Health insurance – reforms needed (III)

I was just reading in the news about the current debate in the US Congress regarding the funding of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) which is already in place in the USA.
What are the key points of Obamacare? This link summarises 10 key features and I am drawn to some which I think our country could well do with
– Pre-existing illnesses cannot be denied health insurance benefits.
– Ends lifetime (and most annual) ceilings on the cost of health care.
– Individual mandate to have health insurance

If you add regulation or oversight on insurance premiums, I think perhaps this is something the Malaysian Government should seriously think about adopting. The social safety net that is the public hospital system is I daresay creaking at the seams. Overcrowded OPCs, lack of public hospital beds, underfunding especially for expensive care such as cancer treatment and transplants means Malaysians who don’t have healthcare insurance are faced with huge bills and obstacles when it comes to critical illnesses.
Talk about “healthcare transformation” without addressing how the healthcare system will be financed first of all are to my mind ridiculous. It’s akin to planning to renovate your house without accounting for how it will be funded. If the Government won’t increase public healthcare spending then perhaps health insurance reforms should be the next step.

While some Americans don’t seem to like to be “forced” to adopt the new plan, what about Malaysians? If you think about it, if not for legislation, many more Malaysians wouldn’t be doing the things which could save their own lives e.g. wearing seat belts. Still don’t have healthcare insurance? Seriously, don’t wait for our Government to get it’s act together. Act now for your own sake.

http://youtu.be/vTSqPYCMFtc

Related posts:

Health insurance – reforms needed
Health insurance – reforms needed (II)