Insurance Companies, Essay Example

Accessibility to appropriate dental and vision care for Americans

Introduction

Often it is noticed that people, especially, the elderly are without teeth and encounter failing eye sight. A brief inquiry into the situation revealed that Medicaid does not cover certain dental and vision services. People over 65 years of age enrolled in Medicare and utilize the supplemental advantage plans, still do not always receive adequate dental and vision coverage.This  healthcare policy affects their lives negatively.

Failing vision and fewer teeth for chewing,is very distressing to persons enduring this  crisis.Essentially, poor vision limits mobility and faulty teeth affect nutrition. There are many disease condition that create these two complications. Therefore, policy makers ought to consider dental and vision coverage as important healthcare interventions when issuing healthinsurance coverage.As such, this essay is aimed at sensitizing policy makers to the need for more appropriate vision and dental care within the population.

Body

Many insurance companies offer dental and vision plans separate from health insurance coverage. While there is a law requiring employers to have their employees covered with health insurance many plans do not include dental and vision. If employees require these two other services they must buy separate coverage to compliment their health care plan. Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries encounter similar difficulties with their health insurance coverage.

Research alsoshows that if a client does not have medical insurance and wishes to buy dental and vision only, insurance companies do not offer dental and vison by itself. Their vision and dentalplans are optional after purchasing medical. This action places the uninsured at a greater risk of being unable to afford dental and vision coverage (WHO, 2011).  There ought to be options whereby dental and vision policies are more accessible to everyone in the society if health care quality delivery is an equal opportunity service. The requirements determining eligibility of coverage must be more transparent.

Further research shows, if some plans cover vision they do not offer glasses. The same is true for dental plans. They offer examinations, but no dentures. Glasses and dentures require copayments often,which are so high most people, cannot afford the cost(WHO, 2011). Consequently, many citizens are left without teeth and the facilities of glasses, which would help them function more efficiently on a daily basis.Again there seems to be deliberate barriers created to obtaining adequate dental and vision health insurance.

The impact offailing vision and fewer teeth for chewing,is very distressing to persons enduring this crisis cannotbe overemphasized. Diabetes and hypertension are common diseases in the society. One of the complications of diabetes is retinal damage. Besides a large percentage of the population are affected by diabetes and hypertension. Hypertension causes its fair share of visual impairment among affected persons. While regular screenings are useful, if these patients do not have access to being fitted with dentures and glasses, their quality of life is greatly compromised (WHO, 2011).

Sad to say, people who suffer the most are found among the poorer classes in society. They cannot afford insurance policies that are beyond their means, so prefer to go without dentures and adapt to the danger of substandard vision.  This phenomenon ofinadequate dental and vision services depicts a more serious issue ofhealth care deliveryin America. Importantly, it reflects the incidence of health disparities that exist within the population. In the same way as how health care is inappropriately distributed so is appropriate dental and vision availability.

The question of importance here is why such disparitiesamong citizens and legal residents who can afford healthcare as against who cannot? All citizens, legal residents and even undocumented immigrants in the society pay taxes to the government. It is an injustice an violation of human rights to adequate health care for the elderly, especially, who have been incapacitated by other health conditions. They have the added trauma of failing eye sight without  the anticipated glasses facility and teeth loss without any hope of replacement with dentures.

Conclusion

Hence, the time is now that Obamacare has been enforced and polices of the Affordable Care Act  are active that, policy makers revisit the accessibility of the average citizen to appropriate vision and dental care services. Current data  reveals that with the present policies  America’s health care is  now the most costly among developed nations. It is also very difficult to accessqjuality health care  due to stringent insurance eligibility coverage/costs (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor& Smith, 2011).

Managed care policies were expected to improve health care qualityaible. While. However research evaluating the implementation revealed that fewer services have been made available to at risk proportions the society that needs them most. Therefore, systems designed appear to facilitate accessibility to the rich and not the disadvantaged in the society(DeNavas-Walt et.al 2011).

References

DeNavas-Walt, C. Proctor, B. Smith, J. (2011). Income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2010. U.S. Census Bureau: Current Population Reports, P60-239.

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

WHO (2011).World health statistics 2011. Geneva: World Health Organization