Question on John Q- Movies Situations

Health Insurance Plan
Name
Institution
Health Insurance Act
John Quincy finds himself in a position where he is unable to pay for Michael’s, his kid, heart transplant. Due to his reduction to part-time status, he no longer enjoys full-time employees’ coverage. Nevertheless, the federal law provides platforms which can be exploited by the US citizens to manage their healthcare. Instead of holding the hospital hostage, John should have tried options such COBRA continuation of coverage and various public health care programs for the son as discussed in this paper. The essay also looks into the uninsured and their access to care in the emergency departments.
Continuation of Coverage
John Quincy should have enrolled for COBRA continuation of coverage. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, known as the COBRA, call for the employers sponsoring group health plans to provide employees and their families with an option for an interim extension of health insurance at group rates in the event of sudden termination of their coverage (Mamorsky, 2017). John’s job loss will pass for a qualifying event. Therefore, if I were in his situation, I would present my application to the Participating Agency within the time limit as stipulated by the law. If successful, the coverage could run for up to a maximum of 18 months provided I am not legible for any other public health program, Medicare for example. Entitlement to public health programs such as Medicaid amounts to the immediate termination of the COBRA coverage termination.

The 18 months grace period would be used for application for health care programs such as Medicaid. Similarly, John could use the period to seek and join another group plan. Agencies are not supposed to terminate COBRA coverage even when an enrollee has entered the coverage of another group (Mamorsky, 2017). The person can either decide to continue with both coverages simultaneously. The law authorizes employers to charge enrollees of COBRA up to 102% of the premium cost (Mamorsky, 2017).
Public Health Care Programs
Mikey is eligible for the Medicare, Medicaid and Illinois’s CHIP programs. Medicaid in conjunction with the Children’s Health Insurance Programs provides health coverage to children among other qualified groups. During the selection of Medicaid beneficiaries, the federal law demands an automatic selection of children, qualified pregnant women and persons receiving Supplementary Security Income and low-income families (Piatak, 2017). These groups of individuals are described as mandatory eligibility groups. Although John might not have been successful in the application process, Mikey’s request would have been automatically accepted. Children’s eligibility was extended to a minimum of 133 percent of the federal poverty level in each state (“Eligibility,” 2018). Consequently, the program can support children of even higher income. Since the introduction of Medicaid and CHIP in 1997, the programs have helped in reducing disparities in access to health care among low-income children and children of color (Piatak, 2017). The CHIP program combines funding from the federal and the state government. For example, Illinois’ CHIP program is a partnership between the two levels of government.
The Uninsured and Access to Care
The intern in the film John Q is right. Hospital emergency service is the safety net of the whole national health care system, taking care of everyone irrespective of their ability to pay or insurance status. 8 in 10 individuals working families in the United States cannot pay for health insurance or benefit from public programmes. To help these persons, the emergency department is mandated by the law to provide healthcare to anyone who visits. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) ensure that any person who visits the emergency department in spite of their insurance status or payment capability receives a medical screening test and be stabilized (“The Uninsured” 2018). These units offer essential community services just like any other public utility where cash is not a priority. In many occasions, the hospitals and physicians absorb the financial burden for the uninsured. However, once the patients are stabilized, the emergency department is no longer under the mandate to offer service to those who cannot afford. Occasionally, the uninsured patients crowd the emergency department with cases that are not emergencies in the real sense. As a result, various bodies have been advocating for the expansion of health care coverage for uninsured individuals as well as the reimbursement to safety-net hospitals that serve the uninsured American citizens.
In conclusion, the American healthcare system has put a lot of platforms in place to enable their citizens to manage their healthcare. Regulations such as the COBRA continuation of coverage and the Emergency Treatment and Labor Act ensure that individuals can access health services even in their downtime. Additionally, the public health care programs which include Medicaid, Medicare and Children Health Insurance Program have significantly improved the livelihood some individuals. John Quincy had a lot of option to exploit before turning to a felony. In fact, his son was within the mandatory eligibility groups of Medicaid. If he had appropriate information, he would have avoided a jail term.
References
Acep.org. (2018). The Uninsured: Access To Medical Care // ACEP. [online] Available at: https://www.acep.org/News-Media-top-banner/The-Uninsured–Access-To-MedicalCare/#sm.0000ldgm807f5d4iwm012z39c9jik [Accessed 2 Feb. 2018].
Medicaid.gov. (2018). Eligibility | Medicaid.gov. [online] Available at:https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/eligibility/ [Accessed 2 Feb. 2018].
Mamorsky, J. D. (2017). Employee Benefits Law: ERISA and Beyond. Law Journal Press.
Piatak, J. S. (2017). Understanding the implementation of Medicaid and Medicare: social construction and historical context. Administration & Society, 49(8), 1165-1190.