brief history of medicare

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Running Head: HEALTH INSURANCE POLICYS 1 Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Policies Jazalyn Harp Period 2 A Democratic preview for Americas Future This article has its importance in my paper because it offers background information to my paper. It offers the view point of Ted Kennedy who is a democrat. He covers a lot of issues including Medicare and the Health care plans. In this article it talks about his idea for Medicare for all in which health care is available for all from birth till elderly age. In this plan there would be phases to this policy. First they would try to free the financial burden from elderly people then transition to the younger kids, until Medicare is available to everyone. The only opposition to this policy is the powerful interests. This is because “they profit immensely from the status quo. Right wing forces will unleash false attack ads ranting against socialized medicine and government-run health care.” By getting past this group of people then this policy has a chance of working. (Kennedy, 2005)2004 Republican Platform This document is very essential to my paper because it provides the republican thoughts and ideas about Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP. The ideas expressed in this piece of article will provide a look into the way the Republicans wanted to enhance the medicare policy. The republicans want to reform the broken medical liability system. Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP In this article it talks about the republicans plans to strengthen the medicare 2 system by adding a prescription drug benefit. It will make prescription drugs available to a lot more people, close to 40 million people. The senior citizens will continue to have the same drug coverage but with added benefits. Also this article talks about Medicaid and the SCHIP programs. These programs will be expanded to more than 2.6 million children. They support enhancing efforts by parents to enroll into the program. Also they wanted expand the amountof community health centers.(Full Committee, 2004)SCHIP Information Center This is important to my paper because it provides information of a key aspect of my topic of choice, health care. This is one of the 3 topics Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. All of these programs help aid in healthcare insurance. SCHIP is a service provided for families who have children and live more than 200 percent below the poverty line. The democrats wanted to raise the income amount to a higher number so that more children would be able to receive aid from the government. This would essentially help more families receive health care. This program allows for even the poorest families to receive some kind of health care. By having this government run the government ha more access to resources than just families. (“What is SCHIP”,2004) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services This source is a very important one. It provides the heart of my policy. It explains in better deatail what my policy is and who is elegible. This source would help aid me in the process of writing my paper. Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP This article talks about how Medicaid is available to low income families and 3 people who fit the criteria by federal guidelines. This is important because it establishes the group targeted by the policy. Having a set guidelines help organize the policy so that it doesn’t get out of hand. This source al entails the categories of who is eligible for coverage and who is not. Medicaid does not cover all poor people. You must meet one of the other guidelines to be considered. The income test is only one factor in the decision of if you qualify.(“ Centers for medicare and medicaid services”, 2006)What is Medicare? This article is important because it helps distinguish the difference between Medicaid and Medicare. Although these to policies are different they are always put together as one so many people often get confused. This article tells exactly what Medicare and who it affects. This policy is basically a policy that covers the elderly, age 65 and over. It provides them with insurance to cover doctor visits, hospital stays, drugs and other treatments. It then talks about the various plans you can sign up for, Plan A which is basic and Plan B which is basic with added supplements. This article also provides a brief history of Medicare. Medicare was needed in the 1950’s but wasn’t established until 1965 there was an evident need for health care for the elderly. The congress then amended the law to add people with disabilities and renal diseases. (“What is medicare”, 2006)The History of Medicare and the current debate This article is important to my paper because it provide in depth the history of Medicare. They also talk about the debate the social security administration was having about the growth of the old population. The problem was that private insurers were Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP raising their prices making it difficult for anybody to get coverage, so they made this program 4 This article also talks about the failure of one of the upgrade Medicare programs, Medicare + Choice. This policy relied on private plans and an alternative to lower the cost of Medicare. According to this source it failed on both accounts. This article also talks about the Medicare Modernization Act (MMI). This act includes large subsidies that encourage private plans to participate in the program. This act will create medicare benefits that would oly be available to people who purchase the private plans. (“The Birth of the Medicare Program”,2005) . Health insurance for the uninsured kids This article is important because it gives supporting evidence to one of my other sources about SCHIP. SCHIP stands for State Children Health Insurance Program. This is a program to help insure children within the states. This article talks about how if your not eligible for Medicare you my be eligible for SCHIP. The amount of funds you can receive varies by which formula they use and the state. Most states use this as an added if the insurance by the state itself wouldn’t alone cover it. If you are currently working and your children don’t have any health insurance you are eligible for this program. Another way you are potentially eligible is If you income is about 36,000 a year for a typical 4 person household. This policy covers hospitalization, doctor visits, immunization and emergency room visits. (Longley)Our view on Medicare Part D Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP This article is important because it provides a look into the newest part of 5 Medicare, Part D. This added part gives senior citizens prescription drug coverage. This part of the plan was supposed to be beneficial to the pharmaceutical companies. This article also talks about how the part b plan was the democrats plan but was only used for campaign purposes. The democrats wanted the government to negotiate lower prices like other companies do. This site also provides reasons why this plan was slow to being formed. One of the reasons was that instead of negotiating prices they would try to dictate it. Although this plan had a hard start many senior citizens ended up satisfied with this plan. (“Our view on Medicare Part D”, 2006)Navigating Medicare and Medicaid 2005, Medicare and Medicaid This source provides a plethora of information in regards to Medicare and Medicaid. This source is separated into sections that have questions to answer about Medicare and Medicaid. It also gives a brief description of what exactly Medicare and Medicaid are. One of the main topics on this page is Medicare Medicaid eligibility. Some of the topics under this main topic are the various guidelines that someone must follow in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid. This also provides information about social security and children. The way this is set up makes it easier for me to get y information. The other two topics they separate into are Medicare and Medicaid services and Medicare and Medicaid appeal rights. This information is very important in knowing any policy. (“Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005”, 2008)Interaction between Medicaid and Medicare Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP 6 This source is important because it provides information on the topics in relation to each other rather than separate. It provides a connection between the two. This gives the understanding that you can receive benefits from both of these programs. This source talks about how to have dual eligibility in both programs. The Social Security Administration determines if a person is eligible for any of he programs. A way for someone to receive full coverage they could have been eligible for Medicare as a child and if they become 65 or older and still have a low income then they will be eligible for Medicaid. This article also talks about how the new prescription law would affect people with dual eligibility. Basically Medicaid would not carry drug prescriptions and they would have to transition over to Medicare Plan D. However there are restrictions on Medicaid to where people can’t receive funds from prescription drugs from Medicare. (“Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005: Interaction Between Medicare and Medicaid.”, 2005)Abstract Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP are programs to provide health insurance to the elderly low income families and children without insurance. These programs are important be cause it aids in the expansion of health care in the United States. Medicare is a program open to the elderly (people 65 and older). In order to eligible you have to have paid into the social security system or had a spouse who has paid. Also you can be eligible if you have a permanent disability as determined by Social Security Administration. This federal health insurance is to provide insurance for 41 million people. This program helps pay for a broad array of routine, acute, and preventive care; rehabilitation, mental health, and home health services; and Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP durable medical equipment essential to the health and independence of such beneficiaries. 7 The Medicare program helps the low income families with children who don’t have healthcare. Although Medicaid focuses on families this also serves elderly and people with disabilities. Individuals must have low incomes, have few assets (such as money in the bank), and meet immigration and residency requirements. Medicare is determined by the states. There are certain people that they have to provide coverage for called mandatory population this includes pregnant women, children under 6 and etcetera. This program provides coverage to a broader spectrum of people. (“Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005”, 2008) The SCHIP program was established to provide insurance for people with children that are below 200% of the poverty line. (“What is SCHIP”,2004) Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP are all policies that provide health insurance to citizens around the world. These programs focus on low income families, children, the elderly and people with disabilities no matter what their age is. These programs are closely associated with the Social Security Administration, because they are the ones who help determine if you are along the guidelines to be eligible. Healthcare is very important in every aspect and in order for some body to get the right coverage they must have some form of payments. As many of the politicians have different views on the subject they all agree on one thing that these policies are necessary. Medicare is a program that serves people age 65 and older, people under 65 with disabilities or people with renal diseases no matter what age. There are specific parts that Medicare is divided into, these are arranged by their coverage. Part A consists of hospital insurance. Part A covers hospices, inpatient care in hospitals, nursing facilities, and some home health care. Most people don’t have to pay a premium when the sign up for this Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP plan because they already paid this tax while they were working. Part B is solely optional. Although it would raise your monthly cost slightly it provides services to 8 include doctor visits and out patient care. Although this is optional if someone opts out of it but later determine they want to get the plan then they will be subject to higher prices. (“ Centers for medicare and medicaid services”, 2006) Another recently added part to this policy was Part D, which allowed people to get prescription drug coverage’s. Under part D they are trying to have the government negotiate prices with the pharmaceutical companies to help make them available at lower prices. The theory behind this plan is to make a competitive market between the various companies so that they can produce the competitive prices. (“Our view on Medicare Part D”, 2006) Medicaid is another health insurance program. It is geared toward low income families or people with very high medical bills. It is determined by the states rather than by the federal government. Medicaid depends on your age, disability as well as your family in come. Unlike Medicare, Medicaid is determine by the states it self so they form their own programs. The program consists of mandatory groups in which they have to provide this service or optional eligibility. Optional eligibility depends on your circumstances and is not always guaranteed. Medicare must provide services that include inpatient and outpatient hospital services, laboratory and x-ray services, physician services, nursing facility services (which is broader than Medicare’s skilled nursing facility coverage), home health services, services of a nurse-midwife and a certified pediatric nurse practitioner for certain groups of people. In order to be eligible you must meet the requirements and your income has to be under a certain level. (“Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005”, 2008) Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Another one of the many programs that help aid in providing health care is 9 SCHIP. State Children Healthcare Insurance Program was made to provide coverage to people with children that live 200 percent under the poverty line. Since this was only providing insurance to only a small amount of children who didn’t have insurance they decided to have an expansion. This expansion would reach up to 70 percent of the kids by raising the price of the income up to about $83,000. (“What is SCHIP”,2004) The amount of funds that a state can use depends upon a formula that is determned by how many children are uninsured, and the location of the area you live in.There are some exceptions to this policy if you are currently working but have no health insurance you may still be elegible. (Longley) These programs are here for an aid. They provide services to help you out during your time of need. Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP are health insurances plans essential to keeping America on track because without these heath care plans no one would get the proper care needed to fufill life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which is not a law but one of the traditions this country was built on. References (2005). Navigating medicare and medicaid, 2005: Interaction Between Medicare and Medicaid. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from Kaiser Family Foundation Web site: http://www.kff.org/medicare/7240/interaction.cfm (2005 August 2). The birth of the medicare program. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from The History of Medicare and Web site: http://www.medicarerights.org/maincontenthistory.html Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP 10 (2006). Centers for medicare and medicaid services. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from U.S Dpartment of Health and Human Services Web site: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/regsguidance.asp (2006). What is medicare. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from Wise Geek Web site: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-medicare.htm (2006, November 16). Our view on medicare part d: Put brakes on drug plan . Retrieved April 24, 2008, from USA Today Web site: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2006/11/post_35.html (2007). What is schip?. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from SCHIP Information Center Web site: http://www.schip-info.org/ (2008). Navigating medicare and medicaid, 2005: Medicare. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from Kaiser Family Foundation Web site: http://www.kff.org/medicare/7240/medicare.cfm#top Full Committee (2004, August 26). 2004 Republican party platform:a safer world and a more hopeful america. Retrieved April 25, 2008, Web site: www.gop.com/images/2004platform.pdf Kennedy, Ted (2005, January 12). A democratic blueprint for america. Retrieved April 24, 2008, Breaking new and views of a progressive community, from Web site: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0112-37.htm Longley, Robert. Health insurance for uninsured children. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from U.S. Government Info Web site: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/medicarehealthinsurance/a/schip.htm Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP 11