When examining the United States’ Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2014 and Canada’s health care system, many different elements come into play. In regard to Canada’s health care, its citizens have access to health care based on need, evident in the following passage describing the Canadian health care system as “an interlocking set of ten provincial and three territorial health insurance plans. Known to Canadians as “medicare”, the system provides access to universal, comprehensive coverage for medically necessary hospital and physician services” (Health Care System , 2014, paragraph 2).

However, many citizens are unhappy with Canada’s system, stating that the quality of physicians has been compromsed, many Canadian citizens also experiencing long wait times to see doctors. The long wait time functions as a continuation of problems in health insurance plans, while the fact that Canadian citizens do not have to pay a monthly premium representing a health insurance overhaul that the United States’ health care system has not inplemented under the (ACA) of 2014 .

Government has an obligation to provide health care to its citizens, especially if a large amount of people do not have health insurance and/or cannot afford it. The key features of Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that every citizen must have some type of health insurance. Any citizen that does not have it has to pay a penalty at the end of the year with some exemptions existing. Employees must also offer insurance to all of its full time employees, which represents an overhaul in that employess can get health insurance. Yet, the costs of these plans are not as cheap as originally intended.

The ACA was created with the intention of making health insurance cheaper for people. Yet, that did not happen for everyone. In many ways, the ACA is a continuation of the same system, people still having problems with health insurance costs. The “affordable” part has resulted in $1.2 trillion more in insurance costs overall. While millions of uninsured people have been able to get Medicaid, others’ monthly insurance premiums have doubled (Jindal, 2014). Obama’s plan has suggested Medicaid expansion; however, some state governors chose to not expand Medicaid in their state, based on the extra cost these leaders perceive. This leaves people with little income in a tight spot (ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion, 2014).

On the flip side, many individuals who did not have health insurance before cannot get it through Medicaid, people who live in a state where Medicaid was expanded now getting health insurance at a low cost, their quality of life enhanced.

References

• Jindal, B. (2014, July 15). Your health care: Obama’s $18,000 broken promise. Retrieved from Fox News website: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/15/obama-18000-broken-promise/

• ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion. (2014). Retrieved from Obama Care facts.com: http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacares-medicaid-expansion.php