subject: The Government And Us Health Insurance [print this page] Health insurance is not always easy to acquire. Sometimes it is very hard for an individual to get approved as certain policies have very specific requirements. Despite the limits some of these strict policies, the government in the United States sponsors a lot of health insurance programs to help people qualify for the different programs available. These health insurance companies have contracts with the physicians and hospitals all over the states. There are many options available to spare you the worry of needing treatment and not being able to pay.
Medicare and Medicaid are two programs established by the United States government for qualifying US citizens. Medicare, as it stands now, is in place to help the elderly ages 65 and up. Those who are qualified include those with certain disabilities as well. Medicare covers fees for hospitalization and drug prescriptions. Medicaid is also another helpful type of insurance specially made for lower income families and individuals who do not have existing health insurance plans. This program covers medical care expenses and also covers drug prescriptions. Another good thing about Medicaid is that it covers transportation expenses. For example, if you had to take an ambulance to the hospital or needed a ride to the doctor, Medicaid would cover it. Medicaid also provides coverage for medical appointments. Unlike the federal run Medicare, Medicaid programs can differ for state to state in name and function.
In February of 2009, President Barack Obama signed the proposal for Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and it went into effect in April. CHIP is a program that is under the administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This government run insurance plan assists families with uninsured children offering the vital health insurance coverage that is so important during those formative years.
The United States government also provides a health care system for the active duty and retired military personnel. Medical care has been provided to US soldiers since the Civil War, but in different forms. During World War I, the US Army Medical Department made a stride toward being much larger and more organized. They created more efficient provisions for care on the battlefield and would move the patients to a larger more capable medical station. Such expansion was continued throughout World War II and changed with the demands of the battlefield. Once World War II had come to pass, the government brought all of it's military powers together and formed the Department of Defense which then re-organized the military to consisting of the US Army, US Navy, and US Air Force, each having their own personalized styles of appropriate medical care.
In 1966 US Congress passed the Dependents Medical Care Act and Military Medical Benefits Amendments, creating a program called Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services. Since then CHAMPUS has evolved into TRICARE which takes care of medical expenses for military personnel and their families. The government has a long history of trying to help its citizens obtain the finest medical care through an evolution of attempts. We'll see what the next evolution holds.
by: Casey Trillbar
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