Introduction
Carl Sandburg, a famous American-Swedish poet, once said, "It is not that some people have willpower, and others do not, but it is that some people are ready to change and others are not.” The opposers present Sandburg’s views on the issue of the proposed healthcare policy implementation that seeks to impose a work requirement for the recipients of Medicaid. According to Medicaid statistics by the government of the United States (U.S), it has served the people of America successfully with up to 68 million Americans enrolled as at November 2017. However, the constraints on the American budget that have resulted from the execution of the program have been considered extreme and very demanding since healthcare is a crucial sector in the government’s agendas. The need to make amendments to the Medicaid program have been discussed by regimes one after the other but with no agreements coming forth. The proposition to have the recipients of Medicaid work presents an opportunity to resolve the budget issue on the Medicaid program instead of resulting in drastic measures of scrapping it out. To provide a sustainable model for the existence of Medicaid, the imposing of a work requirement on the eligibility for Medicaid offers a friendly solution for addressing some of the budget concerns for the program.
Benefits of Medicaid
Firstly, Medicaid has had its benefits to the American people that have been realized over time since its inception. Medicaid has been the most successful joint program by the federal and state governments that provides health coverage to millions of American citizens by assisting in covering the medical costs of people with limited incomes and resources. Medicaid has benefitted the less fortunate in the American society by providing affordable and timely healthcare services in many states in the country, where people would have been unable to manage the costs of healthcare. Medicaid is also important in America since it caters to all age groups whose incomes and resources are not enough to pay for healthcare services that they need during their lifetime. Medicaid eligibility covers children, low-income adults, elderly adults, pregnant women and people with disabilities, who in most circumstances are unable to meet the expensive healthcare fees. The availability of Medicaid has been a revelation to these groups of people in America, and the need to uphold the program is second to none.
Financial Challenges of Medicaid
Despite its benefits to the American people, Medicaid has been an expensive program for both the federal and state governments to fund and ensure that it runs smoothly. As per the records of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government allocated 3.3 trillion US dollars in 2016, to cater for the National Health Expenditure (NHE), which estimates the spending of 10,348 US dollars per person in the US. The NHE fund is for use in Medicare and Medicaid programs that require substantial funding for efficient implementation. Additionally, despite the successes associated with the Medicaid program, there have also been concerns about its annual costs to the state and the federal government. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government spending on Medicaid in 2016, grew by 3.9% to 565.5 billion US dollars. The figure is continuously on the rise every year due to the increasing eligible Americans who utilize Medicaid and other factors such as rising Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and inflation of the dollar. The government is gradually becoming unable to finance the Medicaid program efficiently with the ever-rising financial demands of the project despite the limited annual country’s budget.
Importance of Work Requirement
These expenditure facts highlight the importance of having a proper structure to reduce the growing expenditure that is required to sustain the Medicaid program, without compromising the quality and effectiveness of the program. Imposing a work requirement for some of the eligible recipients of Medicaid ensures that more people can have steady work and afford the health care expenses wholly or to some extent. Not only will the government benefit from more people working but also the Medicaid budget on Medicaid will become smaller and significantly save the government's money. With more people working, the GDP of the country will drastically improve, and the state and federal governments will be able to receive more funds to allocate to their budget via taxation. Besides, the proposed healthcare policy is practical since it recommends that the government impose work requirements only on those who are healthy, within the working-age, and able to work to have a job, volunteer or be in school. In addition to being helpful to the government, the options provided to have a job, volunteer or be in school are also productive to the American people and the society and will aid in improving the lives of Americans.
Conclusion
In closing, the need to impose a work requirement for all the eligible Medicaid recipients will be beneficial to the government in reducing its budget on the program but at the same time provide quality and efficient service as before for the Medicaid program. A reduced budget will ensure the sustainability of the program and assist the government in managing its limited budget resources. It is, therefore, necessary to implement measures to prevent the swelling of the budget allocations on Medicaid, to provide other critical infrastructure in the country with funds to sustain their realization despite the government's limited budget. Furthermore, the proposition focuses on the working-age and healthy persons to be involved in activities such as volunteering, a job or be in school, which will also provide benefit to their lives. The growth of America is dependent on such sound policies and the successful implementation of the healthcare work requirements policy is a step in the right direction for the country.
