Federal Public Health and The Affordable Care Act and Public Health Reform

In present times, people with high incomes that’s above the 100 percent poverty level is eligible for premium subsidies to purchase private plans in the health care market. Individuals that are below the 100 percent of poverty in states that don’t wish to expand Medicaid; do not have access either to subsidized private coverage or Medicaid (Garber & Collins, 2014). Originally, the law require that all states expand Medicaid eligibility, to enable those people living with income that is increasing to 138 percent of the poverty level. These factors are equivalent to $15,856 for each individual and $32,499 for a family living in a single dwelling (Garber & Collins, 2014). In 2012, the Supreme Court made these regulations optional for ruling.

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. This law puts in place widespread health insurance reforms that expanded out over the last 4 years and continues to change the lives of many Americans today. Health care reform has been an extensively debated topic for multiple years, and the ACA is the first effective attempt at passing a law aiming to make health care not only affordable, but accessible for all individuals. The law impacts many Americans including, children, employers, government programs which includes federal and state, health plans and private insurers, health care coverage, health care cost, and the quality of care received. The main goal of the law is to expand health care coverage, broaden Medicaid eligibility, minimize and regulate health care cost, and improve the health care delivery system. In order to improve the health care delivery there have been new consumer protections established and an increase access to affordable care.

Medicaid is a social health care program that covers nearly 60 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, seniors, parents and individuals suffering with disabilities. Medicaid is the biggest source of funding for health related services and medical needs for the people with low income in the United States. This program is funded jointly by the state and federal level governments, but it is the state’s responsibility to manage this program. The Medicaid program is not a required program that states have to use, but all 50 states have implemented this program. With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and its passing in 2010, the ACA unveiled its plans to expand Medicaid eligibility to nearly all low-income adults as an addition to the other groups that fall into the Medicaid eligibility. The Medicaid program had “many gaps in coverage for adults” because it was only restricted to the low income individuals and other people with needs in their own specific category. In the past, the majority of the states who had adults that did not have children dependent on those parents were not eligible for Medicaid. These low income adults without dependent children would be without medical insurance assistance before the ACA was introduced. Medicaid is now available to all Americans under the age of 65 whose family income is at or below the federal poverty guideline of “133 percent or $14,484 for an individual and $29,726 for a family of four in 2011” (NSCL).

Throughout the past decade restrictions on eligibility for taxpayer-subsidized medical care has risen at both the state and national level. Some of these restrictions are based on laws and reform acts that have been

Eligibility for Medicaid expanded to groups like childless parents, all children and other parents not entitled to the Medicaid. To kick start this reform, the state would cover the whole cost for the non-eligible population for a period until they can cover the costs. Enrolment to the Medicaid made easy through websites and those who are disabled would get care in the community.

Affordable care act is a law that was passed in March of 2010 to help decrease health care cost and make it more affordable for all Americans. The affordable care act is set to decrease the number of uninsured Americans, qualify more for Medicare and Medicaid, increase the quality of care, promote prevention, extending funding for the children, and help with funding in the communities. The goal for affordable care act is to have everyone insured, no matter what income class you are in. The affordable care act is there to insure everyone so that prevention will increase. It will increase by being able to get check ups and children being able to receive vaccination. If you are not able to qualify for Medicare or Medicaid there

The Affordable Care Act was into law March 2010. The law has planned to make wide-range of changes to healthcare in the United States. The Affordable Care Act efforts to offer universal right to use to healthcare for Americans, control the rising costs of healthcare, adjust the private insurance industry complete things like state-based private exchanges and online marketplace that brings together state-approved insurance plans from multiple companies so consumers can shop for individual insurance plans, improve the quality of healthcare and make healthcare choices more consumer friendly and easier to understand (Medical Mutual,2017). Healthcare reform involves nearly all Americans from old or young,

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare or ACA, is the health reform law enacted in 2010 by Congress. The official name of this reform is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Many provisions of the law are already in effect and the rest are going to continue to develop until 2022. After a year of intense political wrangling, the health reform initiative was passed by Congress. Even though it falls short of providing universal coverage, it is unlike the Clinton proposal. The Affordable Care Act was intended to expand US citizens’ and legal residents’ access to health insurance coverage, control future costs, and improve the functioning of the healthcare delivery system. It improves access to care and balances spending through regulations and taxes. Healthcare has always been a crisis in the US and the Affordable Care Act contains hundreds of different provisions that address these aspects. The Affordable Care Act increases the quality of health insurance at an affordable price so all Americans can have access to it. In exchange, most people who can afford to obtain health coverage must by 2014 or pay a per month fee. The ACA offers Americans a number of new benefits. It sets up a Health Insurance Marketplace where we can purchase federally regulated and subsidized Health Insurance during open enrollment. It expands Medicaid to all adults in many states, as well as improving Medicare for seniors and those with long term disabilities. Obamacare expands

The amount of money the state is leaving on the table over the next decade due to the lack of expansion is $5.3 billion. Medicaid is available for pregnant women with incomes 139% of FPL, children with incomes up to 200% of FPL, and parents with incomes up to 51% of

The Affordable Care Act includes changes to Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and creates many conflicts and benefits around how it will affect health care in the future. Clearly, all items within the medical reform are connected, so that a positive impact in one area may inversely affect another. The primary change is the extension of health care coverage to the uninsured, but it comes with a cost. Costs include penalties, taxes, reduced medical access, and lower reimbursement rates for physicians and hospitals. The Affordable Care Act is conceived with a good purpose; as a result, everyone will now have access to affordable health care, although, “affordable” is not yet well defined. Health care providers will be able to continue their vocation of providing good care for our society, but in some cases, changes to insurance may still have a poor outcome.

Before the ACA was passed, all states decided to raise the eligibility for children under Medicaid and Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP). North Carolina raised the Medicaid FPL for families with children greater than 6 years old up to 216% (Milstead, 2013, p. 203). However, now that North Carolina has not chosen to expand the Medicaid program non-disabled adults are limited to 43% FPL and childless adults are ineligible (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). Those not eligible for Medicaid and CHIP that have incomes between 100% and 400% FPL may be entitled to tax credits if they purchase insurance in the marketplace (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). This raises another problem in North Carolina’s uninsured population. The ACA is written by the principal of low income people receiving coverage through the Medicaid expansion, therefore people below FPL are not eligible for Marketplace subsidies (Healthcare, 2015). North Carolina’s uninsured adult population is around 319,000 which is 20% of the uninsured in the state (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). This population qualified for the Medicaid expansion under the ACA and all fall below the FPL and now will remain uninsured.

At which time States must offer health insurance to parents and childless adults who have an income up to 100% of the federal poverty line. As of January 1, 2019, States must offer health insurance to parents and childless adults who have an income that does not exceed 133% of the federal poverty line. The amount being paid by the Federal Government is 100% in 2014, which will be diminished over time by 5% and then 10%, with the States being required to pay the difference. If a State chooses not to follow the Expansion plan, it will lose all of its Medicaid funding.

Throughout the early 1980’s and 1990’s the Federal Medicaid program was challenged by rapidly rising Medicaid program costs and an increasing number of uninsured population. One of the primary reasons for the overall increase in healthcare costs is the

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 expanded access to health insurance in the United States to millions of uninsured individuals. Early findings indicate that there have been significant reductions in the rate of uninsured among the poor and working age adults. Consequently, the number of adults who did not get needed health care because of cost declined as well as the number of adults who reported problems paying their medical bills. Hpwever, despite the many advances the Affordable Care Act provided towards health care reform, there are still flaws to the system.

In our first week of class, we have looked at the first three chapters in, Health Care Delivery in the United States. The first chapter talks about how the health care system has moved from a mindset of restoring a person’s health, into the phase of preventative medicine, which we see now. This has resulted from measurement of how the health care system is working, and with research looking at patients throughout the years. We now know, that any problem, disease, or condition, should be treated early or prevented if possible. The health care system has been working with public education to make citizens aware of what tests and preventative programs will be of assistance to them. (Knickman & Kovner, A., 2015).