At the forefront of every election, the hot button topic is almost always healthcare — as it should be. The government has faced scrutiny by trying to repair and replace healthcare in both the public and private sectors.
While overhauling healthcare seems like a dream come true to some, others, especially hard-working middle-class families, seem to get left out of the loop.
Oodles of Obamacare
One of the biggest boondoggles when it comes to healthcare is how the Affordable Care Act regulates the provisions on Medicaid. It’s needed a proper overhaul for some time. The Obama Era came up with Obamacare, making the previous restrictions on Medicaid laxer, allowing more Americans to get coverage.
That’s great for some, but what about those who slipped through the cracks?
Costs have been driven up for everyone thanks to government regulations on healthcare. Those with insurance through their employers have seen monthly premiums increase as well as deductibles and medical-related expenses. In addition, those with plans under the ACA have seen an upward trajectory of their health plan premiums, too.
When it comes down to it, every taxpayer ultimately pays into the system, With that in mind, one would think costs would lower across the board or at least remain steady. Obamacare has failed for some states that didn’t buy into the Medicaid expansion, which caused millions to go with no health insurance at all.
Veterans Affairs Healthcare
The Veterans Affairs (VA) health system is also failing as a result of decades of misappropriation of funding. President Trump has made it a goal to focus on the VA and help improve issues. Some of his priorities include reducing long wait times to access care and making changes to the VA’s infrastructure.
Medicare Threatened
Like Medicaid, Medicare is also under scrutiny.
Taxpayers still face a lot of pitfalls when it comes to figuring out a plan that is affordable and provides the right coverage. Those on a fixed income who don’t quite qualify for Medicaid are faced with making tough decisions about paying for meds or getting items from the grocery store. There needs to be a middle ground.
Dems who support Medicare-for-all attack the Trump administration by saying it’s uncaring and that the current system will continue in a downward spiral. But, Republicans seek cuts in Social Security and Medicare to help curb the overall deficit the nation is facing. This is due to the rising cost required to cover each person on Medicare, which is too cumbersome given America’s current gross domestic product (GDP) output.
Trump’s Contributions
So what has Trump accomplished so far? Just for starters, he has:
- Eliminated the individual mandate for not carrying health insurance
- Implemented Medicaid work requirements
- Slashed the cost-sharing reduction subsidies to insurers
All of which greatly improve the broken healthcare system.
The goal of this administration has been to remove governmental control when it comes to healthcare and put that power back into the hands of the people. This process takes time, but make many small changes will have a big impact in the long run.
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