Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by expanding on their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example

Instructions

 

Reply # 1

–

 

Discussion Week 3

 

 

1.

 

Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two

different days by expanding on

their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or

respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example.

 

 

 

Holly

 

Cochran

 

 

3wk

 

Assignment

 

Discussion

 

Policy

 

–

 

ACA

 

repeal

 

 

 

 

 

 

No

 

matter

 

what

 

your

 

political

 

affiliation

 

is,

 

having

 

affordable

 

healthcare

 

should

 

always

 

be

 

a

 

high

 

priority.

 

 

The

 

Affordable

 

Care

 

Act,

 

also

 

known

 

as

 

”Obamacare”

 

or

 

ACA,

 

was

 

signed

 

and

 

adopted

 

in

 

2010

 

as

 

a

 

means

 

of

 

improving

 

healthcare

 

while

 

also

 

controlling

 

costs

 

(Norris,

 

2020).

 

 

While

 

millions

 

of

 

Americans

 

have

 

benefited

 

from

 

the

 

ACA,

 

most

 

of

 

them

 

have

 

been

 

either

 

unemployed

 

or

 

in

 

low

–

wage

 

jobs.

 

Despite

 

some

 

of

 

the

 

positive

 

outcomes,

 

the

 

ACA

 

is

 

still

 

deemed

 

as

 

high

 

controversial

 

(The

 

Pros

 

and

 

Cons

 

of

 

Obamacare

 

–

 

The

 

Affordable

 

Care

 

Act,

 

2019).

 

 

 

No

 

one

 

can

 

argue

 

that

 

there

 

are

 

some

 

very

 

positive

 

benefits

 

of

 

the

 

ACA

 

such

 

as:

 

 

pre

–

existing

 

conditions

 

cannot

 

deny

 

cover

age,

 

health

 

insurance

 

is

 

more

 

affordable,

 

no

 

time

 

limits

 

on

 

care,

 

more

 

screenings

 

are

 

available

 

and

 

prescription

 

drugs

 

cost

 

less.

 

 

Some

 

cons

 

are:

 

 

high

 

premiums,

 

fines

 

for

 

not

 

having

 

health

 

insurance,

 

and

 

an

 

increase

 

in

 

taxes.

 

 

Some

 

even

 

say

 

that

 

business

 

are

 

cutting

 

employee’s

 

worked

 

hours

 

to

 

keep

 

from

 

having

 

to

 

pay

 

insurance

 

(The

 

Pros

 

and

 

Cons

 

of

 

Obamacare

 

–

 

The

 

Affordable

 

Care

 

Act,

 

2019).

 

 

 

In

 

2017,

 

The

 

Tax

 

Cuts

 

and

 

Job

 

Act

 

(TCJA)

 

eliminated

 

the

 

tax

 

penalty

 

for

 

individuals

 

without

 

insurance.

 

T

his

 

did

 

save

 

a

 

great

 

number

 

of

 

people

 

with

 

chronic

 

illnesses,

 

but

 

did

 

not

 

evenly

 

distribute

 

the

 

effectiveness

 

of

 

cost

 

(Rum,

 

2019).

 

If

 

the

 

ACA

 

is

 

repealed,

 

a

 

domino

 

effect

 

could

 

potentially

 

occur.

 

 

There

 

would

 

no

 

longer

 

be

 

preexisting

 

condition

 

clauses,

 

pre

ventative

 

health

 

screenings,

 

and

 

there

 

would

 

be

 

a

 

rise

 

in

 

prescription

 

drug

 

–

 

all

 

causing

 

a

 

ripple

 

effect

 

throughout

 

our

 

economy

 

(Rum,

 

2019).

 

 

Politicians

 

tend

 

to

 

use

 

the

 

ACA

 

as

 

a

 

sounding

 

board

 

or

 

even

 

bargaining

 

tool,

 

if

 

you

 

will,

 

to

 

help

 

support

 

their

 

p

arty.

 

 

While

 

the

 

new

 

President

–

elect,

 

Biden,

 

aims

 

to

 

reinvigorate

 

the

 

ACA

 

–

 

with

 

a

 

major

 

change

 

of

 

lower

 

Medicare

 

age

 

from

 

65

 

to

 

60

 

in

 

an

 

effort

 

to

 

help

 

the

 

aging

 

population

 

(Goldstein,

 

2002).

 

 

 

The

 

organization

 

that

 

I

 

work

 

for

 

decided

 

that

 

they

 

are

 

no

 

longer

 

to

 

offer

 

a

 

blanket

 

insurance

 

plan

 

for

 

the

 

employees.

 

 

We

 

now

 

have

 

what

 

is

 

known

 

is

 

ICHRA

 

(Individual

 

covered

 

health

 

reimbursement

 

arraignment).

 

 

Although

 

it

 

was

 

a

 

very

 

scary

 

to

 

find

 

out

 

that

 

we

 

have

 

to

 

simply

 

either

 

go

 

on

 

the

 

Healthcare.gov

 

w

ebsite

 

or

 

contact

 

our

 

on

 

private

 

company,

 

it

 

actually

 

worked

 

out

 

for

 

the

 

better

 

for

 

my

 

family.

 

 

Our

 

organization

 

give

 

us

 

money

 

toward

 

our

 

monthly

 

premium

 

and

 

it

 

is

 

based

 

on

 

age

 

and

 

number

 

of

 

family

 

members

 

requiring

 

insurance.

 

If

 

you

 

find

 

a

 

policy

 

that

 

is

 

less

 

expensive

 

that

 

what

 

they

 

offer,

 

the

 

remaining

 

funds

 

are

 

placed

 

into

 

an

 

HRA

 

that

 

is

 

used

 

towards

 

healthcare

 

costs.

 

I

 

actually

 

was

 

able

 

to

 

find

 

a

 

better

 

plan,

 

with

 

better

 

coverage

 

than

 

I

 

had

 

at

 

the

 

hospital

 

and

 

it

 

was

 

cheaper.

 

 

Saying

 

this,

 

our

 

country

 

will

 

always

 

be

 

forever

 

changing.

 

 

Political

 

affiliation

 

aside,

 

doing

 

what

 

is

 

right

 

for

 

the

 

better

 

of

 

our

 

country

 

should

 

be

 

the

 

number

 

one

 

priority.

 

 

Both

 

Instructions Reply # 1 – Discussion Week 3

 

1. Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by expanding on

their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or

respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example.

 

 

Holly Cochran

3wk Assignment Discussion Policy – ACA repeal

 

 

No matter what your political affiliation is, having affordable healthcare should

always be a high priority. The Affordable Care Act, also known as ”Obamacare” or ACA, was

signed and adopted in 2010 as a means of improving healthcare while also controlling costs

(Norris, 2020). While millions of Americans have benefited from the ACA, most of them

have been either unemployed or in low-wage jobs. Despite some of the positive outcomes,

the ACA is still deemed as high controversial (The Pros and Cons of Obamacare – The

Affordable Care Act, 2019).

No one can argue that there are some very positive benefits of the ACA such as: pre-

existing conditions cannot deny coverage, health insurance is more affordable, no time

limits on care, more screenings are available and prescription drugs cost less. Some cons

are: high premiums, fines for not having health insurance, and an increase in taxes. Some

even say that business are cutting employee’s worked hours to keep from having to pay

insurance (The Pros and Cons of Obamacare – The Affordable Care Act, 2019).

In 2017, The Tax Cuts and Job Act (TCJA) eliminated the tax penalty for individuals

without insurance. This did save a great number of people with chronic illnesses, but did

not evenly distribute the effectiveness of cost (Rum, 2019). If the ACA is repealed, a domino

effect could potentially occur. There would no longer be preexisting condition clauses,

preventative health screenings, and there would be a rise in prescription drug – all causing

a ripple effect throughout our economy (Rum, 2019). Politicians tend to use the ACA as a

sounding board or even bargaining tool, if you will, to help support their party. While the

new President-elect, Biden, aims to reinvigorate the ACA – with a major change of lower

Medicare age from 65 to 60 in an effort to help the aging population (Goldstein, 2002).

The organization that I work for decided that they are no longer to offer a blanket

insurance plan for the employees. We now have what is known is ICHRA (Individual

covered health reimbursement arraignment). Although it was a very scary to find out that

we have to simply either go on the Healthcare.gov website or contact our on private

company, it actually worked out for the better for my family. Our organization give us

money toward our monthly premium and it is based on age and number of family members

requiring insurance. If you find a policy that is less expensive that what they offer, the

remaining funds are placed into an HRA that is used towards healthcare costs. I actually

was able to find a better plan, with better coverage than I had at the hospital and it was

cheaper. Saying this, our country will always be forever changing. Political affiliation aside,

doing what is right for the better of our country should be the number one priority. Both