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Preference for minimal government oversight and the idea of ​​individualism is responsible for the way American health care system is structured. However, access to health insurance and health care has become an urgent issue in this nation for a long time, considered by WHO as one of the worst among industrialized countries, the United States health care system ‘is too expensive and fails to cover everyone. Despite President Obama’s efforts to bring about change, many continue to question the effectiveness of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regarding both cost and coverage overall. Issues of health care reform directly affect the viability of the American Dream because of adequate health care and insurance necessary for full civic participation and it is the responsibility of government to provide access. I believe that this nation is given a strong anti-static values ​​will be difficult to implement the federal health policy, therefore it is more feasible for countries to make health reform such as those in Massachusetts and ensure universal health care.

In 2007, the U.S. health system presented many problems concerning both the number of people uninsured and underinsured and fast resurgence of the insurance premiums are causing many Americans to report debts and problems due to medical bills (Commonwealth Fund Commission, 232). The cost of American health care is undoubtedly one of the major setbacks of the system; that is highest among those of other industrialized countries but not necessarily more effective. For example, a case study in the city of McAllen, Texas, shows how excessive drug and “fee for service” incentive is available to doctors can actually raise the cost of drugs. McAllen is one of the most expensive health care market in a country where most doctors are less focused on preventive care and more to run additional tests, services and procedures for fear of malpractice, is influenced by differences in training, or just to make some extra bucks. (Gawande, 340-342). Although the situation in McAllen may be an extreme example, it has not failed to explain how the culture of “money” part affects the cost of health care systems. Unlike systems such as Canada and Japan, the U.S. government plays a minimal role in negotiating lower prices or standard pricing, lack of control allows doctors and medical institutions to often buy the latest technology, but not the most efficient (Klein, 256). However, doctors are not labeled as criminals because private insurance companies add to the problem by spending a quarter and a third of their revenue on administrative costs (Weissert and Weissert, 350).

The high number of uninsured Americans (45 million in 2007), is another puzzling fact about the downfalls of American health care system, it is very unfortunate that in an industrialized country, once regarded as the most powerful in the world, people are often forced to put their career dreams on hold in order to gain access to employer-based insurance. This has a negative impact on economic and political development of the nation because the people who could create the latest technological innovations are “locked” at Wal-mart and the like. Low-income families who are uninsured as Greg and Loretta, who struggled to keep their children healthy, lose all faith in the American dream and basically become a burden to the entire community. Some argue that good health is personal responsibility, and yes eating burgers everyday will obviously have a negative impact on a person’s health and they must take responsibility for bad choices. As a result, some will blame Greg and Loretta for their unfavorable conditions, but the question is, how can their children are expected to become productive citizens if they lack basic health care? American Dream encourages individualism, but individuals can not perform the best of their ability if they do not have the necessary tools to do so.

In 2006, the state of Massachusetts passed the “ambitious” health care reform that improves access to care and lower levels of uninsured adults of working age, although the high cost, this plan exemplifies how the reforms at the state level may be easier to implement and manage, as a result have a successful outcome. This plan basically consists of three parts: the state Medicaid expansions progress (building-related income subsidies), creating a new private insurance plan open to individuals, and the latter requires that both individuals and employers participate in the system of health insurance or pay a fine. In addition, it provides individuals with an alternative to buying from a private insurance company if they do not have access through an employer (Long, 321). Mixing public and private markets to achieve near-universal and giving citizens a choice.

The two most important elements of this reform is to have certainty of access to coverage in case of unexpected unemployment and not have to worry about rejection because of existing conditions (Kaiser Family Foundation, 325). The economic downturn has been and continues to hurt many families, many jobs are uncertain and health insurance is no longer safe, because by making sure residents continue to have access to health coverage, the state of Massachusetts is essentially contribute to the overall development of the nation’s economy. When people do not worry about paying astronomical medical bills, they have more time and money to spend on buying homes, cars, etc. that ultimately generate more profit and consumerism. Finally, Massachusetts to provide residents with high quality care that allows them to make regular doctor visits and access to specialists, tests and medications as needed (Kaiser Family Foundation, 328). This approach is similar to preventive care is practiced in countries like Britain, is basically more beneficial for both clinicians and patients to treat conditions before they get out of hand.

Although the Massachusetts health care reform has been proven to make significant improvements, like other reform has downsides that can cause people to focus on the injustice and neglect of success. For example, many Massachusetts residents believe that further education about key aspects of health reform will help to better understand how the program works. Residents were particularly interested in the income limits to qualify and how to apply for coverage (Kaiser Family Foundation, 331). It is expected that citizens have questions about the new program implemented and that they can not understand medical jargon, political or economic, but this is not a major concern because education can be easily provided. On the other hand, some would argue that the high cost of this plan is an important issue that must be overcome, however Massachusetts legislators aware of the costs and work to stabilize finances. First, they want a new payment method that rewards prevention and effective control of chronic diseases rather than pay the appropriate amount of care provided. Second, the commission is looking to replace doctors for episodes of care rather than individual requests. Health experts agree that if Massachusetts is able to apply the changes, it would be like “bold achievement as universal health care” (Sack, 334-336).

Today, the future of President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is rather uncertain. Republicans want to repeal and skeptics argue that it will not solve existing problems. Despite these promising aspects of the desired reforms such as the overall scope and cost reduction, the results are only based on projections, making it difficult to guarantee that it will work. Massachusetts health care plan has been implemented and proven to make significant improvement. Basically, this model provides an effective alternative to reform health care and celebrate the values ​​of anti-statism by allowing states to make their own decisions.