As the date of October 1 for new health care exchanges to open, nears, the controversies over the Affordable Care Act continue to abound. Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill to include almost 500,000 uninsured people by expanding Medicaid in the state of Michigan. Snyder was supported by Democratic U.S Rep. John Dingell who wanted a health care reform in place for the past 50 years.
"This is about the health of fellow Michiganders," Snyder said. He was happy that many critics of the health law approved the move.
"The expansion is the way that people who could not otherwise afford health insurance can now qualify for coverage and represents a potential addition of up to $200 million in federal funding for Michigan," said Jennifer Kluge, president and CEO of the Michigan Business and Professional Association.
Count her organization among those against the ACA. She mentioned the increased costs on business and concerns the ACA will temper business growth as reasons for her disdain.
A TV program was slated to be aired on 22nd at 11.30 a .m where leaders and people of Michigan would be featured in the program 'Health Care and you'.
"It will be a good thing as it helps encourage young people to focus on preventative care now before it becomes a problem with higher costs later in life," said Corey Tschannen, a 24-year-old pharmacy student at Wayne State University.
She wants to pursue health care as a career ever since her father succumbed to cancer 3 years back and her mother is a breast cancer survivor.
Dr. Ora Pescovitz, CEO of University of Michigan Health System, added: "The Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction, but is likely not going to solve everything."
States were given a choice to decide how to handle these exchanges under the ACA. Some states chose to run all or part of their own exchange. But Michigan and 26 other states left it to the federal government to run for the moment at least.
The exchange is a regulated marketplace where people can compare and buy insurance plans. It is intended for small business and people who don't have access to insurance through an employer or aren't enrolled in a government plan.
The success of the ACA will ultimately depend on people actually signing up.
References:
Hannah Punitha (IRDA Licence Number: 2710062)
Carol Cain, September 2013
Source: Medindia
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