Fewer than 50,000 enrolled in Obamacare: Report

Less than 50,000 people have successfully enrolled for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act via the HealthCare.gov website since Oct 1, when the site was launched, a leading US daily said on

By: Editorial Team | | Updated: January 7, 2014 10:56 am

Less than 50,000 people have successfully enrolled for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act via the HealthCare.gov website since Oct 1, when the site was launched, a leading US daily said on Tuesday. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

Citing two people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal said people who have managed to navigate the problem-plagued website and have signed up for an insurance policy represent a fraction of the government’s goal of 500,000 enrolled in October. Also Read - 7 reasons why the #BeefBan is good

The ACA, seen as the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s domestic agenda, offers insurance exchanges administrated by the federal government and by some states where millions of people without health insurance can choose a policy at an affordable price. Also Read - 'Millennials going overboard to obtain six-pack'

The low number of those who have enrolled worries the promoters and defenders of ‘Obamacare’, because the plan’s success depends on a large number of people signing up and thereby lowering the individual cost.

The government expects that some 7 million people will obtain health insurance coverage by the end of March.

The department of health and human services told Congress last week that it will release the first enrolment figures this week. (Read: Obama visits Dallas to make case for Obamacare)

What is Obamacare?

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act became law and was in fact, modelled after Romney Care (Obama’s main opponent in the 2012 election), a healthcare reform implemented in the State of Massachusetts. The United States of America is the only advanced economy in the world where healthcare isn’t provided by the State. All other advanced economies have a socialist healthcare system like the UK’s NHS where people are taxed and everyone is provided with basic healthcare services.

A comparison of GDP spends actually shows that while the US spends 15.2% of its GDP on healthcare, France and UK’s meagre spending of 11.2% and 8.4% helps reach out to more people. While these nations’ healthcare systems reach out to its entire populace, the US has around 44 million people who are unable to get health insurance. Obamcare will allow people making less than four times of the Federal Poverty Level to shop for healthcare in a ‘Health Insurance Marketplace’ or exchange. This limit is around $46,000 for individuals and $93,500 for families per year. (Read: Obama defends Obamacare)

What India can learn from Obamacare?

There are two kinds of healthcare systems in the world – capitalist or socialist. The US system is the biggest capitalist system while France, UK and the rest of Europe are the forerunners of the socialist system. In the first category, most healthcare resources are owned by private entities and in the second the state owns the resources, taxes the citizens and provides them healthcare.

There’s ample evidence to provide that the second system works better because even though the US spends more per cent GDP on healthcare than any other country, the facilities aren’t available to all, whereas UK’s National Health Service or France’s system which was deemed by WHO in 2000 to be best in the world. The success of the latter is based on the fact that most European countries have universal healthcare despite spending less than the USA (USA – 15.2%, France – 11.2%, UK – 8.4%).

India sadly has a healthcare system similar to the US, in fact far worse than theirs. While the US spends, 15.2% of its GDP on healthcare, we spend only 4.1% out of which 70% is spent by people. Other similar economies like Brazil and South Africa (two of our BRICS neighbours), spends around 9% of their GDP. The problem is compounded by the fact that the private sector spends in India is more than double that of the government spends (a trend unique to India) which suggests that it’s the absence of government healthcare which forces individuals to spend money out-of-pocket.

This hurts people even more and it’s estimated that health spends forces 39 million people each year into poverty which reflects in our nation’s woeful health stats. The latest figures from the UN suggest that India still accounts for one of every three maternal deaths. Most of them are due to complications like severe bleeding after childbirth, infections, high BP during pregnancy and unsafe abortions. As per latest UN figures, India accounts for one-third of deaths of pregnant women, mainly due to complications such as severe bleeding after childbirth, infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

We could sure do with a health insurance plan like Obamacare and universal health coverage to alleviate our healthcare woes. Till now, most schemes look to target the poorest of poor, like the NRHM and the RSBY (a national health insurance scheme) and there’s no argument against that considering it’s the poorest who need healthcare security the most. But universal health insurance system, where every individual’s taxed for it might not be such a bad idea at all but considering our government’s track record of spending public money, it would be optimistic to the point of foolishness to expect something similar. (Read: Ten questions you should ask your health insurance company)

With inputs from IANS

Published : November 13, 2013 12:19 pm | Updated:January 7, 2014 10:56 am

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