What You Need To Know About The American Medical Health Care System

Out of all the issues the United States of America faces, one that's still politically-divisive is healthcare. It seems the country's leaders remain at a stand-still on how to go about it correctly and fairly for all citizens. Though the institution of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 has become successful, a lot of people in th country still feel that it's either not enough or the law is completely unfair. Either way, the country's healthcare system is still debated over and over again. For now, anyway, the system in place ensures that everyone in America is well-taken-care-of. But are you one of them?

 

The Affordable Care Act

Firstly, it's important that you know what the Affordable Care Act, is all about. Also popularly known as "Obamacare" as the law was put in place by President Barack Obama back in 2010, the ACA is the country's current healthcare system. The law states that every person living in the United States of American must have health insurance, be it public or private. Furthermore, the system substantially bars insurance providers from offering their packages at extremely high rates. Because of key points in the ACA, most health insurance packages are offered with subsidized rates, making them more affordable for the common American. 

 

Who Gets Access to ACA?

Since the ACA is held up by taxes, every tax-paying citizen of the US is eligible to gain access to the system. No matter your tax bracket or nature of work, as long as you're able to contribute your fair share to keep the system intact, you can avail of its many services and subsidized rates. This also debunks the myth that healthcare in Us is free. It is not, A substantial amount of one's taxes are attributed to funding the ACA. And by default, this excludes those who are not citizens of the country. Foreign visitors such as tourists and business travelers are not eligible to access the ACA.  

 

 

What Makes You Eligible for the ACA?

To this day, many people are still confused as to how one becomes eligible to get health insurance under Obamacare. They often mistake that one needs to become a citizen of the country in order to gain access. This is not exactly accurate. Though it's better if you become a citizen while you're living/staying in the country, even permanent residents are eligible to avail of the services and discounts of the ACA. This means green card holders who aren't or may not even have plans to become citizens are legally allowed—and encouraged—to access the country's healthcare system. 

 

Pre-Existing Conditions

A term you will often encounter while talking about or listening to discussions about the US healthcare system is "pre-existing conditions." What exactly does this mean and why is it so important in the discourse of the ACA? Well, pre-existing conditions are ailments, illnesses, and health problems that you may already have before purchasing health insurance. They've often become the reasons as to why many insurance providers denied or offered their packages at extremely high rates. When the Obamacare Law passed in 2010, one of its main highlights was that it prohibited such companies for instituting those unfair policies. 

 

 

Visitors Insurance

So, if you're just a visitor in the United States, how will you be able to gain access to the country's healthcare services? Well, you can always get visitor's insurance! These are short-term plans offered to tourists and business travelers alike to help them avail of some of the services of the ACA. However, you should note that visitor insurance plans are not ACA compliant. Many of the policies injected into law may not apply in these types of premiums. Still, it's better than none! While calling 911 and getting an ambulance is free, medical treatment, urgent care, and getting into an emergency room are not if you're uninsured. 

 

Travel Insurance

Perhaps your safest bet in getting insured whilst in the States without having to spend loads of dollars for a premium is travel insurance. These temporary packages aren't always that expensive and are specifically designed to ensure that you get treatment when you need it wherever you have traveled to. Before leaving your home country, try to purchase a travel insurance plan for yourself dor the duration of your trip. Great international companies recognized by many countries that you can go for include Cigna Global and Allianz Care, among many others. 

 

 

The US healthcare system may continue to be a hot political issue in the country but the law in place as of this moment remains crystal clear. Everyone living in the United States is to be given quality healthcare no matter what. Visitors will have to settle for other ways of accessing the system. 

Whether you're staying in the US for good or not, you'll still need first-class accommodations while you're here! The country's luxury apartments are just some great options that you can go for! Every penny you spend to stay here will be worth it!