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What is Obama Care?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is more widely referred to as health care reform, whereas its critics might call it Obamacare. President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. Yet, the process started in 2008, when Barack Obama determined to develop a more organized system of health care that would guarantee all Americans had proper access to health services. His model, which included electronic records and an individual insurance mandate, was based on the government program used by Congress.
The individual mandate portion of the law has been the most controversial aspect of Obamacare. It requires that many Americans acquire health insurance by 2014. Those who do not may be fined. Some people will be exempt, such as those with religious objections, people in jail or prison, undocumented aliens, and those who have very low income. Although the individual mandate may be unpleasant to many, there are many less controversial components of the law.
At this time, an estimated 32 million U.S. citizens are without health insurance today, many times either because they cannot afford it or because they have pre-existing medical conditions. Emergency care can become their main method of health care, and routine or preventative care is avoided, meaning simple health conditions can develop into costly and complex problems by the time patients are treated. Thanks to Obamacare, the practices that left many of these individuals unable to obtain affordable insurance will no longer exist.
Those with pre-existing conditions will have more equal access to health insurance. Children with pre-existing medical conditions will no longer be denied coverage and by 2014, neither will adults with pre-existing conditions. If an individual develops an expensive chronic or major health condition while insured, his or her health coverage company will not be able to drop him, a practice called rescission, without proof of fraud or deliberate misrepresentation.
Small businesses will be encouraged to provide employer-sponsored health coverage to their employees through a series of tax incentives. Individuals whose employers do not offer health coverage may be eligible for credits that can help them obtain their health coverage policies through new state or federal health insurance exchanges. Medicaid coverage will be expanded so that low- and moderate-income families who cannot access low cost health coverage through insurance exchanges and whose employers do not provide health insurance will still have access.
Obamacare has been roundly criticized, and the conversation has been politically charged. Even though controversy remains, it is unclear how the individual mandate will play out. Many of the changes that have already taken place have been positive for Americans, however, providing expanded health coverage options and accessibility and better regulation of the insurance industry.
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As the cost of
health care California keeps increasing, it has become more crucial than ever for individuals and families to have a
health coverage policy that could help offset these costs. Sofi Insurance can help you find an affordable plan for yourself and your family.
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Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 -
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