Health Care and the Reform

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Health insurance was developed to provide guaranteed coverage for sickness, injury and preventable health measures. Currently, the United States is facing a major challenge in controlling the cost of health care and providing coverage for everyone. This is why it is so important for the government to develop a new health care insurance plan. The purpose of this paper is to explore the history of health care, the major improvements made to coverage through the years. Discussing the healthcare reform and the plans to improve the quality, and cost of health care for everyone in the United States. Birth of Health Insurance Health insurance started in the early twentieth century when the working class of America faced the problem of sickness and injury resulting in missing work and lost wages. The first health insurance was disability insurance. It was developed during the civil war as a paid benefit to railroad and steamboat workers. Its only focus was to pay benefits to the insured when a railroad or steamboat injury occurred. Disability insurance was not designed, nor had the funding to cover hospital, or other medical expenses. The railroad and steamboat workers were unable to pay for the other medical expenses that accrued during sickness and injury. This dilemma caused the development of the first health insurance plan, called Blue Cross. “Blue Cross began when a businessman helped a group of teachers pre-pay for medical care. The teachers made small monthly payments to a hospital in exchange for medical services as needed” (Kennedy, English “Health Care” 1). This idea of lending money to help the people pre- pay for health care caught on quickly. Many companies struggling to survive during this time period adopted this idea o... ... middle of paper ... ... 1993 During Bill Clinton’s presidency the health insurance issues came up again. He shared plans of a national health insurance, which Congress shot down, feeling that it would still be too restrictive and cost too much. Multiple other plans were discussed during this time, and like the national health care plan they were too voted against. Works Cited Kennedy, Particia, and Marlanda English. “ Health Insurace: An overview. “Points of View:Health Insurance (2009): 1. Points of View Reference Center.EBSCO. Web. 3 April. 2010. Nancy De Lew The First 30 Years of Medicare and Medicaid JAMA, Jul 1995; 274:262-276. Changing Times “Could HMO give you better,cheaper healthcare?” Unknow author vol 34. No 6 article dated june 1980 pg 29 viewed on 4/06/2010 Funding Alternatives for Fire and Emergancy Services bu US Fire Administration ch 8 section 2 2000.

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