[University Affiliation]
Patient protection and affordable care act
Introduction
Effective healthcare systems are inevitable for ensuring better outcomes. So devising appropriate healthcare policies forms a major challenge for governments across the world. PPACA was devised by the United States (US) government with the purpose to better the healthcare sector as a whole and its capability to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare, cultural competencies and related aspects are discussed.
Major initiatives in PPACA to improve quality of care and access to care: Initiatives like integration of the healthcare sector could facilitate in improving the quality of care since it enables the patients to have better options and facilities. The Act also identifies the need for adopting strategies to better services and to improve the patient health status and efforts such as this could ultimately lead to improved quality in care (Groszkruger, 2011). Efforts for increasing the coverage benefits, fee rationalizations and avoiding unrealistic denial to quality healthcare based on affordability, regional restrictions, etc could result in improving the quality of healthcare services. In order to enhance the accessibility to healthcare, PPACA aims to reduce or eliminate some of the existing barriers like denial of healthcare policy for already existing disease condition, avoiding unrealistic clauses or conditions, subsidizing premiums amounts, offering tax benefits, offering more insurance coverage without increase in premium amounts, simplification and unification of the procedures. According to PPACA the various measures like, imposing fine on employers for not providing health cover to all their full time employees; altering the eligibility limits and other constraints in availing medical assistance; devising new patient care models; prompting individuals to take basic minimum coverage; emphasis on improving healthcare in rural area; online assistance; developing competent work forces and increasing the work forces, etc are aimed at bringing more people under coverage.
PPACA on culture and healthcare: Efforts in PPACA like adding more diversity to the healthcare work forces and increasing the number of competent healthcare workers are expected to deal with the cultural aspects of healthcare. Increased capital allocations for expanding the medical education segment and related activities could facilitate in increasing the supply of diverse and specialized healthcare workers (Rosenbaum, 2011). Alterations in the eligibility patterns mentioned in the healthcare act aims to extend coverage to maximum number of culturally diverse or minority populations and could reduce the discrepancies that exists with regard to healthcare delivery (Sorell, 2012). Price rationalization efforts at primary healthcare levels and special emphasis on the service aspect of healthcare might reduce disparities at cultural levels, to a certain extend.
Issues not addressed
The document on PPACA prepared by the democrats in fact describes some of the major reforms in the healthcare policies, but the document has failed to point out how the new reforms would be implemented and monitored in real time. The document did not detail on the ways with which the defaulters would be punished. There is no mention on the scope of the possible enforcements and the legal implication to the defaulters has also not being mentioned appropriately. PPACA document have not properly provided details of the responsibilities for the various healthcare agencies, institutions and providers.
Capability of PPACA to support cultural competency in healthcare delivery
Efforts to develop a more culturally diverse and competent health care work force to understand the perspectives and problems of the culturally diverse patient population could facilitate in developing cultural competency in healthcare, to a certain extent (Nardi, Waite & Killian, 2012). Reforms at medical education sector for developing culturally diverse workforces and specialized culture centric trainings might support proper delivery of the healthcare. Fee rationalization schemes and incentives even at primary healthcare levels could help in building up competencies and expanding the reach of the healthcare systems.
Conclusion
Health care sector has to reform continuously in accordance with the demands and needs of the patient population with the view to provide health care services to all the needy. The reforms like the ones mentioned in PPACA are expected to deliver appropriately if the healthcare workers and associated institutions acquire needed levels of competencies.
References
Groszkruger, D. (2011). Perspectives on healthcare reform: A year later, what more do we know? Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, 31 (1): 24 – 30. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ashrm.org%2Fashrm%2Feducation%2Fdevelopment%2Fjournal%2FJournal%2520Article_HealthcareReform.pdf&ei=CCpgUt-tM4bKkwXIwoDgAQ&usg=AFQjCNEIETalCEzrgMjHvUuwbWgauuQK2Q&sig2=Ab1rQqJ2Hr278BEUbCHx_g
Nardi, D. Waite, R. & Killian, P. (2012). establishing standards for culturally competent mental health care. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 50 (7): 3 - 5. Retrieved October 16, 2013, from http://www.healio.com/psychiatry/journals/jpn/%7B543bb6d7-3d57-4a71-91eb-dfa96e5541f1%7D/establishing-standards-for-culturally-competent-mental-health-care
Rosenbaum, S. (2011). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for public health policy and practice. Public Health Rep., 126 (1): 130–135. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001814/
Sorrell, J. (2012). Ethics: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Ethical perspectives in 21st century health care. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 18 (1): 10 - 15. Retrieved October 16, 2013, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Columns/Ethics/Patient-Protection-and-Affordable-Care-Act-Ethical-Perspectives.html
