Seattle, WA (PRWEB) June 29, 2012
When President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law in March of 2010, within minutes Florida, and 12 other states filed legal challenges. Shortly thereafter, 13 others, including the National Federation of Independent Businesses and several individuals joined in, vowing to see the bill repealed. (bbc.co.uk, 6/28/12) From its creation this particular law would continue to be a significant yet profoundly polarizing piece of legislation. As the country was deep in a recession and the unemployment rate was soaring, there was only one real question to ask: How could a Healthcare Bill help our situation? Now the country is about to find out.
When the mandate goes into effect an estimated 30 million people will be added to the insurance pool. This will not only greatly increase spending, but create a tremendous necessity for healthcare workers. Not only will health employment positions begin to increase rapidly, but people will be in great demand to fill positions even marginally attached to the medical industry. Joseph White, Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy, as well as chair of the Department of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University agrees. He believes that this will drive additional funding into other areas such as pharmaceutical companies, private doctors offices, as well as hospitals, and even back into the insurance companies themselves. (finance.yahoo.com, 6/28/12)
The Healthcare IT sector is an area that has already been growing, but could now see a huge boost in employment opportunities. With such a massive influx of patients entering the healthcare system so rapidly, a digitized method of record keeping, management, as well as securing those health record systems is desperately needed, especially in rural areas across the nation. Dependable network systems and skilled IT administrators who are familiar with the needs of a Healthcare facility will be in high demand. Positions are projected to become more available for those with the knowledge and experience in the creation and implementation of medical records repositories, according to John Birkmeyer, professor of surgery and director of University of Michigan's center for health-care outcomes and policy. (finance.yahoo.com, 6/28/12)
According to the Wall Street Journal, the new Healthcare bill could mean easing the burden for a lot of working parents and families, including single mothers and fathers, through the Exchanges and incentives system. (http://blogs.wsj.com, 6/28/12) The bill itself establishes what the legislation refers to as Exchanges, for both small businesses and individual consumers. This basically means that beginning in 2014, individuals and small businesses can compare health plans, ask questions, and find out if they are eligible for tax credits to enroll in more affordable health programs.
One example are Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) are available in every state and provide free or low-cost insurance for children in working families; including families with individuals with a variety of immigration statuses as well as many adults who are also eligible. For more information on CHIP or to find your State's CHIP Web site, go to http://www.insurekidsnow.gov (, 6/28/12)
This Exchange program also helps small businesses compete with bigger companies by giving them a more extensive choice of healthcare plans for their employees at more affordable prices and without being subjected to the premium swings that can happen when one or more employees has a serious condition within a small insurance pool. Also, small businesses with less than 25 employees under the new system can qualify for a 35% tax incentive to offset the cost of insurance, in addition to the assistance provided by the Exchange program, just by offering health insurance to employees. That percentage will increase to 50% in 2014. (healthcare.gov, 6/28/12)
There will be many questions in the months to come as the nation attempts to wade through the reactions and emotions that naturally emerge during times of great upheaval. The key will be waiting patiently as the emotions settle; and the mechanism is slowly put into place in order to see how the bigger picture fits together.