Access to quality health services is an integral part of people’s lives. Both young and older adults need to know that they and their children can receive proper medical care any time they need it. Unfortunately, despite the great significance of healthcare, this field is not fully developed in the U.S., and some low-income people cannot get timely or quality treatment. It is still common for people to be dissatisfied with the services provided, and if one is not extremely wealthy, they will probably remain in huge debt after receiving treatment. Thankfully, Congress often uses evidence-based approaches to inform health policy decision-making.
Recently, there have been many healthcare policies proposed by Congress. For example, in 2021, senator Mark Warner introduced the Health Care Improvement Act of 2021. Its main purpose is to make sure that more Americans can receive proper medical care. This should be achieved by expanding their access to affordable health care coverage and reducing the general costs of medical services. COVID-19 had devastating effects on America: the economic and health crisis has led to millions of people not having insurance (Woolhandler & Himmelstein, 2020). Therefore, the nation’s health is significantly decreased, and it is essential to allow more Americans receive medical care. A decision to expand affordable health care coverage has already been considered effective earlier: Caswell and Waidmann (2019) stated that this step would reduce the levels of bankruptcy, great medical debts, and the deterioration of various diseases among people. Further, “expanding insurance coverage results in enhanced access to cancer surgery” (Eguia et al., 2018, p. 584). Therefore, it is possible to say that this policy is both evidence-based and efficient.
To draw a conclusion, one may say that this policy is likely to change the healthcare field for the better. Indeed, all people deserve to receive proper medical services, notwithstanding their income. If healthcare costs are reduced, and Medicaid coverage is expanded, more Americans, including the working class, will receive an opportunity to get access to quality healthcare services, and the general health of the nation will be improved.
References
Caswell, K. J., & Waidmann, T. A. (2019). The affordable care act Medicaid expansions and personal finance. Medical Care Research and Review, 76(5), 538-571.
Eguia, E., Cobb, A. N., Kothari, A. N., Molefe, A., Afshar, M., Aranha, G. V., & Kuo, P. C. (2018). Impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion on cancer admissions and surgeries. Annals of Surgery, 268(4), 584–590.
Warner, M. (2021). S.352 — 117th Congress (2021-2022) [PDF document]. Web.
Woolhandler, S., & Himmelstein, D. U. (2020). Intersecting US epidemics: COVID-19 and lack of health insurance. Annals of Internal Medicine, 173(1), 63-64.