The health sector in the United States has experienced tremendous changes since the 1940s. Each ruling regime proposed its health reforms to help Americans have access to better health. One of the most fundamental reforms is the Affordable Care Act and Medicare and Medicaid Programs that enhanced quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare. The costs of health and availability have been the key drivers for health reforms. Notably, the decisions to pass health care laws are based on party affiliations of the legislators and the reforms are critical in improving the healthcare system in the country.
The National Insurance Program was proposed by the administration of President Truman in 1945. The proposal did not succeed due to lack of adequate support and the proposal was labeled as socialized medicine. The Medicare and Medicaid program rolled out by President Lyndon Johnson was signed into law 1965 (Medhurst, 2016). The purpose of the plan was to offer hospital and medical insurance to Americans who were 65 years and above and to the poor people. People against the program argued that the program strained the federal budget. The National Health Insurance Standard Act was proposed by President Richard Nixon (Center, Woods, & Manchikanti, 2017). The proposal was to allow employers to provide cover for their employees and develop federal subsidies that would assist each of them to buy private insurance. However, the proposal was unsuccessful. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 (Miyamoto, 2017). The law required employers to allow former employees to stay on the health plan of the company for 18 months upon leaving the job but workers to bear the cost.
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The current and past political climates concerning health have some similarities and differences. Both the significant changes in the past and present reforms share the same purpose of increasing coverage of health care to people, improving access to treatment, and enhancing financial security. The politics of health reforms are all driven by the agendas of political parties both in the past and present (Obama, 2016). The difference is that majority of the past events sought to increase coverage for people who did not have access to the same while the current reforms aim to improve coverage for those who already have and those who do not have coverage.
The recurring trend is the debate on whether medical care is a right or a privilege. For instance, in 1944, President Roosevelt declared that each person has the right to have access to adequate medical care and enjoy good health. Others have, however, spoken against socialized medicine and questioned its applicability. The same continues to drive divisive debates among politicians and citizens to date
Health and health care are politically charged and polarizing. Many patients in America do not receive the necessary medical care even though more money is spent per person as compared to other nations. Also, the politics in the health sector are driven towards addressing poor quality, escalating costs; and increasing coverage. Political polarization, moreover, harms the health sector in America. Disagreements between the Democrats and Republicans, for instance, make it challenging to pass critical laws for the betterment of the health sector (Harvard Chan School, 2018). Political polarization creates a disconnection on the approach to health policy between Democrats and Republicans.
In conclusion, health care reforms are instrumental in promoting accessibility, affordability, and quality of care. Party affiliations have always engineered the reforms in the health sector. The politics in health care reforms, consequently, continue to affect the health sector due to stagnated legislation on laws that seek to improve healthcare delivery.
References
Center, H., Woods, C. A., & Manchikanti, L. (2017). Evolution of US Health Care Reform. Pain Physician , 20 , 107-110.
Harvard Chan School (2018). Political polarization threatens health care reform . [online] News. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/health-reform-politics/ [Accessed 24 May 2019].
Medhurst, M. J. (2016). LBJ, Reagan, and the American Dream: Competing visions of liberty. Presidential Studies Quarterly , 46 (1), 98-124.
Miyamoto, S. (2017). The state of play: Healthcare reform in 2017. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 22 (2).
Obama, B. (2016). United States health care reform: progress to date and next steps. Jama , 316 (5), 525-532.
