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The Healthy Americans Act addresses the health care needs of all Americans. In so doing, there are several areas of interest. Fundamental to this act is the notion that every Americans should be afforded the opportunity to have private health care insurance and should be obligated to self-register in order to receive this health insurance. An integral part of this is the notion children, Americans with disabilities as well as the elderly should be provided with healthcare as they represent a protected population. This act extends the notion that healthcare is a fundamental right of every American and transforms it in one that mandates healthcare for all American. It includes sanctions with regards to the responsibility of adults to provide coverage for their dependents and offers a clear definition of a dependent based on the Tax Code. It dictates that if an individual is found to not have purchased this insurance for his/her dependent, then there is a fine levied and is payable to the Health Help Agency (HHA) of the state in which he/she resides (110th Congress-first Session, 1994).
The Healthy Americans Act offers clear and concise guidelines for health plans. These guidelines include provisions for the level of care that should be provided, the constituents of the care plan as well as a determination of the premium. Moreover, it offers premium subsidy for indigent individuals. This subsidy results in a graduated premium based on stringent income guidelines and effectively means that indigent individuals will receive free health care. The guidelines with regards to the premium paid are based on the poverty determination. Additionally, for the individuals who are not indigent, there is an obligation to contribute to this plan. This contribution is realized through the premiums paid. The premiums of range from approximately $357 per month for individual coverage to approximately $883 for family coverage. The employer is also responsible for contributing to the healthcare of their employees and in response, they receive business tax credit (Sheils, Haught & Murphy, 2006).
Wellness programs are also an integral part of the act and it serves as a cost-containment measure. These programs include health promotion and maintenance programs for children as well as the elderly or disabled adults. Central to the maintenance programs are built-in provisions for long-term care as the level of long-term care can significantly impact the health of elderly Americans. Moreover, there is a reward offered for older adult who maintain healthier lifestyles. This reward is realized in the adjustment of Medicare Part B premiums. As with every other provision in this act, there is a regulatory aspect. This aspect is governed by the individual states. In addition to provisions for the maintenance of health, there are stringent guidelines that address the need for primary care (110th Congress-first Session, 1994).
This act recognizes the importance of improvement of the healthcare delivery system. It recognizes that there must be a level of cost-containment with regards to medicine and the provision of gap coverage. Moreover, the quality of hospitals and other healthcare facilities should be monitored and certain guidelines should be in place to determine the adequacy of the level of coverage. One of the most sensitive aspects of this act is the provision for the quality of end of life care. This speaks directly to the notion that all individuals should be afforded the opportunity to have healthcare that takes their current health status into consideration.
The governance of the HHA is another fundamental concern with the act. In addressing this concern, it delineates clear and concise guidelines for the governance of the agency, responsibilities of every faction within the agency, the way in which the agency addresses enrollment as well as all fiscal matters within the agency. One of the most parts of this act is the notion that there are various entities that share the responsibility of assuring each and every American is given affordable healthcare. These entities include the HHA, the individual, his/her employer, the insurer and the state and federal governments (Congressional Budget Office, 2008).
When one examines the distributional aspects of this act, one can clearly see that there are two main areas of distribution. These areas address the dissemination of information with regards to the wellness programs and the distribution of funds to HHA in order to assure the maintenance and governance of the program. The dissemination of important is an area that is vital to the success of this act and the realization of its goal. This act not only focuses on the provision of healthcare for the infirmed but it utilizes the notion that providing wellness programs and equipping individuals with access to information about the programs is vital to assuring that all Americans are afforded healthcare and funding is provided for those who cannot afford healthcare. In this vein, distribution of information and a focus on the technology that facilitates this is crucial to cost-containment.
Moreover, in order to assure that this program remains funded it is necessary for the HHA to assure distribution of funds is facilitated in a proactive manner-one that assures that the funding sources are continual and premiums of the individual monetary contributors are collected when due. Furthermore, there is a responsibility to impact sanctions on individuals who are not exempt from enrolling when they have failed to maintain coverage for themselves and their dependents (110th Congress-first Session, 1994).
References
110th Congress-first Session (1994). The Healthy Americans Act.
Congressional Budget Office (2008). Healthcare Letter.
Sheils, J., Haught , R. & Murphy, E. (2006). Cost and Coverage Estimates for the "Healthy Americans Act". Virginia: The Lewin Group.
The Healthy Americans Act addresses the health care needs of all Americans. In so doing, there are several areas of interest. Fundamental to this act is the notion that every Americans should be afforded the opportunity to have private health care insurance and should be obligated to self-register in order to receive this health insurance. An integral part of this is the notion children, Americans with disabilities as well as the elderly should be provided with healthcare as they represent a protected population. This act extends the notion that healthcare is a fundamental right of every American and transforms it in one that mandates healthcare for all American. It includes sanctions with regards to the responsibility of adults to provide coverage for their dependents and offers a clear definition of a dependent based on the Tax Code. It dictates that if an individual is found to not have purchased this insurance for his/her dependent, then there is a fine levied and is payable to the Health Help Agency (HHA) of the state in which he/she resides (110th Congress-first Session, 1994).
The Healthy Americans Act offers clear and concise guidelines for health plans. These guidelines include provisions for the level of care that should be provided, the constituents of the care plan as well as a determination of the premium. Moreover, it offers premium subsidy for indigent individuals. This subsidy results in a graduated premium based on stringent income guidelines and effectively means that indigent individuals will receive free health care. The guidelines with regards to the premium paid are based on the poverty determination. Additionally, for the individuals who are not indigent, there is an obligation to contribute to this plan. This contribution is realized through the premiums paid. The premiums of range from approximately $357 per month for individual coverage to approximately $883 for family coverage. The employer is also responsible for contributing to the healthcare of their employees and in response, they receive business tax credit (Sheils, Haught & Murphy, 2006).
Wellness programs are also an integral part of the act and it serves as a cost-containment measure. These programs include health promotion and maintenance programs for children as well as the elderly or disabled adults. Central to the maintenance programs are built-in provisions for long-term care as the level of long-term care can significantly impact the health of elderly Americans. Moreover, there is a reward offered for older adult who maintain healthier lifestyles. This reward is realized in the adjustment of Medicare Part B premiums. As with every other provision in this act, there is a regulatory aspect. This aspect is governed by the individual states. In addition to provisions for the maintenance of health, there are stringent guidelines that address the need for primary care (110th Congress-first Session, 1994).
This act recognizes the importance of improvement of the healthcare delivery system. It recognizes that there must be a level of cost-containment with regards to medicine and the provision of gap coverage. Moreover, the quality of hospitals and other healthcare facilities should be monitored and certain guidelines should be in place to determine the adequacy of the level of coverage. One of the most sensitive aspects of this act is the provision for the quality of end of life care. This speaks directly to the notion that all individuals should be afforded the opportunity to have healthcare that takes their current health status into consideration.
The governance of the HHA is another fundamental concern with the act. In addressing this concern, it delineates clear and concise guidelines for the governance of the agency, responsibilities of every faction within the agency, the way in which the agency addresses enrollment as well as all fiscal matters within the agency. One of the most parts of this act is the notion that there are various entities that share the responsibility of assuring each and every American is given affordable healthcare. These entities include the HHA, the individual, his/her employer, the insurer and the state and federal governments (Congressional Budget Office, 2008).
When one examines the distributional aspects of this act, one can clearly see that there are two main areas of distribution. These areas address the dissemination of information with regards to the wellness programs and the distribution of funds to HHA in order to assure the maintenance and governance of the program. The dissemination of important is an area that is vital to the success of this act and the realization of its goal. This act not only focuses on the provision of healthcare for the infirmed but it utilizes the notion that providing wellness programs and equipping individuals with access to information about the programs is vital to assuring that all Americans are afforded healthcare and funding is provided for those who cannot afford healthcare. In this vein, distribution of information and a focus on the technology that facilitates this is crucial to cost-containment.
Moreover, in order to assure that this program remains funded it is necessary for the HHA to assure distribution of funds is facilitated in a proactive manner-one that assures that the funding sources are continual and premiums of the individual monetary contributors are collected when due. Furthermore, there is a responsibility to impact sanctions on individuals who are not exempt from enrolling when they have failed to maintain coverage for themselves and their dependents (110th Congress-first Session, 1994).
References
110th Congress-first Session (1994). The Healthy Americans Act.
Congressional Budget Office (2008). Healthcare Letter.
Sheils, J., Haught , R. & Murphy, E. (2006). Cost and Coverage Estimates for the "Healthy Americans Act". Virginia: The Lewin Group.