Is Obamacare really a cure-all?

There is certainly agreement from both the government and the American people that health care is in dire need of reform. Mounting medical costs coupled with an estimated 42 million uninsured Americans, is proof alone that our system is in need of a complete overhaul. To add fuel to the fire, many of those that are insured are finding that many necessary medical procedures are not covered by their insurance. leaving them to foot the bill alone, which in many cases causes a huge financial strain and hardship. So far, the President’s answer to the cries of the American people has been in the form of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care. Although this bill promises that every American will have quality low cost health care, it may prove too good to be true. Certainly, as with any new legislation that seeks to provide care for a large group, there will be some expected drawbacks. For one, there will inevitably be higher taxes imposed on the middle class, who are already under a great deal of strain from the economic downturn, and as Obama has himself admitted, have been hit the hardest among any social class in America. In addition, those providers in the medical field, particularly doctors, will be also be facing a negative backlash from the new reform bill. Many doctors are already currently fed up with the low reimbursement rates they receive from government run programs, such as Medi-cal and Medicaid. This will certainly be an even larger concern when ObamaCare is enacted in 2014, when an estimated 32 million more people will be added to the health care pool. ObamaCare’s structure is such that it will increase demands for medical care, yet pay out low reimbursements to compensate for the high cost of health coverage. This will in turn cause many fed up doctors to seek other professions and likewise cause a shortage of qualified medical personnel. In addition, the government will have tighter control over health care decisions that will affect many Americans. There will be strict reporting requirements that will ultimately dictate how doctors practice medicine. Again, this is another reason why many physicians are considering leaving the field. Although I must also note, there are some positive points to Obama’s health care reform as well. Mainly, pre-existing conditions will no longer be considered as a reason to drop someone from their insurance plan, and there will be no annual limits to health care costs, which will be especially beneficial to those will terminal and chronic illnesses requiring consistent medical care.Whether or not these benefits outweigh the bad is for each individual to decide for themselves. For now, many uninsured Americans are looking to the government for assistance with an issue that they know will not resolve on its own. If Obamacare is the panacea to what ails them, we do not yet know, however there is certainly much to think about before wholeheartedly accepting the bill and all its baggage.