Karikari-Martin (2010), states that the definitions of healthcare access are directly related to the concerns of the system. She continues saying that these definitions pertain most prominently to insurance, number of available providers and the efficiency of healthcare services (Karikari-Martin, 2010). Prior to enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in 2010, the United States population was held hostage by an insurance industry that was poor secondary to insufficient government controls. The insurance companies made good insurance policies more difficult to attain with premiums that were constantly increasing, denials of insurance for those with pre-existing conditions or premiums so high they couldn’t afford it. …show more content…
According to Kurtz (2011) reduced Medicare payments can be made to providers or facilities as the government’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) sees fit (Kurtz, 2011). These reductions can be completed without congressional approval and can only be overturned by an act of congress. This practice could lead to many providers or facilities not being able to offer certain treatments due to the financial repercussions, in effect causing a rationing of care (Kurtz, 2011). This rationing will lead to decreased access to care as Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries are less and less likely to be able to find someone to treat them for such low payments. Further exacerbating this problem is the cuts to Medicare payments outline in the Act, where nearly $750 billion in cuts will be made by the end of 2015 (Turner, …show more content…
As stated previously, it will encourage nurses to pursue advanced degrees to make up for shortages in primary care and the pay-for-performance system will stress the overworked nurses. Nurses will also see more opportunities to work in new settings as there are needs in the new community-based programs prescribed in the policy. Nurses will also be inundated with much sicker patients, as this segment receives more benefits to seek care and the previously uninsured or underinsured can now pursue the care they need. The system has pluses and minuses, but it is undeniable that this healthcare policy could lead to many opportunities for all
There needs to be more emphasis on community health, long-term care, and coordination of care. In addition, the curriculum should include more leadership, systems thinking, and quality improvement. The IOM also recommends having incentives for nurses who wish to achieve higher levels of education such as tuition reimbursement, expansion of grants and loans, and more scholarships. As the number of students is expected to increase, educational institutions need to hire and retain faculty by creating competitive salaries and benefits. The IOM suggests doubling doctoral level nurses by 2020 (Institute of Medicine, 2010). The committee further encourages life long learning in order for nurses to practice to their fullest potential. The emphasis of improving the education system will produce a highly educated, well-rounded workforce who is equipped to effectively meet the health care needs of Americans today.
rehend the PPACA, one must understand the history of the United States’ health care system. The most successful and known reform would be the passage of Medicare and Medicaid. President Johnson’s main objective with his program was to provide health insurance to those over 65 years old, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to receive coverage due to retirement or being financially unfit to purchase health insurance. It has since been expanded to cover those with disabilities, and lower income families (“Overview,” 2015). Brady (2015) examines President Clinton’s attempt to massively overhaul health care in the United States. His plan, the Health Security Act (HSA), required employers to offer health insurance to their employees, and mandated that every US citizen purchase health insurance. This plan would have most likely expand health insurance to many more Americans; however, many feared the large tax increases, restricted options for patients, and with the lack of general support for the bill, it failed in Congress and was never implemented (p. 628). President Clinton’s failed attempt at health care reform opened up the door to future reforms, and it even shared multiple similarities to the PPACA. Smith (2015) updates the history of the health care system in America stating that “In the mid-2000s, America’s uninsured population swelled to nearly 47 million, representing about 16 percent of the population” and how “16 million Americans […] were underinsured” (p. 2). People
The remedy is the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (Title I- SGR repeal and Medicare provider payment modernization) that trumps the Sustainable Growth Rate (Medicare’s action which reigned in doctors’ costs by an annual budget target), cuts Medicare spending, and includes the CHIP program mentioned above (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, 2015).
Health care reform in the United States is a hot topic and the source of legislation meant to make health care obtainable to Americans. Recent presidential elections have been platforms used to promote health care reform yet no one can agree on what the resolution will be. This paper will discuss ways recent health care reform measures have expanded or inhibited access to health care. This paper will discuss how changes to access may lead to influences in utilization. Concepts of what universal health care may be and how current care reflects or contrasts
The Medicare Modernization Act, or Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, was passed into law to amend and modernize the current Medicare system. There are a few problems that this law aims to solve or provide relief towards. First, it will allow seniors to save money on their prescription drugs because many have the problem of not being able to afford them on their own or have a lack of drug coverage with their existing plan. Low income seniors and those with limited resources will receive further assistance paying for medication. The second problem addressed by the MMA is that all seniors are receiving a standard Medicare and are not given choices of alternatives to better fit their needs. They will
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
Access to care has become a buzz word in the modern healthcare theater. The prevailing thought is that our healthcare system will experience a significant amount strain as an increasing number of individuals seek care with increased number of individuals being covered by third party payers under the affordable care act. Access to care has become a catch-all term used to describe the inability for an individual or population to seek needed healthcare services. Access to care can be divided into 4 major problems within a healthcare setting to include, physical accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and supply and demand. While the current state of our healthcare delivery system in regards to the changes implemented by the affordable care act has attempted to address affordability and acceptability. The affordable care act may have strained the infrastructure of our system in regards to the supply and demand aspects as well as physical accessibility challenges to many populations.
Over the last five years, the United States has implemented a new policy in which Americans will receive their health care benefits. This policy is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act which was implemented in 2010 through United States federal statue and signed into law by President Barack Obama. The intentions of the reform is to insure that all Americans have affordable access to health care benefits without struggling to afford the cost associated. The reform is broken down into nine title sections that affect all aspects of health care and changes that will be associated. In this paper, I will be discussing each of the title sections and how the changes will affect the field of nursing.
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
Healthcare reforms including Obama Care, formally named the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act greatly impacts physicians and nursing shortages. There are several provisions which could direct impact physicians and nurses through incentives for potential recruitment, grants, training and retention. Through potential initiatives, the act may indirect effects that may question or present new reimbursement alternatives and models of health care delivery options. Healthcare reforms will allow millions of additional working as well as no working Americans to obtain healthcare coverage and this
Health care in the United States is driven by a patchwork of services and financing. Americans access health care services in a variety of ways — from private physicians’ offices, to public hospitals, to safety-net providers. This diverse network of health care providers is supported by an equally diverse set of funding streams. The United States spends almost twice as much on health care as any other country, topping $2 trillion each year. (WHO.INT 2000) However, even with overall spending amounting to more than $7,400 per person, millions of individuals cannot access the health care services they need.(Foundation 2009) So when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a the Affordable Care Act or ACA) was passed in the summer
The patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is the most debatable act which was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010 by President Obama ("Obamacare Bill: Full PPACA & Related Laws," n.d.). According to "Affordable Care Act and the IAFF" (2014), PPACA has three main objectives: expand access to healthcare coverage, shield patients against illogical actions by health insurance companies, and cut healthcare costs. The United States (U.S.) is the only advanced country that spend twice as much on patient care, yet still has greater rates of preventable deaths caused by curable illnesses. High healthcare spending, lack of access to healthcare services, and restrictions by health insurance companies to obtain crucial health services are the driving force behind the PPACA. PPACA was passed to benefit every citizen of America, but many view this law as problematic and challenging. Is PPACA constructive or destructive? This paper will discuss both advantages and disadvantages of PPACA.
In this section, I will review the effects of the Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and discuss its expansion of health care access for different races and classes. Established in 2010, PPACA is a federal statute that determines the health care conditions of Americans. The requirements of PPACA are important to understand because they directly affect the health care access of millions of Americans. This literature overview will provide an insight on the effect of PPACA regulations on health care accessibility, in addition to clarifying the contrasts in health care access experienced by different races and classes.
The implementation of the health care reform law has yielded the largest reduction in the aim for uninsured for the last couple of decades. But, while the uninsured rates have decline access to care has now become a prevalent issue. “ The expansion of coverage is not an expansion of actual care and this distinction is becoming very clear’ Heritage ( 2014) Access to
Eliminating the barriers to access of care starts with the extended health insurance coverage offered through the ACA. The Shortage of healthcare providers in areas- opens a window of