Healthcare
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States provides, in part, that no State can "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property..."
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AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA). The Affordable Care Act (sometimes known as ACA, PPACA, or “Obamacare”) is a comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010; it has three primary goals:
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Make affordable health insurance available to more people.
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Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL
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Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care.
The Affordable Care Act offers rights and protections that make coverage fairer and easier to understand. Some rights and protections apply to plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace or other individual insurance, some apply to job-based plans, and some apply to all health coverage. The protections outlined below may not apply to grandfathered health insurance plans:
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Requires insurance plans to cover people with pre-existing health conditions, including pregnancy, without charging more.
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Provides free preventive care.
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Gives young adults more coverage options.
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Ends lifetime and yearly dollar limits on coverage of essential health benefits.
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Helps you understand the coverage you’re getting.
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Holds insurance companies accountable for rate increases.
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Makes it illegal for health insurance companies to cancel your health insurance just because you get sick.
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Protects your choice of doctors.
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Protects you from employer retaliation.
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MEDICARE. MEDICARE is health insurance for people 65 or older. You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). Some people get Medicare automatically, others have to actively sign up - it depends if you start getting retirement or disability benefits from Social Security before you turn 65.
MEDICARE covers healthcare costs for eligible individuals in the same way that health insurance does. There is no premium for the basic part of Medicare, coverage is more limited than private health insurance, and there is no free preventive care or ongoing care for chronic diseases. Furthermore, MEDICARE does not cover the cost of some important health care services - most crucially, it does not pay for long-term care (custodial care).
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MEDICAID. MEDICAID provides health coverage to millions of Americans, including eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities. MEDICAID is administered by states, according to federal requirements. The program is funded jointly by states and the federal government, and it is the largest source of funding for health-related services for low-income individuals in the United States.
MEDICAID does not provide health care directly to individuals. Instead, it covers their doctor visits, hospital stays, long-term medical care, custodial care, and other health-related costs. Each state is responsible for managing and administering its own MEDCAID program; therefore, the state decides on who qualifies for coverage, the type of coverage, and the process of paying health care workers and hospitals.
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Healthcare in the United States is largely provided by private sector healthcare facilities, and paid for by a combination of public programs, private insurance, and out-of-pocket payments. The U.S. is the only developed country without a system of universal healthcare, and a significant proportion of its population lacks health insurance. This has been the subject of significant political debate and reform efforts, particularly in the areas of healthcare costs, insurance coverage, and the quality of care. Legislation such as the Affordable Care Act of 2010 has sought to address some of these issues, though challenges remain.
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