Obamacare Evaluation: An Ill 2015

In 2007/08, President Barack Obama promised during his election campaign that he would ensure “affordable, high-quality health care for all.”

In his plan for A Healthy America, the second paragraph is clear in its outline that the majority of working class families are unable to afford adequate health cover through their insurance companies:

“Millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured because of rising medical costs. Nearly 45 million Americans—including 9 million children—lack health insurance. Eighty percent of the uninsured are in working families. Even those with health coverage are struggling to cope with soaring medical costs. Skyrocketing healthcare costs are making it increasingly difficult for employers, particularly small businesses, to provide health insurance to their employees.” [1]

But what’s happened to the promise so far? The first period of Obamacare has been in action now since October 1st, 2013. Has the promise he made during his campaign been met yet?

A study was released by the Commonwealth Fund in June 2014, to measure the US Health System internationally. It reported that, “the United States health care system is the most expensive in the world, but this report and prior editions consistently show the U.S. underperforms relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance. Among the 11 nations studied in this report—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the US ranks last, as it did in the 2010, 2007, 2006, and 2004 editions.” Furthermore, they note the lack of universal health systems within the United States compared to other nations.

The access to health care universally has its own problems. Firstly, the single payer is required to re-enroll in their health plan every year. Over a year’s time, the insurance plan isn’t guaranteed to remain the same. Existing plans may no longer be available, or premiums will have increased while government contributions fall. It’s an outgrowth scheme that was initiated to ensure Republican support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to avoid the appearance of a government takeover of the health system.

A speech by Obama in 2009, to a joint session of congress, highlights his acknowledgement of the problem and the balancing act he’d intended all along:

“I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable. (Applause.) And the insurance reforms that I’ve already mentioned would do just that. But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. (Applause.) Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. It would only be an option for those who don’t have insurance.” [2]

According to a brief examination of Obamacare by Forbes author, Avik Roy, notates that in the ‘real world’ the success of the ACA isn’t measured by its failure to collapse, but rather the affordability to the citizen. And to quote Roy on the success or failure, “there can be no doubt that health care today is more costly than it would have been without Obamacare.” [3]

SOURCES:

[1] (2008). Obama ’08: Barack Obama’s Plan for a Healthy America. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/blogphotos/Blog_Obama_Health_Plan.pdf

[2] The White House Remarks by the President to a joint session of Congress on health care. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-to-a-Joint-Session-of-Congress-on-Health-Care/

[3] Roy, A. (2014, October 9). Obamacare Has Failed To Collapse — But Its Premiums Continue To Climb. [Forbes]. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2014/09/14/obamacare-has-failed-to-collapse-but-that-doesnt-make-it-a-success/