Healthcare reform under the Obama Administration has proven to be the most deliberated topic for Americans since 2010. Although the intention was to provide affordable healthcare to the poor and uninsured; the actions taken to address the need are questionable in whether they benefited America, or produced larger problems. The Affordable Health Care Act did, with all controversy aside, pave the way for a future where every American is entitled to health care; and with this in mind, it can be observed that there still needs to be reform to make such a future obtainable. A fair, equitable system must be in place where Americans who have an insurer or health care plan, are not penalized by new rules, and there needs to be a way to reduce fiscal …show more content…
The AHCA has made health insurance increasingly easy to obtain for those who were previously uninsured or too poor to afford it. Despite this achievement, it can be observed that while an estimated 60% of Americans now get health insurance from their employers, a study by Commonwealth Fund found that four in ten, skipped some form of care due to the cost. The number of workers with annual deductibles has increased by 55%, and the prices are far from low (Kaiser Family Foundation 2014). In fact, the size of an average deductible has doubled as well, rising from a small payment of $584, to $1,217 for individual coverage. Additionally, the AHCA does not provide protection from out-of network health costs, and still many are finding themselves bankrupt because of medical expenses. For example, New York Times writer, Elisabeth Rosenthal, found herself paying a “$117,000 bill from an “assistant surgeon"—an out-of-network doctor that the hospital tacked on at the last minute.” This raises the question as to whether or not the AHCA is truly fair in its principal of equal, accessible coverage, as there still seems to be unintended consequences for those who do have insurance. To exemplify, during an annual meeting with the American Medical Association in 2009,