Current Health Policy Debate regarding the Affordable Care Act
Introduction
The health policy debate regarding ObamaCare focuses on the interest of average U.S citizens. The Affordable Care Act offers protection and benefits to all United States’ citizens regardless of their economic status and social lifestyle. The ACA seeks to reduce the insurance premiums to ensure the majority of average American families are covered. The law seeks to ensure 30 million of 44 million Americans without insurance get access to health coverage (ObamaCare, 2015). The government through the health insurance marketplaces, employers and Medicaid would ensure more Americans obtains health insurance coverage. The health law focuses on low-income Americans to qualify healthcare through Medicaid expansion, especially those who are below 138 percent of Federal Poverty Level (Sommers, 2016). Therefore, the paper seeks to discuss current health policies under ACA, focusing on the marketplace, value, equity, effectiveness, and efficiency of ObamaCare in health sectors.
Explaining Current Health Policy Debate regarding the Affordable Care Act
The marketplace of health insurance through the state’s website allows Americans to apply for the subsidized insurance. The platform is essential for checking whether one qualify for Medicaid and cost assistance. The cost assistance program makes the marketplaces more attractive as it provides wider choices comparing to seeking health insurance cover elsewhere. Other providers for health insurance coverage have segmented health insurance system that leads to over-buying or under-buying health policies (Implementing the Affordable Care Act, 2017). Furthermore, private insurance charges assistance cost as broker fees plus the state control insurance prices depending on regions. Regardless of the plan, one gets, any American is supposed to pay the same premium as indicated in the Affordable Care Act. The official health insurance marketplace is through Healthcare.gov website for chopping plans depending options and best coverage prices (Cooper & Gardner, 2016). Therefore, it is essential to consider the market place to avoid extra charges such as cost assistance and broker fees from outside state’s open enrollment website.
Affordable Care Act benefits about 60% of Americans on medical coverage since the year 2014 (Geyman, 2017). In understanding the benefits of ACA, actuarial value provides average cost sharing index for all the ObamaCare policyholders covered by the plan. Health care investors’ focuses on administrative spending while deciding the cost health insurance cover (Implementing the Affordable Care Act, 2017). The federal government through ACA has contributed to the expansion of health care to many Americans through lowering premiums. Furthermore, ACA focuses on health quality value and efficiency of healthcare delivery as it helps in gauging actuarial value.
Affordable Care Act focuses on the promotion of health equity while at the same time it seeks to eliminate health disparities among the United States citizens. The ObamaCare contributes to the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities observed in the health and health care. Examination of the development of different programs initiated through Affordable Care Act strategies in reducing health disparities and encouraging of a new view of leadership to enhance health equity (Geyman, 2017). In the past years, discussion elaborating on the patient protection and ACA has enabled to achieve a milestone in enhancing health and health care equity. The major objective of ACA is the provision of different provisions regarding specific race, ethnicity and language. The ObamaCare has significant implications for diverse populations (Implementing the Affordable Care Act, 2017). ACA is considered as the best policy that seeks to promote health equity through provisions and reforms in the health care.
Service delivery in the Affordable Care Act has been formulated with the objective of expanding the American access to patient protection and health insurance coverage. The ACA seeks to promote health care delivery through developing strategies to enhance health care quality and access (Cooper & Gardner, 2016). The Health Care Innovations Exchange program has been at the forefront in highlighting innovative policies to ensure health care delivery is improved. The approach in improving the healthcare quality and efficiency reflects the objective of ACA goals (Geyman, 2017). Innovations are precursors and elements that illustrate the foundation for efficient and effective health care delivery. The health care resources and manpower are supposed to meet all the requirements illustrated for quality health care services. Quality resources are essential in improving effectiveness and efficiency in the health sector (Cooper & Gardner, 2016). The medical programs and systems features in the quality health care strategies for improving quality health care services according to ACA standards.
In fairness and availability of quality healthcare, the low-income families in the United States are the winner. The ObamaCare was initially developed to focus on quality health care delivery targeting citizens below 138 percent in Federal Poverty Level (Geyman, 2017). ACA ensures insurance policies support fairness and access to health care under the principles of equality, efficiency, and effectiveness. In my point of view, ACA has played a major role in enhancing the quality of health care services and promoting availability and equity in the health sector.
Conclusion
The ObomaCare debate focuses on the interest of the majority of United States citizens living in average and below Federal Poverty Level. The American government ensures the health insurance coverage support quality health care services. Equality, effectiveness and efficiency are essential elements of ACA as it seeks to reduce the health cost and to improve the care quality. Therefore, ACA debate has revealed the advantages that United States citizens enjoy in health sectors.
References
Cooper, R., & Gardner, L. (2016). Extensive Changes and Major Challenges Encountered in Health Insurance Markets under the Affordable Care Act. Journal of Financial Service Professionals. 70(5), 53-71.
Geyman, J. (2017). The Affordable Care Act at Age Five: Quality of Care - PNHP's Official Blog. Pnhp.org. Retrieved 25 January 2017, from http://pnhp.org/blog/2015/03/16/the-affordable-care-act-at-age-five-quality-of-care/
Implementing the Affordable Care Act: Innovations That Improve Health Care Quality and Access | AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange. (2017). Innovations.ahrq.gov. Retrieved 25 January 2017, from https://innovations.ahrq.gov/topic-collections/affordable-care-act
ObamaCare: Pros and cons of ObamaCare. (2015). Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-pros-and-cons/
Sommers, B. (2016). Medicaid Expansion in Texas: What's at Stake?. Commonwealth Fund.
