The government’s spending on various healthcare programs has increased sharply over the past few years. The current federal healthcare law indicates clearly that the country will spend more on various programs. This policy issue has become controversial as more individuals focus on the best strategies that can reduce the country’s federal spending. The article “Government funds nearly two-thirds of U.S. health care costs: American Journal of Public Health study” explains how Americans are paying more dollars to support various healthcare programs. In 2013, the US government was spending a lot of taxpayers’ money on healthcare (Almberg, 2016). This situation shows clearly that the country’s health funding system is not private. Despite such payments, many “American patients are saddled with unaffordable deductibles and premiums” (Almberg, 2016, para. 7). The article explains why new measures are needed to reduce such expenses and support the health needs of more people. The author is an expert in federal and health affairs. The author supports the idea of an appropriate health insurance policy.
The Affordable Care Act (also called Obamacare) has remained controversial. It is known to increase the country’s federal spending. Critics have explained how the Act has led to increased federal spending. The article “Obamacare penalty fee increasing sharply in 2016” indicates that more people are paying for the controversial healthcare plan. The author argues that the Obamacare tax will increase significantly before the end of 2016. This Act has become an expensive gamble that fails to deliver the best health services (Howell, 2016). The author believes that new healthcare programs are needed without increasing federal spending.
Kimberly Leonard is a seasoned health care reporter. In the article “For the First Time, Health Care Spending Higher than Social Security”, Leonard explains how the government spent a lot of money on health in 2015. The country spent over $930 billion on various health programs such as Medicaid and Medicare (Leonard, 2016). New tax subsidies have also constrained the national budget. This expenditure is greater than that of social security. The current spending on health programs will eventually increase the national debt (Leonard, 2016). The article explains why new laws are critical towards governing different federal programs. As well, the author argues that proper cost controls can reduce the current expenses associated with healthcare programs.
The authors of these articles believe strongly that the national debt has increased due to numerous expenses on specific programs (Dinan, 2016). The articles are based on the premise that the government is spending a lot of taxpayers’ money on healthcare. This notion compels the authors to present different suggestions that can be used to change the situation (Schoen, 2016). This policy issue can be addressed using new laws. Such laws will ensure various federal programs are supported effectively without injuring the national budget. As well, new cost controls can be embraced to minimize these expenses.
Healthcare spending has become a critical policy issue in America. This topic has informed me about the major challenges that might affect the country in the future. Federal spending on healthcare has “increased due to the aging baby-boomer generation and expansion of various federal health programs” (Mukherjee, 2016, p. 11). This issue calls for new laws that will reduce the expenses associated with healthcare. This study has encouraged me to think of new strategies that can be embraced in order to support the health needs of more citizens. I will study this topic in order to outline the best approaches that can support more Americans.
Reference List
Almberg, M. (2016). Government funds nearly two-thirds of U.S. health care costs: American Journal of Public Health study. PNHP. Web.
Dinan, S. (2016). Federal deficit to soar in 2016 after Ryan-Obama tax deal. The Washington Times.
Howell, T. (2016). Obamacare penalty fee increasing sharply in 2016. The Washington Times.
Leonard, K. (2016). For the First Time, Health Care Spending Higher than Social Security. U.S News.
Mukherjee, K. (2016). Impact of affordability on accessibility of medical care post affordable care act in the USA. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 1(1), 1-24.
Schoen, C. (2016). The Affordable Care Act and the U.S. Economy: A Five-Year Perspective. The Commonwealth Fund, 1(1), 1-24.