Access to Affordable Health Insurance: Ethical Implications of Coverage Gaps and State-Level Medicaid Disparities
Overview
This essay examines access to affordable health insurance in the United States, arguing that unaffordable coverage and variations in Medicaid eligibility across states create ethical barriers to healthcare access. The paper analyzes demographic disparities in uninsured populations, recent policy improvements under the ACA and Biden administration, and the persistent cost barriers that prevent millions of Americans from obtaining health insurance coverage.
What this essay covers
- Introduction establishing the link between health insurance coverage and improved health outcomes
- Analysis of uninsured populations and demographic disparities by race, ethnicity, and geographic region
- Review of policy efforts including the ACA, Medicaid expansion, and pandemic-related healthcare interventions
- Discussion of remaining barriers to affordable coverage and cost as a primary obstacle to insurance access
Preview
Access to Affordable Health Insurance
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Access to Affordable Health Insurance
Health insurance coverage in the United States is linked to improved access to care and better health outcomes. Individuals with a range are more likely to have familiar sources of preventative care services, access to behavioural health treatment, prescription drug therapies, substance use disorder treatment, and mental health services. Most uninsured people are people of color in low-income families and undocumented immigrants, who are generally excluded by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from marketplace subsidies and Medicaid expansion. Despite policy efforts to reduce the cost of coverage, many uninsured people cite affordability and need more knowledge about coverage options. This essay theorises that unaffordable coverage and variances in Medicaid eligibility across states are unethical since they impede many non-elderly adults from keeping or gaining health insurance.
The number of people with coverage has rapidly increased in recent years, with the uninsured rate in America dropping by nearly 1.5 million from 2019 to 2021. A 2022 report by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicated that the uninsured rate in the country had decreased to a historic low of 8 per cent. Since the start of the Biden administration, policies aimed at expanding healthcare access and reducing family expenses through enhanced Marketplace subsidies have resulted in 5.2 million people gaining coverage (ASPA, 2022).