Wgu Est1 Task 2

The aim of the ACA is to provide affordable health care to all Americans, but it still leaves some issues unaddressed that will impact the access to health care. Covino (n.d.), “Though the intentions of the legislation are good, the Affordable Care Act does little to improve the actual health care delivery system” (para.1, page 2). According to the American Medical Association, we are facing an increasing Physician shortage. As of 2010 we faced a shortfall of 13,700 physicians, the estimate is that number will increase to 62,900 by 2015, 91,500 by 2020, and 130,600 by 2025 (Krupa, n.d.), with primary care taking the largest impact. Health Care coverage will be of no benefit if there are no doctors to treat the patients. An example of this occurred in 2002 when Thailand’s’ “30 Bhat Scheme” added (CNN n.d.) “14 million people to the country’s health care system, resulting in long waits and subpar service” (Your health is covered, but who is going to treat you?) Several factors contribute to the physician shortage. Many physicians are reaching the age of retirement, the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates nearly 15 million physicians will be eligible for Medicare in the coming years (CNN n.d.). The increasing cost of malpractice insurance also deters many from pursuing a career in medicine, and is forcing some doctors to retire. Also contributing to the physician shortage is a lack of spots in residency programs. “In 2011, more than 7,000 were left

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).

A. Nurse sensitive indicators are factors that are directly impacted by nursing.  There indicators fall into three categories; structure, process and outcomes of nursing care.  The structure indicators are the organizational piece of nursing care. These relates to the amount of staff on duty at a given time, how many RN's are on duty and experience level of the staff. For example, evidence indicates institutions with a higher number of RN’s possessing a Bachelor Degree in nursing result in improved patient outcomes. The process indicators measure nursing care such as patient assessment, patient care and intervention. These are the organizational policies and procedures of nursing.   The patient outcomes are indicators directly related to

In the State of North Carolina(NC) to be able to obtain a license to practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner the applicant will first will have to hold an active valid Registered Nurse license number from NC or from another compact state (NC Board of Nursing, 2015). The next major step is to complete an accredited Nurse Practitioner (NP) program. Until recently South University was not an accredited school in North Carolina for Nurse Practitioner not only a few months ago the accreditation was obtained. After satisfactory completion of the program the prospective NP will have to apply to the AANC or ACNP for examination to obtain a certification (NC Board of Nursing, 2015). Once the NP passes the board she will have national certification to practice in any state where the Registered Nurse license is active, and she will have to follow the requirement for that state. The board will mail a registration card that will allow the nurse to use the title of NP, but it does not grant the authority to practice. The NP will have to apply for certification to practice (NC Board of Nursing, 2015)

The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the most current governmental effort to bring a national health care plan to the United States (U.S.). Policy makers in the U.S. are hopeful the ACA will be able to extend health care coverage to 47 million nonelderly uninsured citizens (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). The ACA broadens the Medicaid eligibility for low income individuals at or below the 138% Federal Poverty Line (FPL) and adds tax credits to assist people to purchase insurance in the Health Insurance Marketplace (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). In 2012, the Supreme Court the upheld the constitutionality of the ACA requiring most people to maintain a minimum level of health insurance, however they left the

The ACA has Americans searching for a health insurance company, however, not everyone can afford one. This makes it an issue on whether it is possible to enforce such statute if insurance is not accessible for all. The solution brought about with Obamacare was the creation of subsidies. The first form of cost assistance is the use of premium tax credits which lowers premiums. Just as Medicaid, tax credits depend upon income in which the lower your income the lower the percentage you will have to pay towards health

Company X thanks the FDA authorities for their thoughtful observations during the inspection of our manufacturing facility that concluded on 08/xx/15. Corporation X considers these observations very seriously and shall assemble a task force team to take all the crucial decisions to correct deficiencies and ensure public wellbeing. Company X shall initiate product recall on immediate basis, and shall notify consumers, employees, suppliers and regulatory bodies of product recalls as quickly as possible. The Company shall immediately stop advertising the brand. The Company shall prepare a cohesive communication plan by issuing consumer alerts, announcement ads, advising public not to take any kind of Flower Power products. The Company shall remove

The projected physician shortage is well documented. Several estimates have been made as to the severity of the shortage with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts required 46,000 physicians to meet demand and a study by Cowell et al putting the number at 44,000 by 2025 (1). The reasons for this increased demand are numerous. For starters, as John Prescott, AAMC chief academic officer, says, “There 's 10,000 more baby boomers every single day in the U.S. and those individuals tend to require additional care” (2). Those baby boomers requiring care will undoubtedly include retiring physicians; 2,504 family physicians are expected to retire in 2015 alone with that number only expected to grow in upcoming years (1). In addition to the increased care inherently required by elderly patients the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has expanded medical insurance to several that have never had access before; while this is great news to those with coverage for the first time it also increases the number searching for a physician. A report prepared for Congress stated that the ACA was poised to increase the shortage of physicians by 8,000 by 2025 (4). Even current clinics have been forced to turn down 250 potential patients a day due to a lack of physicians causing sick persons to drive hours to find care (3). Compounding the problem, new physicians tend to shy away from the 60-hour weeks worked by their predecessors instead looking for a better work/life balance (2, 3).

Eligibility is one provision of the Affordable Care Act for which every American citizen can support. No longer will poverty equate to a death sentence. This is because now the “Affordable Care Act expands coverage for the poorest Americans by creating an opportunity for states to provide Medicaid eligibility…for individuals under 65 years of age with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). For the first time, states can provide Medicaid coverage for low-income adults without children and be guaranteed coverage through Medicaid in every state without need for a waiver”(Medicaid.gov., n.d.). This provision has the potential to even elevate some citizens out of poverty. This is because they now have access to healthcare that may have otherwise been a financial hardship.

The Affordable Care Act set forth millions of dollars to address the problems and concerns that are associated with existing physicians shortages. The Affordable Care Act also has provisions that are aimed to improve the education, ongoing training as well as to help with the recruitment of nursing, physicians, doctors as well as other health care personnel. In addition, there are provisions in place that help to increase workforces’ cultural competency, enhance faculty training of healthcare professionals, and diversity. The provisions also play a vital role because of the fact they are put into place to examine innovative reimbursement and care delivery models that highlight primary care services value and offer in improvement in the patient care coordination.

Primary care is a first and vital step to accessing medical services that includes: (a) health promotion, (b) disease prevention, (c) health maintenance, (d) counseling, (e) patient education, (f) diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of health care settings (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2016). Today, the shortage of primary care physicians/providers (PCP) and the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have presented the nation with a great quandary. It has been estimated that the shortage of PCPs will rise to 66,000 by the year 2025 due to the Medical Doctors (MD) leaving this practice in the pursuit of specialization and thus more money (Buerhaus, DesRoches, Dittus, & Donelan, 2015). Moreover, MDs are less likely than APNs to practice in urban and rural communities, offer services to other underserved groups as well as accepting Medicare consumers (Buerhaus et al., 2015). Additionally, many of these communities are left struggling to obtain needed medical care. While at the same time, the population continues to grow; patients increase in age suffering from many acute and chronic ailments.

Emergency Department overcrowding is a national problem worsened by ED closures, insufficient hospital bed capacity, and insufficient primary care capacity. Primary care is essential to the effective and efficient functioning of health care delivery systems, yet there is an impending crisis in the field due in part to a dysfunctional payment system (SpingerLink). Practicing primary care physicians are demoralized, retiring early, and advising others not to go into the field (Springer Link). The percentage of recent U.S. medical school graduates and residents planning to enter primary care practice is reducing to levels that will lead to serious physician shortages (SpringerLink). The reasons for this decline are caused by several factors, but a central factor has been a succession of dysfunctional payment systems that discourage proper delivery of primary care. (SpringerLink) Another factor is the stigma of receiving care at Community Health Centers (CHCs) as being inadequate, even though some community health centers offer a

The primary objective of the ACA is to make quality health insurance more affordable and available to the American public (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). The ACA requires that insurance companies have minimum standards and rates. In particular, the ACA prohibits insurers from denying coverage to individuals due to pre-existing conditions and requires them to offer the same premium price to all applicants regardless of their age, gender, or location. Moreover, it establishes minimum standards for health insurance policies and requires all individuals who are not covered by either government or employer-sponsored health plans to secure an approved private insurance policy or pay a penalty. The law provides subsidies to help low-income individuals comply with the ACA and has set up online health insurance exchanges to allow individuals and small businesses to compare policies and buy insurance. Additionally, the ACA has expanded Medicaid eligibility for all individuals and families with income up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Other provisions of the Act include: allowing dependent children to remain on their parents ' insurance plan until their 26th birthday, prohibiting insurers from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits on new policies issued, prohibiting insurers from dropping policyholders when they get sick, and requiring all new insurance policies to cover preventive care and medical screenings without requiring

The shortage of qualified professionals is challenging medical and educational industry leaders to provide staffing and care in an increasingly complex and changing healthcare landscape. In addition to an aging population, the rise of chronic diseases and an increasing population, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is responsible for over 32 million newly-insured Americans demanding health care.

While the ACA is providing funding to the future practitioners who work in primary care, the number of new patients with health insurance, along with the aging population, offset the benefit of increasing primary care providers. The imbalance has led to longer wait times and shorter visits. Even with insurance, due to the lack of access to health care, patients are still ending up in emergency rooms for untreated illnesses that progressed into more serious conditions (Christensen, 2013). With poor reimbursements from patient with government insurance, primary care providers