The debate over whether Health Care will be altered according to the Affordable Health Care Act is the hot topic of today’s news. The main questions most people have are basically the same; how will this affect me? This would be a comprehensive change and as in many government programs that have no history from which we can deduce an answer, there really isn’t a certain one. There are many supporters of this Act because it will provide access to health care for everyone, while the main opponents challenge the fairness of the potential impact on business owners who would be required to pay a penalty for not offering health insurance for their employees.
The cost of insurance is determined by estimating the potential ratio of losses within a certain group of people. The cost of potential losses based on a particular risk is distributed amongst a large number of people and then an average proportion of that cost is distributed to everyone in the group. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) would establish Medicare benefits to those who may not have had access to certain medicine or medical treatment. Some prescriptions and treatments have been unavailable due to lack of coverage or simply low quality or unavailability of services in underserved rural areas. While the cost of health insurance is justified for some, others who share this expense may not have the same quality of available care which creates a gap in coverage that the ACA attempt to close. This particular area of improvement would mean that insurance companies no longer receive overpayments that eventually cost the American taxpayers.
As Americans are waiting to know how the ACA will affect them individually and whether it will be passed in its current form, many problems with the healthcare system have been highlighted in the news and media. Nursing home care is not the least of many downfalls in our present system. When a Medicare patient becomes ill and needs medical treatment, there is a predetermined amount of money that Medicare will pay. Because this payment is essentially funded by taxpayer dollars, the new Affordable Care Act will have a higher standard of transparency in reporting. The relevant care that patients need when they enter a nursing home facility will become more efficient and reliable as the nursing homes are required to show the real value of services. With more information available from the comprehensive reports proposed in the ACA, the taxpayers will hopefully see fewer understaffed and unqualified nursing home facilities because there will be stringent requirements in order to bill Medicare.
There is a standard of care for your loved ones who are being treated in a nursing facility. Possible warning signs that your loved one is not getting the care they deserve include: dehydration, malnutrition, infections, bed sores or pressure ulcers. If you are worried that you or your loved one has suffered a serious illness or injury in a nursing home because of possible neglect or abuse call me today for a free consultation.