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(USGovernment-News.Com, August 03, 2012 ) West Palm Beach, FL -- In popular assisted living facilities in Florida heard the news about the Supreme Court deciding to “push through” the Affordable Care Act otherwise known as “Obamacare.” To all the seniors living in West Palm Beach (or anywhere in Florida for that matter), this is undoubtedly going to affect you.
Fortunately, senior citizens that do not have health and/or cannot afford it are not in trouble yet. Due to the main part of the bill going into full effect in 2014, senior citizens have approximately 18 months to prepare and plan to obtain health insurance. Regardless of the demographic, those who do not have health insurance by this time will face fines.
Especially for senior citizens trying to plan for retirement, carrying the cost of health insurance can be a burden on finances. Because health insurance is so expensive (especially for senior citizens), it can be difficult to afford it; unfortunately, this often results in senior citizens obtaining health insurance that does little to nothing to help them in the long-term. Senior citizens that obtain health insurance when they cannot afford it are usually stuck with paying a premium every month that will only pay a percentage on medication, doctor’s visits, and the like that is so miniscule it isn’t even worth the premium they pay monthly.
Thus, this is exactly why so many senior citizens opt to obtain Medicare (and Medicaid for lower-income seniors), and for senior citizens who wish to continue using Medicare and Medicaid, there are a few interesting attributes that actually make the continued use of Medicare and Medicaid desirable.
The first (and arguably biggest) benefit under the Affordable Care Act is the lowering of drug prices. In the past, when drug plans (Part D of Medicare) lapse into what is known as the “doughnut hole,” senior citizens would be forced to pay a significant amount of money just to continue obtaining their prescription drugs. With the Affordable Care Act, the amount of money seniors in Florida assisted living facilities will have to pay once they reach the “doughnut hole,” reduces significantly. In fact, the reductions that have slowly trickled down have already saved Medicare and Medicaid users billions of dollars in drug costs, and these savings will continue as the plan goes into full affect.
Medicare and Medicaid is great for those that are in their mid-60’s, but what about those that are currently in their 50’s and early 60’s? For those that are too young to afford Medicare and require more health benefits than Medicaid offers, it can be difficult to find a private health insurer that will provide seniors with a level of health care they require. Fortunately, under the Affordable Care Act, private insurers cannot refuse to insure anyone simply because of their preexisting health conditions. Thus, when looking into local assisted living facilities in Broward County, finding health insurance is not only a reality, but is actually much easier thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
So why is everyone up in arms about “Obamacare?” Many feel that literally “forcing” everyone to obtain healthcare is unconstitutional, no matter how great the benefits may be. Florida residents are no different, and while many believe the benefits are ideal others are still not buying it.
“Although it sounds pretty good and it means I could get cheaper prices on my medication and doctors’ visits through my Medicaid,” said Irene Watson, a 67-year old retired nurse living in an assisted living facility in West Palm Beach, “But I don’t think it’s right to force our country to get a health insurance plan. Everybody should be able to decide if they want to get health insurance or not, and the government shouldn’t decide for them.”
Others, such as 45-year old Emma Carson, believe the Affordable Care Act will not only help people like her mother, but will help everyone regardless of their age:
“Health care is outrageous right now,” she said, “I can barely afford health care every month for my family, and the health car we have now is barely worth the premium we pay per month. This act should lower the cost of health care significantly for people my age and younger, and will even lower the price of Medicaid for my mother.”
Carson continued with, “…I understand people are up in arms about having to get health care even if they don’t want it, but we have to pay taxes, we have to pay for car insurance, we have to pay for all sorts of things we don’t want to pay for already, so why get upset about this? Especially since it is going to lower the cost of health care for everyone, I don’t see the big deal about it. It’s a great thing I think.”
These opposing views are more than likely not going to go away anytime soon. Is a decrease in health care worth it if American citizens must purchase health care against their will? Only time will tell. Send more information or to submit stories and comments via snail-mail to:
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