Health care reform in USA

Synopsis Engelsk B
Introduction and problem formulation

Recently adopted by the U.S. government a new healthcare reform appeared, its purpose is to give everyone the opportunity for treatment regardless of economic conditions.

I chose this topic, because it is very up in the media, and because there is in Denmark some confusion about what exactly this reform is about. In this assignment, I will try to explain the following:

Work questions

-The new healthcare reform and what it is all about

-What improvements will the reform offer and what do you want to achieve

-Who is for and who is against this new reform

-Brief compare with the Danish health security, similarities and differences.

Selected materials from the following sources

http://www.healthreform.gov/index.html

This is the official website for the American healthcare system. Very trustworthy. Found the 11. april 2010

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/18/ep.health.reform.basics/

This source is from a large news provider called “CNN”. It should be trustworthy and it should be politically independent. Found the 11. april 2010

http://www.whitehouse.gov/Issues/health-Care

This is the official website for the white house in USA. Very trustworthy. Found the 11. april 2010

Conclusion

I in my assignment I will consider the background for the U.S. health care reform and explain its significance. Conclusion is basically that health reform as it accounts now can not be compared with the Danish health system.

What is the new reform?

In USA 46 million people live without health insurance. So if one gets sick, you will have to pay the full price for the treatment on a private hospital or use the government’s hospitals. The government’s hospitals are free, but you will often have to wait long time before it’s your turn. Also, if you need an expensive treatment, you will not always receive the best and most expensive treatment. Because of the low payment for the doctors in public Hospitals, it will surely attract inexperienced doctors who can’t find work in private Hospitals.

The new reform will make it possible for everybody to pay the cost of a health insurance, independent of how much you earn. So if your income is low, the government is going to pay the rest.

This reform will be implemented in less than 5 years

What improvements will the reform offer and what do you want to achieve

• First of all it will give every American people the possibility to have a health insurance.

For the moment, you can’t get insurance if you already are sick or have had serious sicknesses such as cancer and diabetes.

• It will make it easier to pay health insurance if you are unemployed or have low status jobs without paid health insurance.

For and against

FOR:

The democrats are of course for the new reform, surely because they suggested the reform in the first place. Obama, the leader of the democrats and president of the United States, assures that it can be implemented without tax raise for normal incomes.

AGAINST:

The republicans don’t really like Obama’s plan, they believe it isn’t American attitude to let the government control peoples health insurance and they believe it will be to expensive. Instead they would rather prefer the government to lower the taxes, so people can buy private health insurances.

FOR:

Most people without a paid insurance will probably welcome this new reform, especially if it is cheap and provides a good coverage.

AGAINST:

People with a paid insurance will perhaps not want the reform, because the government will use a lot of money on this, and because the employer might choose the government’s cheaper insurance. So he believes, that he might get lower quality and have to wait longer for treatment.

AGAINST:

Doctors and other people working in the private industry will be against because they get fewer customers witch lead to lower income

Comparison with the Danish security, similarities and differences.

In Denmark you pay for the health security through your tax, so people who earn a lot pay high taxes and a lot to social insurance, and people who don’t earn much or nothing, pay less or nothing (Americans say this is real socialism).

In Denmark it doesn’t matter how expensive the treatment is, if you need it, you will get it. This is much like the reform in United States is going to be, except that the coverage might be less.

In Denmark certain companies also offer treatments on private Hospitals, so the employees get faster (but not better) treatment.

In Denmark you will find many talented doctors in the public Hospitals, but you can’t choose which doctor you want to be treated off, that’s quite randomly, but you can be sure, that he will be an expert.