Delivering professional health care is connected to a variety of factors, including political, social, bureaucratic, and financial issues. The same is true about health-care reforms. Nowadays, the American health-care system is operational and effective. Nevertheless, there are always issues that can be altered to make it even more efficient. For instance, employer-sponsored insurance offers a significant challenge. At present, workplace wellness programs are an extremely sensitive issue because the decision to employ or fire an individual may be connected to that person’s health status due to potentially increased insurance costs (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2017). In addition, only large companies—those employing more than 200 people—are obligated to sponsor health insurance (Pollitz & Rae, 2017).
The central challenge connected to the current legislation is the fact that it potentially leads to decreased access to professional care. The proposed change will decrease the threshold for company-sponsored insurance. Under the requirements of the main proposal, companies employing more than 150 people will be obligated by law to provide their employees with health insurance. This proposal will impact only those companies that were not involved in this system, and other elements will not feel the change.
While this reform is connected to increased corporate costs, it offers the benefit of reducing the financial burden on taxpayers—especially those who are obliged to pay for their insurance themselves. At the same time, it will potentially contribute to a reduction in governmental health-care costs due to increased health insurance premiums and the overall quantity of employer-sponsored insurance.
Moreover, it is essential to state that the proposed novelty is connected to potential positive changes in people’s access to health care due to increased access to health insurance. This can be explained by the fact that the number of uninsured has been growing because of a decrease in employer support (Sultz & Young, 2014). With the anticipated increase in access to care, the potential influence on the health of the population is also positive. In the long term, this change will improve population health as it will facilitate the timely treatment of diseases and the prevention of complications. However, in order to implement this change and make it efficient, governmental support is essential.
This can be explained by the fact that this novelty will increase the financial burden on companies. It is associated with potential changes in employment and industry. For instance, companies might be interested in cutting the number of staff. Therefore, guaranteeing discounts for employer-sponsored health insurance is a must in order to balance the situation.
In conclusion, regardless of the potential challenges, the benefits of this novelty outweigh the related costs. This fact can be explained not only by the anticipated increased access to health care and improved health outcomes but also the fact that there is no need for additional training of staff—neither health professionals nor human resource managers—because all procedures related to employee insurance are already established and well-known. The only issue is the necessity to find the right balance between government requirements and companies’ operations. Nevertheless, in the case of increased governmental support, the change will go beyond the health-care sector.
From this perspective, except for improved population health and the decrease in the number of uninsured, the proposed health-care reform is connected to confidence in the government and trust in its actions and decisions.
References
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2017). Private insurance. Web.
Pollitz, K., & Rae, M. (2017). Changing rules for workplace wellness programs: Implications for sensitive health conditions. Web.
Sultz, H. A., & Young, K. M. (2014). Health care USA: Understanding its organization and delivery (8th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.