The future of health policies in the United States is a topic that has been actively discussed over the last few years. Affordable Care Act (ACA) was introduced in 2010, but it stays controversial to this day. It is evident that there is no consensus on this topic, and many individuals have voiced their opinions that it has several glaring weaknesses (Skocpol, 2012). I have to say that it is necessary to make several changes to the policies because the future of such laws is not looking promising if disagreements are going to continue. It is understandable that the government could not predict all the issues, but such problems have to be avoided.
I think that it will damage the economy in the long-term, and it will not be an easy task to recover. The annual costs have been decreasing since the introduction of health care reforms, but most Americans think that their budgets are strained (Shader, 2013). It has also had a tremendous impact on the process of employment. It was too early to introduce such changes because many assessment instruments and guidelines are in need of improvement. Many critical areas have not been addressed, and I hope that the government of the United States will be able to learn from the experience how to implement such changes in the nearest future.
Another aspect that should not be overlooked is that it complicates a lot of things. It makes health care professionals busier, and they cannot deal with so much pressure at once. On the other hand, several benefits of such dramatic changes are present. Numerous loopholes that were previously abused by insurance companies have been addressed. For instance, companies can no longer discriminate people that have to suffer from pre-existing conditions (Cole & Francis, 2014). The problem is that enterprises are looking for ways to increase their profit, and many individuals have lost their jobs already. Overall, it is entirely possible that the situation is going to worsen in the future.
Positive results of healthcare policies
A significant percentage of the population is worried about the impact of healthcare policies on the economy of the country. It is imperative to mention that it is still too early to tell at this point, and the experience that is gained by healthcare professionals each year can be regarded as valuable. However, many Americans are satisfied with such changes, and positive results are already quite noticeable.
Health and well-being of the population are of utmost importance for the government, and people in the U.S. understand that they are valued. The fact that Obama has managed to increase the level of accessibility of health care with ACA should not be disregarded (House, 2015).
Challenges of healthcare policies
In my opinion, healthcare policies in the United States will have to deal with several challenges. The biggest problem that is worth noting is that it is hard to predict some of the aspects. For example, new technologies may be introduced, and some of them are disruptive. It is likely that it would not be possible to make any significant changes to the policy because it is already established, and many individuals are worried that it would lead to damage that cannot be reversed. Also, it is believed that some of the provisions may be removed, but ACA cannot be eliminated, and it may lead to severe complications if any issues occur (Oberlander, 2014).
References
Cole, G., & Francis, D. (2014). Why is Obamacare So Controversial? European Heart Journal, 35(36), 2433-2434.
House, J. S. (2015). Beyond Obamacare: Life, Death, and Social Policy. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Oberlander, J. (2014). Unraveling Obamacare – Can Congress and the Supreme Court Undo Health Care Reform? New England Journal of Medicine, 371(26), 2445-2447.
Shader, R. (2013). Health Care Reform. Clinical Therapeutics, 35(4), 351.
Skocpol, T. (2012). Flashpoint in Health-Care Reform. Dissent, 59(2), 95-101.