Affordable Care Act Essays

Affordable Care Act
And
Preventive Care

Tracy Bazin
HC365
Instructor Robert Schneider
July 20, 2014

Introduction Title IV of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act focuses on improving public health by preventing chronic diseases (Finkelstein, 2007, p.1). The United States health system is evolving from focusing on treating illnesses and diseases to focusing on prevention and wellness promotion. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will help to improve public health, reduce healthcare costs, and ensure that more Americans have access to preventive services. The managed care system was formed to help individuals and their families by providing healthcare that is affordable. It will allow the uninsured and self-employed to be able to purchase health insurance through state based exchanges. There will also be subsidies available to individuals that cannot afford to purchase insurance if they meet insurance requirements (Fontenot, 2008, p.90-91). The quality of care that is given will be very important in maintaining healthcare cost. Universal health care has been sought by many individuals in the past and had unsuccessful results. Nothing is perfect every system has its kinks and flaws and the ACA is no exception. It is good to know that you live in a country that is constantly evolving and growing. My research will focus on the Affordable Care Act, preventive healthcare services, healthcare plans, and community health.
Affordable Care Act Everyone has heard about Obama Care, and are still asking the question what is Obama care. Does Obama Care mean that everyone will be able to receive and afford health insurance? Obama Care is also known as the Affordable Care Act. The ACA was signed into law on March 23, 2010 to enforce healthcare reform. The ACA changed the way that Americans are covered by health insurance companies and protect them from financial burdens. Insurance companies in the past could refuse to pay for a particular service due to pre-existing conditions. With the Affordable Care Act preexisting conditions will no longer be a barrier in determining and receiving healthcare coverage (Freymann, 2014, p.1). Healthcare reform has hopes of extending the U.S. life expectancy, and decreasing infant mortality rates and deaths due to lack of access to healthcare. The United States is ranked 37th in the healthcare system. The U.S. has the shortest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rates in comparison to other countries (Cogan, 2011, p.359). It has been asked by many is the Affordable Care Act considered a right or privilege because of the requirement to have insurance coverage or incur a penalty. There are many questions about the ACA, but are very few answers. For example, in the future will the Affordable Care Act hurt or help the economy? I choose to believe that the ACA will eventually help the economy because the increasing patient load could only ensure that there will be more jobs available in the medical field. Individuals that are employed will be able to work longer and avoid disability before retirement age due to the prevention of chronic diseases. In the beginning of any new venture it always seem like you are on the losing end until everything is up and running. The new electronic requirements were first thought to help physicians reduce cost in staffing and paperwork. Unfortunately no one inquired about the cost of establishing the new electronic technology needed to meet the ACA and HIPPA mandates. The new technology is to be used to enroll individuals in healthcare coverage and create educational tolls and resources to increase patient participation in their care (Freymann, 2014, p.79). The new system may not be cost efficient, but it will be patient efficient by providing information to the public that will help them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The ACA has two goals to increase coverage to the public

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The Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act