Running head: PPACA A TRAIL FOR HEALTHIER AMERICANS
Title: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA): Blazing a Trail for Healthier Americans
Introduction In the first quarter of 2016 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) legislation has lead to 20 million Americans gaining healthcare coverage, and a record low uninsured rate of 8.6 percent (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services [DHHS], 2016). Yet the verdict is out on whether the PPACA has been an improvement or a liability holding back the United States (US) healthcare system’s potential. The legislation was first integrated as a guide to the US healthcare system when it was signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 (Rosenbaum, 2011). It planned to fulfill goals of improving access, affordability, and quality in healthcare (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services [DHHS], 2015). Full implementation of the healthcare reform was established on January 1, 2014, marking the start of individual and employer responsibility provisions, state health insurance exchanges, Medicaid expansions, and individual and small-employer group subsidies (Rosenbaum, 2011). As a whole the PPACA intended to “reframe the financial relationship between Americans and the health-care system to stem the health insurance crisis that has enveloped individuals, families, communities, the health-care system, and the national economy” (Rosenbaum, p. 131, para. 2). While the legislation has not fully
“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
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or, more commonly, Obamacare, is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law mandates United States citizens to obtain health insurance coverage and businesses of 50 or more full time employees) to provide health insurance to its’ employees. Should you not be covered, a penalty will be imposed.
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 rapidly rising cost of health care in the United States has made access to medical care difficult for many citizens. Additionally, the number of uninsured is increasing because of job loss and reduction of employee benefits. This trend is projected to continue. The negative effect of reduced access to health care may have alarming effects on the economic well-being of the nation. The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) marks the beginning of significant transformation in the United States’ health care systems. After multiple attempts to reform health care over the years, the nation’s leaders have succeeded in pushing through this landmark legislation that will ensure most Americans will have access to
In today’s day and age, American households can all agree that health insurance is not a luxury, but a necessity. Without it, costs of emergency room visits and prescription medicines can be financially devastating. However, in the past many families and individuals have taken the risk of not being insured due to the high cost of the insurance itself. To attempt to reform this unfair system, the Obama administration signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010. The law, coined “Obamacare,” has received much opposition due to its expansion government programs and increase in spending. It brings to question how much the government should be involved in an area that for the majority of America’s history, has been
In 2010, the President of the United States signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) into law (Luther & Hart, 2014). As written, the PPACA will be the most extensive change in the financing and provision of healthcare in 50 years (Luther & Hart, 2014). The stated purposes of the legislation are to decrease the number of medically uninsured people as well as decrease the cost of insurance and healthcare for those already insured (Shi & Singh, 2015). Medicaid expansion is significant element of the PPACA and is designed to provide health insurance to the lower income population (Vincent & Reed, 2014). The purpose of this paper
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), issued in 2010 by Former U.S. President Barack Obama, has caused such a controversy due to its way of reforming today’s healthcare system. Although, the Affordable Care Act has so far been the most important piece of health care legislation passed ever since the Social Security Act of 1965, which established medicaid to the elderly. In recent events in U.S. politics of 2017, our newly elected Republican President Donald J. Trump and the majority of Republicans plan to overthrow and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, with a more “affordable” way to gain health insurance named “the American Health Care Act”(AHCA). However, they have not realized that modifying 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
The United States (US) is distinguished for its medical advances, leading technology and astonishing discoveries in various science fields. These advancements in the health care ground have impacted and improved the health care delivery of several in the nation. The US is found among the wealthiest, most developed countries around the world; however, it is the only developed country that fails to provide universal health care to its people. Health care in the US is described as fragmented, inaccessible, and expensive. Diebel (2015) compared the health system in the US to other nations and supported that it is extremely overpriced, yet the end result does not always support its cost. Lack of coverage, high copayments plus deductibles force Americans to postpone seeking medical attention resulting in undiagnosed health conditions and complications of current diseases. In 2010, under President Obama’s mandate, Americans witnessed the birth of a controversial legislation, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The goal of the PPACA is to improve just about every aspect of the system such the health of Americans, health care access and quality, while reversing the health care expenditure (Hahn and Sheingold, 2014). The aim of this paper is to discuss the PPACA and the Medicaid Expansion under the PPACA including its risks and benefits; as well as, the impact of the expansion in the healthcare delivery
Where will I go when I’m sick? Who can I rely on, my government or myself? Will I have to choose between paying bills and the health of my family? The United States of America’s government’s Affordable Care Act is attempting to remove that question from every citizen’s mind. The ACA will allow lifesaving and non-emergency medical treatments to be at the fingertips of every tax paying American. It will make healthcare a right, not just a luxury. Although these may seem like outstanding qualities, is it really all that it is made out to be? “The Affordable Care Act (ACA), officially called The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), is a US law that reforms both the healthcare and health insurance industries in America. The law increases the quality, availability, and affordability of private and public health insurance to over 44 million uninsured Americans through its many provisions which include new regulations, taxes, mandates, and subsidies (PAR 2, Obamacare Facts).” With that being said, I will discuss the controversies seen from both parties in relation to the Affordable Care Act, and bring forth many important factors such as: the benefits and consequences, the cost of the ACA and the coverage actually received, and the future of the Health Care System in a world with Obamacare. The purpose of this paper is to give information in an unbiased manner in relation to the Affordable Care Act.
According to research done by Westover et. al (2013), the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) created a greater future role for state Medicaid health plans and necessitates more efficient health care coverage. Low-income individuals have the need for more frequent medical attention than previously insured patients. Gaps in health care coverage, whether partial or full year gaps, have been linked to adults with serious, chronic health conditions. According to research done by Gulley, Rasch, and Chan (2011), among all working-aged adults, 28 million (16%) remained uninsured for all 12 months, and an additional 21 million (12%) reported part year coverage. The goal of the health care reform was to eventually provide equal care coverage and quality to all Americans.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) signed into law by president Obama on March 23, 2010 is arguably the most extensive reform of health care law ever to be enacted in the U.S. It will impact the way professionals practice health care, the way insurance companies handle health care as a product, and the way consumers purchase and use health care as a service. The Affordable Health Care Act is primarily aimed at reducing the number of uninsured Americans and reducing the overall costs of health care from an administrative and consumer standpoint. The PPACA requires insurance companies to cover all applicants and offer the same rates to all applicants of the same age
The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a federal statute that was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by the Obama Administration. PPACA is more commonly referred to as the “ACA” or “Obamacare”. “A primary goal of the ACA was to increase access to health care services, largely through major expansions of state Medicaid programs in 2014 and beyond” (Wilk, 2014). The quest for health care reform began in the early 1900s and has become increasingly more debated throughout the century. The American Medical Association (AMA) began the journey and has been joined throughout the many decades by the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL), President Roosevelt, President Truman, President Johnson, President Nixon, President Clinton, and President Obama, to name a few. The ACA demonstrates the need for the balance of power between state and federal government, as well as, how America has been handling the balance of power. This law has been in the making since 1989, conceptually beginning as the Individual Health Insurance Mandate through the Heritage Foundation. The individual health insurance mandate had been introduced by Republicans twice in 1993, in hopes of providing “a bill to provide comprehensive reform of the health care system of the United States” (Sen Chafee, 1993). The bill has been revised multiple times since 1993, budding into what is commonly called Obamacare.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also referred to as the "Affordable Care Act" or "ACA" or "Obama Care") is the major health care reform bill passed into law on March 23, 2010. The debates surrounding the PPACA have been volatile at times, and continue to be the most intense public examinations of any piece of legislation in our recent history. The affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is ripe for repeal. For the American public, there are ample reasons for dissatisfaction: higher costs; arbitrary and sometimes absurd rule-making; bureaucratization of an already overly bureaucratized sector of the economy; incompatibility with personal freedom and religious liberty; enormous spending and heavy taxation; and widely acknowledged design flaws, evident in the ACA’s hopelessly complex and unworkable subsidy schemes, boondoggle bailouts, and collapsing co-ops. Nonetheless, other ACA legal challenges were still facing the healthcare law. In December 2015, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court arguing against the constitutionality of the employer insurance mandate within the Affordable Care Act. The law contains a number of experiments designed to drive down health costs, such as Accountable Care Organizations. The whole idea is to move the system away from paying for volume and toward paying for value. We still don't know whether that will happen. But it's fair to say that reducing the cost of health care will make it easier to expand coverage. The nation’s gains in health care coverage and delivery system design over the last several years have made measurable differences in the lives of millions of Americans. There are many ways to achieve a high-performing health system. But it’s critical that the nation remain committed to this goal.
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