Medicare and Medicaid programs prove that American citizens have access to government-sponsored insurance to protect their health and use appropriate care services. There are many vulnerable populations in the country, and such programs aim at analyzing their needs. Medicare program contains three major elements like hospital insurance to cover inpatient care, medical insurance to maintain doctors’ services and outpatient care, and drug prescription (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2021). Medicaid program is based on such components as benefits for low-income residents, children’s health insurance, and support for pregnant women (Basic health program, n.d.). Despite their differences and directions, Medicare and Medicaid help people obtain professional health care.
There are several critical coverage gaps in the chosen programs. For example, Medicare is available only for people aged 65 or older and with disabilities (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2021). Thus, the gap between uninsured individuals and illegal immigrants cannot be ignored. In Medicaid case, the coverage gap touches upon people who have higher or middle incomes (Basic health program, n.d.). In addition, no attention is paid to the conditions under which patients (not pregnant women or children) might require hospice care or long-term services.
Financial help is a crucial aspect of American society, and the Social Security Program affects the public significantly. This federal program was created to cover the needs of retired individuals or people with disabilities (Social security program data, n.d.). It is possible to get monthly benefits based on tax contributions and controlled by the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (Social security program data, n.d.). Despite the existing advantages like monthly incomes and support to retired people, certain disadvantages cannot be ignored. This program is never fully funded, and not all people are able to use it. The conditions under which monthly benefits are calculated mostly depend on their average incomes, which means that poor people do not have much financial help, and additional modifications are required. These facts and observations define my negative stand on the relevance of the Social Security Program to American citizens.
References
Basic health program. (n.d.). Medicaid. Web.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2021). Medicare program – General information. CMS. Web.
Social security program data. (n.d.). SSA. Web.