Does the Health Care Debate Feel Familiar?

There is a lot similar about how the Medicare program became an integral part of America’s insurance scene and Obamacare.

Years back, this program was the federal governments’ most contentious and fought about initiative it was – Medicare.

Today it is Obamacare which is going through the same sort of odds -The Affordable Care Act will undergo the same and more criticism than Medicare before it hopefully becomes popular and comes to stay. In 1960, Peter A. Corning a journalist and student of New York University evolved Medicare while under contract with the Social Security Administration.

What is Medicare / Medicaid? - Eligibility - Payment - Reference
Medicaid / Medicare are different governmental programs that provide medical and health-related services to specific groups of people in U.S. and managed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

There were a number of debates ranging over the years – about health care for the elderly, proposals abounded right from the 1950’s through the 1960s’ in the quest for a suitable compromise. Though President John F. Kennedy acknowledged the need of care for the aged, he could not do much till after the mid-term elections in 1962. Opposition forces – mainly the American Medical Association launched a challenge against this act by launching pamphlets, radio and TV Commercials along with speeches.

Insurance companies and the nonprofit Blue Cross Association joined the melee by developing low cost insurance programs for the elderly. There were continued debates and surprisingly business also opposed the government using the chamber of commerce for insurance. There were so many defeats that Medicare supporters became pessimistic and felt that Medicare was a lost cause.

At the same time medical costs were rising steeply, as a result private insurance was exorbitant – only 1 in every 4 elderly people had insurance. This scenario also meant that "hospitals were not being reimbursed adequately for the cost of treating elderly patients, (so) there was a tendency to load the cost of 'charity' care onto the paying customers and their insurance carriers ... " (Sound familiar?) This cost-shifting problem led to strong support from American hospitals for Medicare - and it's the same reason they support Obama's reforms today.

Quiz on Health Insurance
This Quiz is to test your knowledge on health insurance in the U.S, there is so much activity with the new law and building of Health Exchanges – all peaking for a January 2014 deadline.

By 1965 the need for a program was becoming clear; with a decrease in personal income and high medical costs the Medicare program had found its place. This reminds one of Obamacare – one will need to wait and see if it becomes as integral a part of America’s Medicare after a few years?

References:

Health Insurance
This slideshow explains the concepts about healthcare insurance industry in India.

Hannah Punitha (IRDA Licence Number: 2710062)

Janet Pearson, June 2013

Study Suggests African-Americans on Medicaid are Far Less Likely to Receive Living Kidney Transplants
A new study suggests that African Americans who have Medicaid as their primary insurance were less likely to receive a living kidney transplant (LKT) compared to patients with private insurance.

Source-Medindia