Introduction
According to Tate (2012), Obamacare, officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), is a healthcare law enacted by the 111th US Congress and signed into law by former US President Barack Obama in March 2010. The regulation was enacted for three key reasons. Secondly, it planned to enhance access to healthcare insurance for all Americans, lowering the number of uninsured Americans from 50 million to 22 million by 2016 and remaining at that level. Second, to protect patients from any illogical/arbitrary arrangement that may exist inside the insurance sector. Finally, to lower the medical care expenses to the US nationals and the government while working to improve the quality of the health care. However, studies show that by the end of 2016, a large number, almost 75% of Americans were not yet covered (Salyers, 2015). Therefore, discussions have emerged on whether the Act has hurt or helped the uninsured citizens.
Effects of Obamacare on Uninsured Citizens
Apparently, the Act has hurt the uninsured citizens in various ways. One, the regulation has forced most of the Americans citizens onto a government-dominated health care pathway (Béland, Rocco & Waddan, 2016). Since the number of the uninsured keep on decreasing, by the end of one decade after the implementation, the health care access of Americans will be directly controlled by the government. However, most of the doctors already refuse the Medicare and Medicaid as a result of low payments for care, which appreciate the private insurance premiums. For instance, as stated by Béland, Rocco & Waddan (2016), a marked shortfall of approximately $88 billion of payment from the Medicare and Medicaid beneficiary resulted to an increase of almost $1,500 premiums per year to each family with four members from the private insurance company. Therefore, those people who opt to be uninsured by the Obamacare and subscribe to the private insurance company has been hurt by a significant increase in payments of the premiums.
Termination from Chosen Insurance Companies
Obamacare led to the forced termination of more than 5 million Americans from their insurance companies of choice. Studies suggest that more than 10 million Americans citizens will be forced to terminate their chosen health insurance company by the end of 2021 (Center et al., 2014). It means, slowly, the law continues to offend the uninsured Americans by forcing them to join the government insurance plan, which disconnects them from doctors of their choice. Again, since the Obamacare insurance covers a narrow provider network, with time, people get limited from accessing their hospitals or doctors of choice. For instance, for the cancer care, most of the Americans best hospitals are not covered in the plan. Therefore, the narrow network plan is about to affect a more significant population by 2020, which will have put the life of the currently uninsured citizens in danger as they will have enrolled in the plan.
Limited Access to Hospitals and Doctors
Again, many of the top hospital and doctors in America are not available. Unforgettably, a significant number of the uninsured group is as a result of personal choice so that they can access the hospitals or doctors of their choice (Lanford & Quadagno, 2016). However, due to low turnout of patients accessing those "perfect" hospitals and expertise, these healthcare providers fail to maintain their operations, forcing them to close up their enterprises. For instance, in 2014, a study conducted by the American Heart Association indicated that those specialists who initially diagnosed and treated stroke; one of the lethal and disabling illnesses in the USA are severely reducing due to Obamacare insurance plan. The health of the uninsured group by choice is put at risk, without the freedom of accessing their medical care facilities of choice (Center et al., 2014).
Involvement in Risky Behaviors
Finally, the uninsured citizens tend to involve themselves with preconditions such as smoking or drinking due to self-denial as they see themselves as the outcast of the states. Apparently, not all people who have the power to secure an insurance plan due to financial constraints (Salyers et al., 2015). It means, when they see their friends or relatives insured by the government insurance plan, they feel inferior and hopeless, which forces them to get involved with some of these risky practices to lower their stress. Nevertheless, most of these responses have negative impacts on their health status, for instance, smoking puts one at a risk of getting respiratory or cancer-related illnesses, which keeps their lives in more danger.
Benefits for the Poor and Previously Uninsured Citizens
However, the PPACA has made it possible for the poor and previously uninsured citizens to have access to the health facilities they need. Some citizens were uninsured due to higher premium rates imposed by the private insurance companies (Shaw et al., 2014). Since the Obamacare strategy subsidized the required payments for the health insurance program, the number of uninsured has reduced significantly, covering more of the family members under the age of 26 years. Again, the government made it mandatory for the companies with more than 50 employees to cover a certain percentage of the insurance premiums of their employees; therefore, reaching out for many Americans who are financially disadvantaged. However, this advantage is limited to the uninsured citizens due to poverty.
Conclusion
Conclusively, Obamacare has hurt the lives of the uninsured citizens, be it by choice or due to lack of finances (poverty level). That is, those who choose to be uninsured so that they can access health facilities of their choices have resulted in paying higher insurance premiums in the private insurance companies. Again, their access to favorite doctors or hospitals is in danger as these facilities are closing up their doors, and to those who are uninsured due to lack of finances, they have indulged themselves in risky behaviors. Therefore, the program has not been favorable to the uninsured Americans.
References
Béland, D., Rocco, P., & Waddan, A. (2016). Obamacare Wars: Federalism, State Politics, and the Affordable Care Act. University Press of Kansas.
Center, H., Woods, C. A., Urbana-Champaign, I. L., Manchikanti, L., & Purdue Pharma, L. P. (2017). A Critical Analysis of Obamacare: Affordable Care or Insurance for Many and Coverage for Few?. Pain physician, 20, 111-138.
Lanford, D., & Quadagno, J. (2016). Implementing ObamaCare: The politics of medicaid expansion under the affordable care act of 2010. Sociological Perspectives, 59(3), 619-639.
Shaw, F. E., Asomugha, C. N., Conway, P. H., & Rein, A. S. (2014). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: opportunities for prevention and public health. The Lancet, 384(9937), 75-82.
Salyers, L., Mummaneni, M., Willis, W. K., & Coustasse, A. (2015). Healthcare of the Uninsured Population in West Virginia and the United States.
Tate, N. J. (2012). ObamaCare Survival Guide: The Affordable Care Act and What it Means for You and Your Healthcare. Humanix Books.
