Name: Isidro Medina

Section Number: 1311-091

Three Major Problems with the Affordable Care Act Insurance

I. Speech Overview:

A. General Purpose: To inform

B. Specific Purpose: By the end of my speech the audience will understand three major problems with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provide.

C. Thesis Statement: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is plagued by three major problems: the high out-of-pocket expenses, the lack of in-network doctors, and providers are unable to verify coverage.

II. Introduction :

A. Attention Getting Device : Prior to the creation of the Affordable Care Act over 41 million people remained uninsured. My aunt Norma was one of them. She worked as care provider in an elderly home for most of her life, but left the job to move north with her husband. When they could not make it up there, they returned only to find that she could not find a job. In the meantime, she did odd jobs that even included construction work. She also cared for my 80 year old grandparents as their primary care provider. She had no insurance. One day, she got violently ill and was rushed to the emergency room. Because she had no health coverage, all they could do was get her to a stable condition. It happened two other times. The Affordable Care Act was still in its early stages when she signed up. They found out she had a problem with her liver, but it was found too late. On April 12, she was sent home from the hospital and by the following morning she had to be rushed right back. She died in the hospital that night. I believe that had she been informed and the mismanagement of healthcare was eliminated she would be alive today.

B. Tie to Audience : We all have people we love in our lives that are uninsured. They live day to day in fear of what would happen if they got sick. Perhaps even you lie awake at night worrying and praying that your loved ones stay healthy. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is easy to sign up for, but using it is a different story.

C. Speaker Credibility : Last August, I was let go from my fulltime job just as I was about to return to school fulltime. I had enough money saved up to live off of if I worked part time. Unfortunately, that would leave me uninsured. I signed up for the Healthcare back in January and have experienced, first hand, the issues with the Affordable Care Act Insurance.

D. Thesis Statement : The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is plagued by three major problems: the high out-of-pocket expenses, the lack of in-network doctors, and providers are unable to verify coverage.

(Transition: The PPACA looks good on paper, but those enrolled face the harsh reality when they have to pay.)

III. Speech Body

A. The Affordable Care Act provides healthcare plans all have big out-of-pocket expenses.

1. [Show coverage level chart graphic)

2. There are four levels of coverage: Bronze plans, Silver plans, Gold plans and Platinum plans. According to Healthpocket.com, those on the Bronze plan are estimated to pay $6,387 maximum out-of-pocket expense, but the platinum has a $1,624 out-of-pocket expense.

3. The website also reveals that the least expensive premiums are with the Bronze plan, but they have the highest deductibles. (Healthcare.com) According to the Healthcare.gov website, the least expensive Bronze plan is $171 with a $6,000 deductible.

4. The cost of doctor’s visits are often very high for bronze plans, which sometimes make the patient pay a percentage of the overall doctor’s visit which could range from $83 to $387.

(Transition: On top of the mounting costs, many insurance plans offered through the Healthcare.gov website have small networks of providers. )

B. Americans enrolled with healthcare.gov are finding that their networks have very limited providers that will accept their insurance.

1. [Show limited provider graphic]

2. According to Jeffrey Dorfman, professor of economics at The University of Georgia and contributor to Forbes.com, many Americans are realizing how small their networks are. (Forbes.com)

3. Dorfman also predicts that people will be clamoring for appointments since the small network will get flooded with new healthcare.gov enrollees. (Forbes.com)

4. Bob Adelman, of thenewamerican.com, says the problem is two-fold: Providers get reimbursed less for marketplace policy holders and the insured stop paying their premiums and thus providers to do not get reimbursed for their services.

(Transition: Once you finally find a doctor, there’s no guarantee that they will be able to see you.)

C. Americans are being turned away from providers because they are not able to verify coverage.

1. [Frustrated patients image)

2. In the past, the only form of “government insurance” was Medicaid and CHIP, but now that there is an influx of private insurance company and plans, doctors are finding it difficult to verify coverage.

3. Three times I have gone to different providers, where I’ve had to schedule my appointment weeks in advance, only to be turned away at the desk. I’m out gas, time off from work that I don’t get paid for, and I still have not been seen.

4. David Lawder, of the Huffington Post, writes that the federal marketplace was unable to verify 2.6 million of the 2.9 million inconsistencies because of failures of their systems in 2013. (Huffingtonpost.com)

(Transition: Buying insurance that you are unable to use because of the health plan’s inability to verify information is one of the three problems facing The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.)

D. Conclusion

1. The PPACA is necessary and great in theory, but there are millions of people depending on this system to work for them. Without it working for them, it will be difficult to get the help they need; especially for the sick.

a. The PPACA is unable to fully provide for Americans because the out-of-pocket expenses are too high, there are too few in-network providers, and coverage is unable to be verified.

b. My aunt was a victim of the problems plaguing the PPACA Insurance.

c. [Show final slide for final statement]

2. FINAL STATEMENT. The PPACA is important for people like my aunt and me. The PPACA has the potential to save millions of lives, but they are not there yet. It is new, but the problems are huge. I look forward to the day where we don’t have to fight for our right to have our health covered at any income. Because it is a matter of life or death.

Works Cited: Lawd, David “Obamacare Exchanges Facing Applicant Verification Issues, Watchdog Finds” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/01/obamacare-applicant-verification_n_5549035.html 01 July 2014

Tracking Enrollments for the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare)” ACASignups.net “ http://acasignups.net 02 March 2015

HealthPocket.com “2015 Obamacare Rate Filings Reveal Changes in Out-of-Pocket Costs” http://www.healthpocket.com/healthcare-research/infostat/2015-obamacare-out-of-pocket-preview#.VOgTu0LZW-8 07 July 2014

Dorfman, Jeffrey. Huffington Post. “Get Ready For The Real Obamacare Disasters As People Start To Use It” http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/04/05/get-ready-for-the-real-obamacare-disasters-as-people-start-to-use-it/ 05 April 2014

Adelmann, Bob. “More Doctors Refusing Obamacare Patients” http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/19443-more-doctors-refusing-obamacare-patients 03 November 2014

Healthcare.gov Marketplace https://www.healthcare.gov/

Ensure the following is printed at the bottom of your outline (for campus presentations only):

Hot Topic Informative Speech Evaluation ----Speaker _______________Section_____TOTAL_____/80 pts

Introduction: E G A F P (Ratings: E-excellent, G-good, A-average, F-fair, P-poor) Did the intro meet requirements? Was attention device effective? Was the thesis clearly stated?

Speech content: E G A F PDid speech remain informative instead of persuasive? Did speaker present topic in a way to “add to the common knowledge” of the audience? Were sources quoted? Were statistics, etc. presented? Transitions clearly stated?

Visual Aids: E G A F PDid slides meet requirements? Did the visuals enhance the speech? Did speaker effectively present the visuals? Were visuals incorporated appropriately into the speech?

Delivery: E G A F PDid speaker utilize effective delivery techniques as discussed in class? Eye contact? Lack of filler words? Vocal Variety? Stance? Gestures? Was speaker dressed appropriately?

Conclusion: E G A F PWas conclusion effective? Did speaker have one final strong statement? Was speech effectively summarized? Did the speaker become persuasive instead of remaining informative?

Outline: E G A F PDid outline follow template? 5 Works Cited sources in MLA? Roman numerals? Transitions clearly labeled?

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