UNINSURED AMERICANS

30 Million Uninsured Americans

30 Million Uninsured Americans

Introduction

The concept of 30 million uninsured Americans is based on rapidly spreading news reports that began to surface this August regarding the long term implications of the much debated Affordable Care Act; otherwise also known in media circles as the Obamacare Act. The act has been designed to ensure that currently uninsured Americans can be provided with adequate insurance. However, criticism regarding the act has pointed out that 30 million Americans will be left without insurance in 2022 when the Act is at complete implementation. Currently, there are around 53 million individuals in the US who are without insurance coverage. More specifically, the Affordable Care Act will enable 14 million currently uninsured individuals in the US to come under the insurance umbrella (Flaer, Younis, Alotaibi, & Hajeri, 2012). This number is expected to rise to around 30 million towards the conclusion of the current decade. While the numbers are undoubtedly staggering but there is a need to acknowledge that this scenario will leave around 30 million individuals without insurance coverage; which implies that only 50% of the currently uninsured population will be able to benefit from the Affordable Care Act (Flaer, Younis, Alotaibi, & Hajeri, 2012). As a result, the act is coming under extensive criticism for being incapable of adequately addressing the magnitude of the issue at hand.

Discussion & Analyses

The health reform has been validated by the Supreme Court in the United States. The judges of the Court endorsed the principle of "individual mandate" is the requirement for all Americans to have medical coverage or face penalties (Flaer, Younis, Alotaibi, & Hajeri, 2012). If eight out of ten Americans already have insurance, the Law on Protection and Affordable Care patients (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), called "Obamacare" should allow 30 million Americans to receive medical coverage . Voting Supreme Court was immediately called by Barack Obama a "victory for all Americans." In companies with more than 50 employees, employers will now be required to purchase insurance for their employees (Waitzkin, 2010). In addition, insurance companies will not have the right to refuse people with medical problems. While Barack Obama is running for a second term, the Republicans have already announced that they would cancel the law if they return to power after the presidential election of November 2012 (Flaer, Younis, Alotaibi, & Hajeri, 2012).

The Supreme Court of the United States confirmed the ...