Why should everyone have access to affordable healthcare?

Asked by: Dr. Oda Glover Sr.  |  Last update: August 16, 2023
Score: 4.3/5 (23 votes)

People without coverage are more likely to suffer declines in overall health — the result of little or no preventive care and delays in care that cause more severe problems or hospitalizations.

Why is affordable and accessible healthcare important?

As a matter of human dignity, everyone is entitled to health care. Like any basic element of life, health care sustains us and should always be accessible and affordable for everyone — where they need it, when they need it, no exceptions and no interruptions. The consequences of being uninsured are significant.

Why is it important for everyone to have access to healthcare?

Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for promoting and maintaining health, preventing and managing disease, reducing unnecessary disability and premature death, and achieving health equity for all Americans. Why is Access to Health Care Important?

Why should everyone have free healthcare?

Quality, affordable health care is the foundation for individuals to lead productive and fulfilling lives and for countries to have strong economies. Universal health coverage (UHC) is about ensuring that people have access to the health care they need without suffering financial hardship.

Why should we keep the Affordable Care Act?

Since its enactment on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act has led to an historic advancement of health equity in the United States. This landmark law improved the health of all Americans, including women and families, kids, older adults, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ and communities of color.

The real reason American health care is so expensive

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What are 3 benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Affordable Care Act (ACA) basics

Among other things, the ACA made it easier for many people to get coverage, removed annual and lifetime limits on essential health benefits and put in place requirements that individuals have medical coverage or pay a tax penalty.

What are two benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Make affordable health insurance available to more people. The law provides consumers with subsidies (“premium tax credits”) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the FPL.

What would happen if everyone got free health care?

If the U.S. had had a single-payer universal health care system in 2020, nearly 212,000 American lives would have been saved that year, according to a new study. In addition, the country would have saved $105 billion in COVID-19 hospitalization expenses alone.

How can we make healthcare more accessible and affordable?

What Are Some Problems with Access to Health Care?
  1. High Health Care Costs. ...
  2. Transportation Barriers. ...
  3. Implicit Bias and Health Care Avoidance. ...
  4. Expand Insurance to Cover Health Care Costs. ...
  5. Extend Telehealth Services. ...
  6. Invest in Mobile Clinics. ...
  7. Educate the Public About Multiple Health Care Sites. ...
  8. Improve Cultural Responsiveness.

Why is free healthcare not a right?

The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights claims that everyone has a right to health care. Of course, there's no such thing as free health care. The government has no money of its own which means that it cannot “give” anyone health care without first taking away something from someone else.

Why should access to healthcare be a human right?

In short, when we talk about well-being, health is often what we have in mind. The right to health is a fundamental part of our human rights and of our understanding of a life in dignity. The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, to give it its full name, is not new.

How does access to healthcare affect people?

Lack of health insurance coverage may negatively affect health. Uninsured adults are less likely to receive preventive services for chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Should everyone have the same access to healthcare?

Article 12 goes on to require that “states must protect this right by ensuring that everyone within their jurisdiction has access to the underlying determinants of health, such as clean water, sanitation, food, nutrition, and housing, and through a comprehensive system of health care, which is available to everyone ...

How does affordable healthcare benefit the economy?

Lower long-term deficits due to the ACA will mean higher national saving, which will increase capital accumulation and reduce foreign borrowing, thereby making workers more productive and increasing national income and living standards over time. 4. Improving health and making workers more productive.

What is the effect of the Affordable Care Act on health care access?

Enrollees' Access to Care

On an individual basis, gaining insurance coverage through the ACA decreases the probability that a person will report not receiving medical care because of costs by 20.9 percent (Exhibit 3), according to the NHIS data.

How does expensive healthcare affect the poor?

The researchers also found that medical spending sent millions of people effectively into poverty or into deeper rungs of poverty. Seven million Americans making more than 150 percent of the federal poverty line—$31,000 for a family of three—dropped below that line if medical expenses were subtracted from their income.

How does healthcare reduce poverty?

Public health insurance benefits (Medicaid, Medicare, and premium subsidies) are among the most important antipoverty programs. They account for almost one-third of the poverty reduction from public benefits for individuals in households without a disability recipient.

What does it mean to have access to healthcare?

Health care access is the ability to obtain healthcare services such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases, illness, disorders, and other health-impacting conditions. For healthcare to be accessible it must be affordable and convenient. Many people do not have access to adequate healthcare.

Has the Affordable Care Act improve healthcare quality and accessibility?

Implementation of the ACA was associated with improved patient experience and access and decreased out-of-pocket expenditures for lower income individuals, but little or no change in quality, utilization, and the total cost of care.

What are the benefits of universal healthcare?

It enables universal, integrated access to health services as close as possible to people's everyday environments. It also helps deliver the full range of quality services and products that people need for health and well-being, thereby improving coverage and financial protection.

Does everyone have access to free healthcare?

There is no universal healthcare.

The U.S. government does not provide health benefits to citizens or visitors. Any time you get medical care, someone has to pay for it.

Why is healthcare so expensive?

There are many factors that contribute to the high cost of healthcare in the country. These include wasteful systems, rising drug costs, medical professional salaries, profit-driven healthcare centers, the type of medical practices, and health-related pricing.

What are the 10 essential benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Essential health benefits ensure that health plans cover care that patients need
  • Ambulatory patient services (outpatient services)
  • Emergency services.
  • Hospitalization.
  • Maternity and newborn care.
  • Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment.
  • Prescription drugs.

What would make the Affordable Care Act better?

Making Insurance Premiums More Affordable

ensure through 2025 that no one has to spend more than 8.5 percent of household income on premiums; previously, eligibility for premium tax credits was capped at 400 percent of the federal poverty level (i.e., $106,000 for a family of four)

Did the Affordable Care Act save money?

Yet the ACA has more than delivered on that promise, saving about $4,000 per family. And these lower health care premiums probably contribute to the recent rise in workers' wages.