Since the preventative care policy went into effect, the federal HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) estimates that approximately 137 million people have received no-cost coverage for preventative services. However, there needs to be in an increase in public awareness regarding the policy. In March 2014, a report showed that less than half of the population (47%) knew that the affordable care act eliminated out-of-pocket expenses for preventative care (“Preventative Services Covered by Private Health Insurance Plans”, 2015). Since the implementation of the policy, there has been a drastic improvement in women’s healthcare. Before the ACA, women faced many challenges in the health insurance market. In 2012, a woman could
Large populations of Americans are uninsured mainly because of the high cost of insurance. Majority of the uninsured are the low-income working families’. The adults represent a higher percentage of the uninsured than children. Before the law, you could be denied coverage or treatment because you had been sick in the past, be dropped mid-treatment for making a simple mistake on your application, hence, the Affordable Care Act was implemented into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barrack Obama to make sure that every American irrespective of their status will be insured and have full access to proper health care benefits, rights and protection(1). To understand the
It has been six years since the Affordable Care Act has been implemented into the United States healthcare system. As the pieces and provisions of this monumental federal statute become understood and executed, it is transforming the demand for care. Prior to the ACA, a significant number of Americans were marginalized and unable to obtain coverage. This system was faced increasing healthcare costs, placing greater financial strain to everyday Americans, businesses, and public health insurance systems. The ACA did not only help ensure health coverage for all (almost
Americans have been faced with a new health care reform act known as Affordable Care Act initiated in 2010. Why was it so important for this nation to reform is health care system? How are we sure the ACA is improving our system for the American people? For many years, the health care industry has left many Americans uninsured. With health care costs on the rise and very few able to afford costs, and the quality of care in underserved areas not what it should be has left this nation largely unhealthy. Several landmark reports, including the Center for Disease Control factsheets and the Healthy People 2020 have astounding statistics confirming these alarming rates and clearly identifying the need for reform. The Affordable Care Act is the starting foundation for Americans to start investing in their own promotion of wellness and disease prevention. By choosing healthier lifestyle changes, individuals can make a difference which in turn will improve our nation’s overall health for the better.
Recently the Untied States top priority has been to provide accessible and affordable health care to every American. Those that lack access to coverage find it much more difficult to seek proper treatment and when they do they maybe left with astronomical medical bills. The CommanWealth Fund found that one-third or thirty three percent of Americans forgo health care because of costs and one-fifth or twenty percent are thus left with medical bills that have problems being able to pay. The federal government, through the Affordable Care Act (2010), has mandated that every person have health coverage in order
After the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010, much of the uninsured population in the United States were finally given the access to health insurance (Shi & Singh, 2015). Prior to the passing of the Act, those who did not have insurance still managed to seek medical attention, whether paying for medical care out of their own pockets or seeking the assistance of government programs. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2013, 13.4% of the population in the U.S. were uninsured during the entire year (Smith & Medalia, 2014). Still, a great number of uninsured who sought medical care were unable to pay for those services, this is referred as uncompensated care. In 2013 the cost incurred from
In the United States, nearly one in three women ages 18-64 live at or below the 200% poverty level. Poverty level is based on an annual earnings of a household and how many people reside within the home. A 200% poverty level for a single woman is currently set at $23,760 per year. According to the Kaiser Women’s Health Survey from 2013, 15% of women categorize their health as fair or poor and about 43% have health conditions that require monitoring and treatment. (16). Since the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, there have been great efforts to improve quality of health care among patients, providers and coordinators. The rate of uninsured Americans fell from 18 million in 2014 to
The Affordable Care Act requires health insurance providers—including both health insurance companies and companies that administer self-insured employer health plans on behalf of the employer (third party administrators)—to provide certain preventative services to women without cost. 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-13(a)(4) (2015). Congress delegated the task of deciding which kinds of preventative care would be provided to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In making its determination, HRSA consulted the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which ultimately decided that insurers must provide “coverage without cost sharing” for “[a]ll Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education
One of the major social problems in the United States is the increasing number of uninsured people who are among the vulnerable populations in the America. In 2008, there were approximately 46 million of non-elderly Americans without health insurance including adults and children. While this population includes people from all age ranges, young adults account for a significant portion of these people since they are likely to be uninsured. Moreover, many uninsured individuals are in families with at least a single full-time worker as Hispanics excessively have the highest rates of the uninsured. However, the huge share of this population is white Americans as compared to people from other races.
“The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice.” Public Health Reports. Association of Schools of Public Health. n.d. Web. 14 July 2015. This paper claims that the PPACA will cut the number of uninsured Americans in half. The act attempts to provide nearly universal coverage and improve the quality and equity of said coverage through reforms to insurance standards and the marketplace. It also attempts to improve the quality of healthcare and the efficiency of its delivery by allowing consumers to edge the system into a more integrated state and measuring performance. It attempts to encourage preventive medicine by targeting chronic illnesses and funding community-based medicine. These changes will bring huge opportunities for improvement in the system, many of which are subtle and nuanced and will only be seen as the plan rolls into act over the next few
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. It was intended to provide the American people with better health coverage and care. Unfortunately, many people are still not covered due to a lack of information and because they simply cannot afford insurance even at a discounted price. Many feel that there is still a good deal of confusion regarding the ACA which can prevent people, especially women, from getting the coverage and care that they need. Women who are not used to getting medical care, may not know that programs now exist that make health care services free or very inexpensive. The women who are the least informed are the ones who need it the most as they experience high rates of unplanned births and chronic illnesses. It will be financially beneficial for local and state governments to find ways to get this information to women so as to prevent health problems that will cost the government millions of dollars in the long run.
Reducing the number of uninsured Americans: Nationwide, since the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion began, about
The Affordable Care Act might be the best thing in American history for women’s health. The new law gave over 19 million uninsured women health coverage. Women overall are more intact with the health system than men because the majority takes care of their families. Women are usually on the forefront at doctor offices and hospitals with their children, making appointments for their spouse and for those who assist with their parents, they are the one scheduling and doing paperwork for
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or ‘Obamacare’ in 2010 and its implementation in 2014,there has been a steady decline in the uninsured population of the United States of America. The number of Americans with health insurance, has reached a historic peak. According to recent data from the Census Bureau about health insurance coverage, the number of uninsured Americans fell from 33 million the year prior to ACA implementation to 29 million in 2014.The total uninsured rate dropped by more than 4 percent since the health care law took effect. The ACA has significantly reduced the number of Americans who were not able to acquire health insurance due to poverty, unemployment, or having a pre-existing condition.
Access to preventive health care should not be definable as one of life’s luxuries, yet that is what is has come to be for the approximately “50 million Americans” who have no health insurance (Turka & Caplan, 2010). Clogged emergency rooms and “preventable deaths” are just two of the consequences associated with the lack of health insurance that would provide access to preventive care (Turka & Caplan, 2010). We as a nation are depriving our citizens of one of our most basic needs—being healthy.
Preventative health care in women provides the diagnostic and preemptive disease treatments. Preventative measures include contraceptives, breast examinations, pap-smears, counseling and education, and mental health screenings. Preventative care is so important in women because women need specific health care rather than men. The specific health care that is needed for women prevents the extra costs of future treatments and medications of diseases and genetic disorders that are prevalent in women only. The health care reform must include women’s health for that fact that