Benchmarking Healthcare Policy Analysis: Affordable Care Act

For many years, the social disparity in the United States has been growing more extensive, with few people who can access quality healthcare services. Affordable Care Act has been the significant health policy that the United States policymakers have made since the 1960s. Even though it has been severely opposed by the politicians, especially those from the Republican side, the ACA is expected to change the lives of millions of Americans who cannot access better and good quality healthcare services due to high cost. This essay examines the Affordable Care Act and how it accounts for ethical, legal, and political factors when implemented.

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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare as it sometimes called is comprehensive healthcare legislation enacted in March 2010 to help improve healthcare accessibility to millions of Americans who still do not have access to quality and cost-effective healthcare services. According to Obama (2016), the ACA is the most significant healthcare legislation that has been enacted in the United States since the 1960s. If the law is implemented adequately, this policy is expected to improve accessibility, affordability, and quality of healthcare in the United States (Obama, 2016). According to Hall and Lord (2014), the ACA's core achievement is to ensure that all the Americans are insured. The authors further explain that ACA is expected to be cost-effective to the Americans, especially those who cannot afford quality healthcare services.

The ACA has been received with different reactions from politicians to academicians. According to Center et al. (2017), the ACA of 2010 has three main goals; to increase the number of insured, enhance the quality of care, and minimize the costs of health care for millions of Americans. The authors explain how this policy relates to cost containment. Citing from the former president, Barack Obama, Center et al. (2017) argue that implementation of ACA would significantly reduce the cost of accessing health care services to the majority of Americans. According to Center et al. (2017), the U.S healthcare system has been heavily criticized due to the cost, coverage, and quality. Despite massive investment in the healthcare sector, the U.S healthcare system has not improved (Center et al., 2017). This policy is financially sound because despite investing heavily on it, the government intended to introduce new taxes that would see it funded all through. The government under Obama administration planned to spend nearly $1 trillion between the year 2010 and 2019 to improve the affordability of care services through curbs on Medicare and Medicaid spending. Also, introducing new taxes on high-cost plans and tax shelters of the high-class individuals are all aimed at achieving cost-effectiveness of the healthcare to over 20 million Americans (Obama, 2016).

Ethically, this policy accounts for quality healthcare services. According to Orton (2016), ACA intended to improve healthcare quality in the United States. Therefore, increasing the number of insured people will guarantee that everyone in the United States has access to quality care.

Legally, this policy is considered to be healthcare reform legislation that the Congress has enacted and passed in the past years. This policy protects people from employer retaliation. The legal factors that one must consider when implementing this policy include the legal responsibility of the patient to choose his or her doctor. Also, one must consider the illegality for health insurance companies to cancel the employee's health insurance because he or she gets sick (HealthCare.gov, 2018).

Politically, one must consider the political divide when it comes to the implementation of this policy. Since President Donald Trump took office early in 2016, the Republican side has seemed to be focused on repealing the ACA. According to Mody and Blackwood (2018), the Republican Congress members have shown interest numerous times since 2017 their intention to repeal and replace the ACA.

ACA is related to the federal health goal of improving healthcare quality and patient safety in different states (HHS.gov). According to Franz et al. (2016), the ACA aims at enhancing the doctor-patient relationship, which is one of the federal health goals. Franz et al. (2016) explain that medical relations are expected to include partnerships between different types of clinicians as well as the members of the community.

Also, the ACA is related to world health goal under the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals action plan of 2030. The UN SDG plan to promote healthcare service to all across the world shows the commitment of the UN member states to enhance healthcare in their countries. In the case of ACA, the goal to promote affordable and quality health care service to all Americans is in line with the UN healthcare plans under the universal health coverage (WHO, 2017).

ACA is designed to achieve these goals if adequately and adequately implemented. According to Silvers (2013), ACA will expand Medicaid to the working class earning up to 133% of the federal poverty level. According to the author, there is no question that the ACA has brought significant changes in the health care system and it will continue to change and make the U.S healthcare system better when it is implemented (Silvers, 2013). According to Silvers (2013), ACA is designed to achieve the healthcare quality goals through widening the insurance coverage. Hall and Lord (2014) explain how ACA has changed the insurance coverage since its implementation in 2014. According to the authors, before the ACA the uninsured rate was 18% and after its implementation, the uninsured rate reduced to 9% by the end of 2014.

As an advocate, I would ensure that my population has access to the benefits of this policy by increasing public awareness. I believe that when people have the right information, they can make the right decision. Controversies surrounding this policy have influenced the people willing to get insurance. Therefore, I believe that my advocacy strategy of increasing awareness on the importance and benefits of ACA in my population would help them have access to this policy.

From the Christian perspective, I think that an advanced registered nurse has a professional and moral responsibility to promote health and prevent disease among a diverse population. Christianity teaches that all human beings were created in the image and likeness of God; therefore, as a nurse, it is one's professional and moral obligation to provide health care services to everyone and anyone who needs his or her services irrespective of the gender, race or age.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this essay has highlighted and analyzed the Affordable Care Act, as one of the recent healthcare policies enacted in the United States. This paper has focused on how the policy has been designed to improve access to quality and cost-effective healthcare services in the United States.

References

Center, H., Woods, C. A., Manchikanti, L., & Purdue Pharma, L. P. (2017). A critical analysis of obamacare: affordable care or insurance for many and coverage for few?. Pain physician, 20, 111-138.

Franz, B. A., Skinner, D., & Murphy, J. W. (2016). Changing medical relationships after the ACA: Transforming perspectives for population health. SSM-population health, 2, 834-840.

HHS.gov. (February 28, 2018). "Strategic Goal1: Reform, Strengthen, and Modernize the Nation's Healthcare System." Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/strategic-plan/strategic-goal-1/index.html

Hall, M. A., & Lord, R. (2014). Obamacare: what the Affordable Care Act means for patients and physicians. Bmj, 349, g5376.

HealthCare.gov. (2018). "Rights and Protection: Health coverage rights and protections." Retrieved from https://www.healthcare.gov/health-care-law-protections/

Mody, R, P., & Blackwood, K. (January 5, 2018). "United States: 5 Health Care Policy Issues to Follow in 2018." Mondaq. Retrieved from http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/661272/Healthcare/5+Health+Care+Policy+Issues+To+Follow+In+2018

Obama, B. (2016). United States health care reform: progress to date and next steps. Jama, 316(5), 525-532.

Orton, J. (2016). The Financial and Tax Implications of the Affordable Care Act on Lower and Middle Class US Residents. Iowa Research Online.

Silvers, J. B. (2013). The Affordable Care Act: objectives and likely results in an imperfect world. The Annals of Family Medicine, 11(5), 402-405.

WHO. (December 31, 2017). Universal Health Coverage (UHC). World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc)