Is Health Care Reform New?
As someone keen on the progress of reforms in health care, because I am a taxpayer, a private user of health insurance services and insurance, and an expert, I have been staying up to date with recent health reform debates. I’m getting dissatisfied with the slow progress of both sides from the other side and the knee-jerk responses by the politicians and their groupies. You’d think this administration and its political opponents have just come up with health reform or heard the shouts of outrage that go against the reform.
I wanted to try my best to write down the major highlights of health reform efforts and the failures and successes over the last 100 years or more. I’m not an expert historian; some readers may think I missed important details or have taken these in a different context. I’m trying to be fair, but you must take full responsibility if I didn’t mention something that you think is crucial.
Teddy Roosevelt In the 1910s
Teddy Roosevelt ran on an extremely progressive platform during the first half of the 20th century. The promises of his campaign for 1912 included protections for workers’ safety on the job, women’s rights to vote, and a national health insurance program. They the president was the United States, by the way, from the year 1901 until 1909. He lost the election in 1912 to Woodrow Wilson. It is interesting to know that Roosevelt was a Republic. Wilson was a Democrat. Never believe that American political parties are set in stone.
Early Models of Current Health Insurance and Cries of Socialism
The year 1929 was when Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas, came up with a pre-paid plan for a large teacher’s union. It is considered to be one of the first models for health insurance. Here’s the irony. After a few years, the Oklahoma doctor established an association for farmers with the option of a pre-paid insurance plan. Members of the association were required to contribute to the plan and then receive benefits. The American Medical Association classified the plan of this doctor as socialism!
However, pre-paid hospital and doctor plans continue to increase in popularity across the US. But, they typically did not cover the unemployed or the older.
The New Deal in the 1930s
A different Roosevelt, FDR, also would like to implement national reforms in health care. He wanted to incorporate it into the social security law. However, this didn’t go as planned, and even Truman would like to create the national fund. To cover health treatment. He believed that everyone could pay for health care, as the social security system does, and ensure that the most urgent health needs were taken care of. The whole idea was removed from the New Deal, and the AMA continued to attack it as a form of socialism.
Post-World War II
At the close of WWII, it became increasingly apparent large gap between the costs of healthcare and the amount that people could be able to afford. Congress passed the bill to build many more hospitals. The account also required hospitals to offer charitable healthcare. A clause banned discrimination based on race, religion, or any other basis. However, they allowed the provision of separate but equal care, but it only sometimes proved to offer similar care to all.
The 1950s were when the labor unions started adding healthcare benefits into their bargaining arrangements. This was the foundation for the health insurance plans that group members, which many workers enjoy in the present. As a result, group health plans also gained more popularity, and then in the year 1954, Congress passed a resolution to declare the benefits tax-free.
The 1960’s
JFK struggled for a national health system. However, he was attacked with accusations of socialism. However, Medicare and Medicaid are regarded as American institutions in the present and have emerged despite this. Medicare is the US national health insurance plan for disabled and older individuals. Medicaid is the health insurance plan of the nation for extremely poor people.
Even though millions of Americans had health insurance for the first time in the 1960’s healthcare expenditures and costs began to increase.
The 1970’s – Nixon and Carter
President Nixon, a Republican, was a reform to health care. He drafted a bill requiring employers to provide an insurance plan that covers health coverage at a minimum. His administration was characterized by funds allocated for creating HMOs and managed care plans to reduce costs.
Carter was a presidential candidate. Health care for the nation was a major element of his campaign. While he did win the election, the recession shook his plans—these plans in jeopardy.
