Healthcare Economics and Policy

Healthcare Economics and Policy
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(April 18, 2012)
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Table of Contents
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc323099957 \h
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Main Body  PAGEREF _Toc323099958 \h
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1. What is the legislative basis for this statement of health policy? Cite the legislative provision and quote the wording.  PAGEREF _Toc323099959 \h
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2. Initially, what groups supported the policy and which groups opposed it? Explain the major positions for and against.  PAGEREF _Toc323099960 \h
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3. How did President Obama modify his original position?  PAGEREF _Toc323099961 \h
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4. What measure did the U.S. Senate take in response to the President’s action?  PAGEREF _Toc323099962 \h
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5. Personally, do you support or oppose the President’s modified position? Explain why you support or oppose the President’s position  PAGEREF _Toc323099963 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc323099964 \h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc323099965 \h
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Healthcare Economics and Policy
Introduction
It is believed that more than ten million women in United States of America use oral contraceptives in the birth control. Researchers has identified that oral contraceptives are the leading method of birth control in America. A report tabled by the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC, 2012) cited that more than half of the pregnancies in America are unintended. This indicates that the unintended pregnancies are characterized with risks associated with birth systems.
Currently, in the United States of America, most of the women receive health services provided by the health insurance coverage that is offered by private plans (Atlas, 2009). A report done by the Kaiser Family Foundation (Salganicoff & Ranji, 2012) in twenty ten indicated that employers aligned to the fact that more than eight five percent of the large firms pay for their employees; this is accordance to the health plans proposed considering the contraception. Federal law exempts few religious insurers and requires that the contraceptives coverage on the insurance be administered to all federal employees and their corresponding dependants (Miller, 2012).
There are a number of birth controls applied in the United States. The effectiveness accorded by the birth controls depends on the individual human hormones and the consistency of the user. Birth control methods are credited with reducing chances of unintended pregnancies. There are intrauterine contraception, contraceptive implants, hormonal methods, fertility awareness methods and barrier methods (CDC, 2012). These are limited and commonly used methods of birth control; there are other methods available in the market (Atlas, 2009).
Main Body
What is the legislative basis for this statement of health policy? Cite the legislative provision and quote the wording.
The Health insurance coverage for contraception is a newly reform in the American health systems; this came to light when the Affordable Care Act was passed (Salganicoff & Ranji, 2012). The Act had considerable attention to the preventive care that reformed the private plans on the preventive services offered by the clinics in the United States of America (Salganicoff & Ranji, 2012). The holders of accounts are accorded plans with no chances of sharing.
The law in section two thousand, seven hundred and thirteen confers that the private plans has the responsibility of cover services of the American women. Recommendations accorded by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Heath Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and Bright Futures guidelines self for the preventive care offered by the pediatric.
The law requires that the health insurance plans covering employers and the prescription medication provide similar coverage on contraception (Kaiser, 2011). This is a system that values the contraception equity; the law is a bloated towards the protection of women in the United States. The law dictates that the insurers cover procedures, outpatient’s consultations, medical services and examinations; this is useful in the maintenance, administration, prescription, or lifting contraceptive in a case of double medication prescription.
The legal basis on the health policy basing on the year two thousand and nine reflected on the National Assembly and acknowledgement and approval by the state provision; the state budget dictates that insurance plans to cover contraception in equal share with the coverage in prescription medication. Employers in the United States of America are expected to observe the rule of the law (Kliff, 2011).
Considering the year two thousand and four, the Equal Rights Division and the state agency ruled out that employers absconding coverage of contraceptives are segmented to the sex discrimination, this is a violation of the United States laws in relation to Fair labour Employment Act. The law goes ahead to assert that it prohibits Universities, State Colleges, employers from excluding health benefit plans siding with prescription contraceptives. This is in the relation that the health plans covers for the prescription medication. The American law dictates that all the employers have the responsibility of ensuring that Equal Rights Division ruling are observed to the letter (Wood, 2012).
Initially, what groups supported the policy and which groups opposed it? Explain the major positions for and against.
There are a number of organizations that supported the health insurance coverage while others opposed the system. The groups opposing the health insurance coverage for contraceptives resonates with the church leaders, republicans’ party and the CNN (Krauskopf, 2012). There are other bodies against the law although not significantly heard. The church leaders taking an example of the Assemblies of God cited that they were prepared to fight with president Obama on the controversial policy relating to the birth control insurance (Engelman, 2011).
Obama had cited that there are some religious bodies that would be exempted from the law. Religious employers are not subject to offering free contraceptives to their workers. The responsibility of offering free contraceptives shifted to the insurers (Potts, 2012). This is a compromise on the law. The bishops cited that the law had serious moral issues that needed to be handled with weight (Survey, 2010). The church leaders cited that Obama proposal directs intrusion to the religious institutions internal governance, which they termed as needless. Church leaders asserted that the Obama proposal had deep implications considering Christianity convictions and risked dividing the religious groups and people. The bishops urged the Obama government congress to overturn the ruling (CNN, 2012).
The church leaders stand resonates with the notion that the churches have no mandates to offering birth control coverage; this is the responsibility of the hospitals, charities and Universities (Spak, 2012). Obama Republican opponents and the church leaders were against the rule on contraception indicating that the government was insensitive to the moral standing of the American society, as well a violation to the freedom of religious bodies (Creamer, 2012). This is a potential threat for Obama re-election to the office.
Other bodies opposing the law are the social conservatives, democratic lawmakers and Republican hopefuls in the presidential polls. The stand of the republicans resonates with seizing the issue in the manner that America has encountered improved economic status powering his re-election to the presidency (Carmon, 2011). President Obama’s compromise was driven at reducing controversy with his catholic voters and at the same time soothing the liberal case.
Poll done on the American residents and supporters of Catholics indicated that they supported contraception coverage. The poll went further to assert that fifty seven percent of the women in the Catholic Church supported the compromise. Majority of the public people in America supported the contraception proposal (Goldstein, 2012). This is considering that it would alleviate unwanted pregnancies in the society. Catholic doctors in United States supported the Obama mandates in the birth control; doctors cited that the Act will allow affordable health care in that women would access contraception via insurance plans with no side payments (Pecquet, 2011).
The GOP congress and the Republic presidential candidates are siding with the Catholics to oppose the Obama health reforms on contraception. Researchers has cited that ninety eighty percent of the Catholics in America use some forms of birth control, this is in contrast with the catholic faith that teaches against contraceptives (IOM, 2011). The government has a direct model of offering affordable birth control systems to the American people (Trahant, 2012). This is not a secular attack to the religious bodies as the religious leaders believe. Doctors in America cite that their highest concerns are based on the health care of women.
Doctors continue to assert that more than half of the American women aged fifteen to forty four use oral contraceptions to control birth, pains associated with the monthly period, endometriosis and acne (Heath, 2012). Doctors argue that by the government providing contraceptives will alleviate cases of abortions by the reducing chances of unwanted pregnancies in America. The law does not have sub-sections against the Catholics and other religious bodies; in fact more than fifty three percent of the catholic followers supported the Obama administration. Evangelical protestants does not forbid contraception but indicated that the easy availability of the cont...