Expected Changes and Growth in the Nursing Field “On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The law put in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that put consumers back in charge of their health care. A new wave of powerful evidence points to one clear conclusion: The Affordable Care Act is working to make health care more affordable, accessible and of a higher quality, for families, seniors, businesses, and taxpayers alike”. “By creating incentives for integrated care delivery models and paying for coordination and quality of care, the law seeks to rebalance the system’s resource allocation and reward the value of care over volume of care” (Secretary, 2013). Some of the ways that the Affordable Care Act will be successful is by implementing the concepts of continuity of care with the introduction of accountable care organizations, medical homes, and nurse managed health clinics. Due to these new organizations, this means there will be significant changes and growth in the nursing field. “Registered nurses are fundamental to the critical shift needed in health services delivery, with the goal of transforming the current “sick care” system into a true “health care” system” (Key provisions related to nursing, 2010). There will be an increased need for nursing in these new areas and a decrease in the number of nurses needed in the acute care settings. “The new law provides incentives for physicians to join together to form Accountable Care
This public health policy paper will discuss and outline the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as well as barriers and controversies surrounding the policy and its relevance in nursing profession. The ACA will eventually affect everyone. Statistics reflecting United States health outcomes have proven the need for the initiation of policy formation within the United States healthcare system. “In March 2010, President Obama signed into law a comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).” (Estes, Chapman, Dodd, Hollister, Harrington, 2013, p. 144) The ACA promotes preventive care—including related services and family planning—that should result in improved health outcomes and
Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care
Registered nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system, and make up the largest number of healthcare professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) “The employment rate for registered nurses is expected to grow by 16% between 2014 and 2024”. This is more than double the average rate of growth for a profession. The rapid growth rate can be attributed in part to better management of chronic diseases and the baby boomer generation. The growth in the nursing profession is paramount, however the demographics of the nursing population does not mirror the demographics of the population served.
The Affordable Care Act was passed to provide American’s better access to health insurance coverage. In addition to better access the ACA improved health care quality and lowered health care cost. The ACA reformed health insurance by expanding coverage, holding insurance companies accountable, lowering health care costs, guaranteeing more choices, and enhancing the quality of care. Although some states have not implemented all the benefits of the ACA, most citizens do have access to health insurance. This paper will address some of the general highlights of the ACA, how it impacted healthcare and the nursing practice.
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare or ACA, was signed into law in March 2010 with the goal to expand insurance coverage to millions of Americans over a period of several years. Since its enactment six years ago, there have been millions of Americans that have gained access to coverage. The most notable of this population would be the disabled, mentally ill, and impoverished. In order to continue to provide quality outcomes for patients, especially patients of vulnerable populations, extra focus must be given to ensure access to healthcare, decreasing disparities, and harvesting improvement in areas such as preventative care, education, and maximizing quality of life. With this influx of people entering the healthcare field, the role of nurses and nurse leaders is also expected to change. Nursing scope of practice and education will be expanded to create an elite healthcare provider. This will include maximizing knowledge in areas of holistic care, education, and preventative care. The incorporation of the ACA into healthcare for vulnerable populations will have several implications for nurses including expanding leadership roles, changing the healthcare delivery model, and providing a broad range of care.
The Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health acknowledges the changing healthcare sector in the US and describes future vision of healthcare and the role of nurses to fulfill that vision. The United States always strives to provide affordable and quality healthcare to the entire population of the country. In order to achieve this goal an overall restructuring of the healthcare system was necessitated. Nurses are considered to be the central part of the healthcare system to provide high quality and safe patient care. Nursing in the US is the single largest segment of the healthcare workforce with almost 3 million nurses working in different areas across the county. The changing
Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the aging of the population are the three major factors driving healthcare costs at this time (CMS, 2014). The nursing profession has the ability to contribute to refining the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of care through the delivery of evidenced-based treatment strategies to known populations with communal needs, and by advocating for polices that address the fundamental aspects that influence health and healthcare (Curley & Vitale, 2016, p. 5). The NE must be well-informed of laws entrenched in policy, as well as those central to both healthcare delivery systems and payment structures. Having knowledge of policy and law will enable the nurse leader to provide financial stability and sustain quality
Energized by the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding most of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the American Nurses Association (ANA) is continuing its wide ranging efforts to ensure that Registered Nurses (RNs) have an even greater role in providing high quality care as implementation of the landmark law progresses. As guiding principles, ANA contends that health care is a basic human right, and that all deserve access to essential health care services. As nurses witness every day, a lack of primary and preventive care can cause people's manageable chronic conditions to spiral, leading to poorer patient outcomes and increased overall health care costs. (Anonymous, 2012). According to Billings and Halstead (2012), nurses are poised to participate in transforming this nation's health care system. Participation requires nurses to possess political advocacy skills so that nursing voice is brought to the policy debates and policy development.
In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA gave many Americans the opportunity to have health care coverage that previously may have not been available to them. The reform is primarily aimed at decreasing the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans. The landscape of health care is changing and nursing is evolving alongside it. This health care overhaul gives nurses a vital role in leading the reform revolution. With more than three million strong, nursing is the biggest sector of the nation’s health care labor
“The ACA outlines some new health care arrangements, and with these structures will come new opportunities for new roles. Nurses have the opportunity to play a central role in transforming the health care system to create a more accessible, high-quality, and value-driven environment for patients. If the system is to capitalize on this opportunity, however, the
According to 2010 patient protection and the Affordable Care Act, it was obvious that it needed all the possible help from all health professional, especially nurses for it to function and achieve all its aims such as affordable coverage and quality care, making all Americans to have health care that would improve the quality of life and inexpensive. There is no doubt if registered nurses do not have a strong position as partners in Affordable health care to make it a success. Three colleagues were interviewed regarding their knowledge concerning innovative health care conveyance including the current nurse’s responsibility in the health center environments, communities, health centers, as well as medical homes. Their questions were also expanded to their knowledge of Accountable Care organizations, the way they are organized, and the nurse’s opportunities in this program. What they know about medical homes and how they are organized, including nurse’s opportunities and their views on Nurse-managed Health Clinics (NMHCs and the nurse’s benefits).
In 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by the United States government and is the largest health care reform since Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. With this new legislation, there will be a huge transformation of the health care system we know today. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an organization that is independent of government and provides unbiased advice used in making informed legislative decisions about health care. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the largest philanthropy in the United States, collaborated with the IOM to evaluate and transform the nursing profession in order to provide
Healthcare Reform has been and still is a highly debated controversial political issue in this country. It has been a hot topic of past presidential campaigns, with many proposed solutions, none of which were enacted upon by Congress. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010. This law or Obamacare, as it is commonly called, was designed to cover the 48 million Americans, including about 1 million in New Jersey who did not have health insurance. It is envisioned to provide seamless, affordable, quality care that is accessible to all. Great emphasis will be placed on transforming our current “sick care” hospital system into a community “health care” system of prevention and health promotion. This paper discusses the evolving and future roles of nurses under the new system. It also examines the proposals of a joint committee made up of members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), as an initiative to help nurses in their new leadership roles to a healthier nation.
There are over three million nursing professional in United States and they make the largest segment of nation’s health care workforce. Nurses can play a vital role in helping to realize the objectives set forth in the 2010 affordable act, legislation that represents the broadest health care overhaul since the 1965 creation of Medicare and Medicaid program (IOM 2010). Due to the restricting barriers nurses were not able to respond effectively to the changing health care systems. In 2008, The
For all of mankind, the cost of health care is a major daily stressor. This article stated an interesting fact that, “A concern of businesses and governments for at least 30 years, the cost of health care in the United States has approached 15 percent of the total gross national product (Barbara R. Heller, Marla T. Oros, and Jane Durney-Crowley, 2013, para. 19).” Even with that fact, there are over 40 million individuals living in the United States that do not have health care coverage. The total health care spending in America surpasses that of any other developed country. This is due to technological advances that are readily available and breakthroughs in medicine. Still, there are present concerns in nursing practices, such as: the affects on the nursing profession, treatment options for their patients, and the patients participation in their own care. This article stated, “Nursing professionals, who have historically taken the lead in health education and health promotion, are disappointed by the lack of financing and reimbursement available through managed care organizations for