Need help with my Health & Medical question – I’m studying for my class.
Content
- The health care reform political battle has been going on since the 1940s. This assignment is designed to help you understand the history of reform and analyze the ongoing political debate.
Create a timeline detailing at least five major events in health care reform:- Include key dates, stakeholders, and outcomes of legislation.
- Include which party proposed the reform.
- Analyze the politics of health and health care:
- Explain the political climate surrounding the legislation in each major political reform era.
- Compare and contrast the current political climate to that of the past.
- Identify any recurring trends.
- Explain your opinion about what makes health and health care so politically charged and polarizing.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
The history of health care reform and the ongoing political debate surrounding it is crucial to understanding the current state of health care in our country. As a medical professor, it is important to help students comprehend this complex issue. In this assignment, you will create a timeline of key events in health care reform, analyze the politics surrounding each era, compare and contrast the current political climate to the past, identify any recurring trends, and explain why health and health care are such polarizing topics.
Answer:
To create a timeline of health care reform, we need to review key events and legislation. Here are five significant events in U.S. health care reform, including the key dates, stakeholders, and outcomes of legislation:
1. 1945 – President Truman proposes a national health insurance program:
The proposal would cover all Americans and be financed through payroll taxes. The opposition from the American Medical Association, insurance companies, and conservative groups result in the defeat of the bill.
2. 1965 – President Johnson signs Medicare and Medicaid into law:
This creates a federal program that guarantees access to health insurance for older Americans (Medicare) and low-income individuals and families (Medicaid).
3. 1993 – President Clinton proposes a universal health care plan:
His plan would have required employers to provide health coverage to their employees and provided subsidies to eligible individuals to purchase insurance. The opposition from the insurance industry, doctor groups, and Republicans resulted in the failure of the bill.
4. 2010 – President Obama signs the Affordable Care Act into law:
The ACA expands Medicaid eligibility, creates health insurance exchanges, provides subsidies for individuals purchasing insurance on the exchanges, prohibits insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and mandates that individuals have health insurance or pay a penalty.
5. 2017 – Republicans attempt to repeal the ACA:
The failure of the bill to pass the Senate marked a significant defeat for Republicans and demonstrated the popularity of the ACA and public resistance to the GOP’s proposals.
Each major political reform era was influenced by different factors, including ideology, economics, social conditions, and public opinion. Differences in political values and interests prevent bipartisan solutions. Health and health care are politically charged and polarizing because they involve life-and-death decisions and are tied to people’s sense of identity, values, politics, and socioeconomic factors, which makes them particularly sensitive to political manipulation.
