Healthcare Reform: Healthcare Thats Concerned With Health Essay

One of the greatest issues facing the nation today is the number of people who do not have access to health care coverage. Americans are struggling to pay medical bills and are accumulating medical debt at an alarming rate. Approximately two-thirds of the working-age population are uninsured or underinsured and did not seek health care due to the cost. â€Å"More than two in five adults in the 19-to-64 age group reported problems paying medical bills† (Quality of Care, 2010). Their difficulties include not being able to afford medical attention when needed, running up medical debts, dealing with collection agencies about unpaid bills, or having to change their lifestyle to repay medical debts. Health-care costs are limiting what the consumer can pay for daily necessities. Of those facing mounting medical bills, â€Å"39 percent used all their savings, 30 percent incurred large credit card debt, and 29 percent said medical bills left them unable to pay for basic necessit ies such as food, heat or rent† (Nicholson, 2010). The United States' health care system relies heavily on private health insurance, which is the primary source of coverage for most Americans. According to the Center for Disease Control, â€Å"approximately 58% of Americans have private health insurance† (American Health Journal). Before the development of medical insurance, patients were expected to pay for all of their health care costs out of their own pockets, under what is known as the fee-for-service business model. During the 1920s, hospitals began offering services to individuals on a pre-paid basis, leading to the development of Blue Cross organizations and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) during the 1930’s to the 1940’s. After much success with Blu... ...2058015621). Nations Health. 2007; 37(8)  © 2007 American Public Health Association New health reform benefits. (2010, August 17). Chattanooga Times Free Press, B.6. retrieved September 6, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2112796951). Noam N Levey. (2010, September 3). Benefits cost workers more: Survey shows employees are asked to shoulder entire increase in health insurance. Chicago Tribune, p. 21. Retrieved September 6, 2010, from Chicago Tribune. (Document ID: 2128253731). Quality of Care; Prognosis Health Information Systems Teams up With Excellence in Healthcare to Improve Quality of Care and Ease CMS Core Measure Reporting. (2010, August). Managed Care Law Weekly, 1778. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 2107852331). Sultz, H., Young, K. 2009. Health Care USA. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.