according to MLA style) any information that you obtained from one of your sources. Citations must be provided, even for paraphrased information.
Present your perspective on the political issue. Think critically about the topic discussed in the articles and clearly express your thoughts about it in writing. Consider eight standards for critical thinking (Paul and Elder, 2103): clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, and fairness. Ask questions, such as
How is this information relevant?
How does my conclusion address the complexities of the issue?
What is another interpretation or viewpoint of the issue?
Does my conclusion follow from the data and/or statements I have provided?
Grading will be based on the following criteria:
Critical Thinking Skills: the extent to which you have engaged in critical thinking, innovation, and inquiry of a political issue, and has demonstrated analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information related to the political issue;
Communication Skills: the extent to which you have effectively expressed ideas in writing;
Personal Responsibility: the ability you have to develop opinions related to a political topic, and recognize the consequences of those choices and decisions;
Social Responsibility: the ability you have to demonstrate civic responsibility and engagement by developing an understanding and perspective of a political issue that affects regional, national, and potentially global communities.
Solution
Repeal of Obamacare
One of the current political issue involving the American government is the issue concerning the attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act commonly known as obamacare (Mascaro). The Republicans argue that obamacare does not effectively meet the needs of the voters but rather ends up burdening them with high healthcare costs. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump gave an executive order for the healthcare Act to be reassessed so that it could accommodate the needs of all Americans (Luhby). The issue was therefore raised in the house and discussed. The Republicans were proposing a new bill and the house members will have to vote it in or out(Barbaro). The proposed bill seeks to change the methods with which the current health care Act imposes penalties for those that fail to pay their health covers. It also seeks to change the restriction of insurance markets by allowing insurance companies to operate in different states in America. It will further empower the citizens to choose the insurance covers that they want. These changes will affect the citizens.
The proposed healthcare bill does not advocate for change of everything that obamacare provides Americans. It supports the need to ensure that every American citizen can access healthcare insurance (Luhby). This will mean that everyone from the poor, those from middle class and the rich to purchase health insurance covers. The government will continue helping the poor raise the money required to pay for the health cover. The money will be raised from tax credits. This will promote equality amongst Americans. This will also mean that everyone including those with already existing health conditions can access health insurance cover. This is because the Act will prohibit insurance companies from discriminating persons that have existing health conditions. This will be a further assurance to all American citizens that they can get health covers.
The repealing and adjustment of the obamacare to allow insurers to sell their services in different states will help ensure that the health insurance market grows competitive (Kliff). Since one of the reforms that the Trump government is advocating for is the ability of the insurers to supply their services across all of the American market, insurers willing to expand their market can do so easily. This will push the insurance companies into strategizing competitively. Increased competition in the market will lead to a decrease on the charges that insurers charge their clients thus easing access of insurance cover. The insurance companies may however be hesitant to explore new markets because of the hustle involved with liaising with healthcare institutions. They may find that the hustle may require the company employees’ visiting other states in order to coordinate efforts with healthcare institutions and consider it unnecessary, thus, stick with their current markets.
The proposed healthcare bill seeks to impose fines on persons that fall behind on their coverage payments based on the monthly insurance charges (Mangan). The current healthcare Act requires the citizens that fail to keep up with their monthly payments be fined 2.5% of their household income. The proposed bill will therefore seek to ensure that one pays a fine equivalent to 30% of the health cover that they have. This will mean that individuals that have expensive health covers will pay higher fines than those with covers that are much cheaper. Therefore, older people will be hit hardest by this change in the Act. This is because the health insurance covers for older people is much more expensive as compared to those of younger people. The older people that fall behind in their payments will thus pay higher fines than the younger people will, regardless of their gross income.
The proposed bill will work to ascertain that everyone in the country accesses the health care insurance plan that one wishes to have (Kliff). There are different health insurance plans offered by insurance companies. These plans offer different benefits to buyers and have different costs. The current healthcare Act forces people to get a certain kind of insurance cover. Their opinion and preferences is disregarded. The adjustment of this part of the Act will serve to ensure that people willingly embrace the bill when passed into law. They will feel that the Act seeks to meet their healthcare needs unlike how they feel about the present Act. More people will pay for insurance covers unlike the trend observed today where millions do not yet have insurance cover.
Evidently,
the proposed healthcare bill will affect the American citizens. This is because
the proposed bill will make changes in the insurance healthcare market. The
bill will see to it that there is increased competition amongst insurance
companies thus lead to the decrease in costs, which will benefit Americans. The
change in method of calculating the fine imposed on those that lag behind in
their payments will however affect the older people most since they will pay
more fines than the younger people will. The bill is generally an improvement
of the existing healthcare Act. It should therefore be voted in, as it will
benefit more Americans than the existing Act does.
Work Cited
Barbaro, Michael. ‘The Daily’: So much for that vote, for now. The New York Times. March 24, 2017. http://nytimes.com/2017/03/24/podcasts/the-daily/health-care-repeal-republicans.html March 24, 2017.
Luhby, Tami. Trump and Obamacare: Where we go from here. CNN. January 23, 2017. http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/22/news/economy/obamacare-trump-executive-order/ March 24, 2017.
Mascaro, Lisa. GOP’s Obamacare repeal bill clears hurdle, heads toward final vote. Los Angeles Times. March 24, 2017. http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-gop-s-obamacare-repeal-billclears-1490362029-htmlstory.html March 24, 2017.
Mangan, Dan. 30 million Americans could be hit by health insurance penalty under GOP Obamacare replacement. CNBC. March 9, 2017. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/30-million-could-get-hit-with-insurance-penalty-under-gop-plan.html March 24, 2017.
Kliff, Sarah. Trump proposed 5 specific policies to replace Obamacare. Here’s how they work. VOX. February 28, 2017. http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politic/2017/2/28/14771954/trump-congress-obamacare-plan March 24, 2017.