The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was incorporated in the year 2010 in order to transform the healthcare services in such manner that it enhances the healthcare outcomes in the country. It is also focused on reducing the cost of healthcare while ensuring that the healthcare services are made available by means of effective availability and distribution. The quality of healthcare system has been objectified to be increased under the prevalence of ACA, whereas the rate of uninsured citizens is also emphasized so that the effective distribution of the healthcare services can be implied (Gable, 2011).
The population in the United States is observed to be an aging population, as it is estimated that two-third of the population is above 65 years, which eventually indicates the demand of long-term care. It ranges from providing personal assistance in carrying out daily activities by the patients, monitoring the elderly patients in accordance with their health status and administering the drugs in an effective manner. The long-term care is not limited to the long-term care facilities due to which it is offered to the eligible citizens at home (Gable, 2011).
The ACA is observed to be strengthening the aspects of Medicare and Medicaid, in which the preventive care has been emphasized while ensuring the quality enhancements in the chronic care management. In this manner, the preventive services and chronic care management has been incorporated by keeping the costs of healthcare decreased. The innovative methods in providing care are implied so that the efficient provision of care can be ensured. It is estimated that about 37 million individuals, including elderly, received preventive care in accordance with the ACA and Medicaid benefits, which eventually indicates the effectiveness of the healthcare system (Stone & Harahan, 2010).
The patients in the long-term care are highly dependent on the continuous administration of drugs, which eventually increases the healthcare cost. In this instance, ACA ensures that the drug prices are reduced for the beneficiaries who are eligible in accordance with the Medicare services. Moreover, the prescribed brand-name drugs are offered at a 52.5% discount, whereas generic drugs are offered at a 28% discount, which eventually indicates the cost efficiency offered by the ACA for the patients who are highly reliant on the prescribed drugs for a long duration of time (Miller, 2012).
The access to care is also made efficient by means of making the healthcare staff and clinicians more inclined towards the objectives of healthcare. In this instance, adequate rewards are offered to the primary care providers, healthcare workforce and general surgeons. It is inferred that almost 10% increase in rewards has been implied by the Medicare in order to ensure the enhanced competency of the healthcare staff by means of effective trainings and monetary incentives. It supports the academic objectives of the healthcare staff by means of offering them with the academic scholarships and educational loan, so that the number of healthcare staff can be increased to meet the demand of healthcare services (Stone & Harahan, 2010).
The long-term care is not covered by the Medicare, however, ACA supports the expenses of eligible beneficiaries in the long-term care. In this instance, the beneficiaries are provided with the daily payments that are required to incorporate the long-term care. The ACA ensures that the patients in the long-term care are reimbursed in an effective manner regardless of the fact that they are either provided with the long-term care at home or at facilities. However, due to the unviability of the mechanism, the process of reimbursing the long-term care beneficiaries was hindered (Miller, 2012).
The long-term care beneficiaries are provided with the effective administration of the healthcare services under the prevalence of Medicaid and is funded in accordance with the ACA. In this instance, the administration of healthcare services ensures that the long-term care beneficiaries are provided with the enhanced access and quality of care at their home and long-term care facilities. Therefore, the access to care for the patients in the long-term care has been ensured by means of making the provision of healthcare services available at the facilities and at home (Miller, 2012).
The funding for the beneficiaries in the long-term care is also ensured in accordance with the implication of the ACA. In this manner, a five-year program for the beneficiaries is provided in which long-term care and administration of patients at home is financed. Moreover, ACA also provides the health-home services to the beneficiaries while ensuring their eligibility in the Medicaid program in order to ensure that the cost for the patients has been minimized. In this manner, the access to healthcare has been enhanced by making the patients eligible under two healthcare services that provide with the healthcare services at home and supports adequate referrals for the clinical assistance (Kapp, 2014).
The prevalence of ACA has provided the beneficiaries in the long-term care with the access to the community care services and hence, the availability and accessibility to the healthcare has been enhanced. However, the overall cost of long-term care is not completely covered, which is crucial for the wellbeing of the patients in the long-term care. The patients in long-term care are highly dependent on their family members and state funding programs with respect to the overall cost of care. The increased rate of elder population in the United States is crucial and it indicates that the adequate implications and funding resources should be developed to provide consistent care to the patients in the long-term care (Kapp, 2014).
References
Gable, L. (2011). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, public health, and the elusive target of human rights. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(3), 340-354.
Kapp, M. B. (2014). Home and Community-Based Long-Term Services and Supports: Health Reform's Most Enduring Legacy. Louis UJ Health L. & Pol'y, 8, 9.
Miller, E. A. (2012). The affordable care act and long-term care: comprehensive reform or just tinkering around the edges?. Journal of aging & social policy, 24(2), 101-117.
Stone, R., & Harahan, M. F. (2010). Improving the long-term care workforce serving older adults. Health Affairs, 29(1), 109-115.
