The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) intends to make patient care more accessible and affordable than ever before (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2016). The act passed in the year March 2010 by President Obama has been a breakthrough in the history of healthcare in the United States. The act aims to cover millions of Americans who were uninsured prior to the implementation of the act. The act is designed to reduce the cost of healthcare and improve the healthcare services provided across the States (Health Insurance Resource Center, 2010).
Although the Act was meant to benefit all the sectors of the society, it does have certain fallacies and drawbacks that have created major issues in the healthcare sector for different parts of the society. In this paper, we will discuss all the pros and cons of the Act and see if the act is an improvement or a liability to the healthcare system.
(Obamacare Statistics, 2016)
(Growing Hospital Jobs, 2016)
Talking about the pros of the act, over a ten million people of the United States have been able to gain access to quality healthcare after the implementation of the act. More than half of the American population are now covered under the insurance plans that were previously uninsured. The cost of healthcare has become quite low or almost free for many people of the United States. The numbers of private coverage options have also increased after the implementation of the act. In addition to that, all the private insurers are now bound to provide the basic essential coverage. The act has also made it mandatory for the businesses with more than 50 employees to provide health coverage to all its employees. The adults till the age of 26 can avail coverage benefits under their parents’ insurance plans even if they are employed, staying away from their parents or are married (Obamacare Facts, 2016). The act has also made it mandatory for the insurance companies to provide coverage to those having pre existing diseases, the companies can neither deny giving coverage or increase the premium when the patient gets sick. The so called “donut hole” gaps are also about to get eliminated by the year 2020 (Amadeo, 2016). This act has made it easier to for the consumers to browse through all the available plans in the market at a single place. Earlier the consumers had to surf through various sites in order to get the price quote from different insurance companies; post implementation, the consumers can compare the premiums at a single place and make an informed decision (Williams, 2016). The act has also increased the number of jobs in the healthcare sector.
On the contrary, there are good numbers of loop holes in the act too. The act has added additional expenses in the form of taxes in order to ensure coverage for a huge population. These taxes are usually imposed on the high income groups and on the healthcare industry. There are direct taxes affecting the general class individuals too, these are the individual mandate and the employer mandate. The individual mandate has made it compulsory for all the individuals to avail the insurance coverage. If someone refuses to get covered then he may have to pay a certain sum in the name of individual mandate as a penalty. Higher numbers of available choices have created confusion among the people of the United States (Obamacare Facts, 2016).
Despite the various loop holes and drawbacks that the act has brought about with itself, it has produced good results for the citizens of the United States. The younger generation under the age of 26 has agreed to be enjoying better mental and physical health since the implementation of the act. Surveys have also shown that there has been tremendous rise in the number of diagnosed cases of diabetes. This proves that the patients who earlier avoided getting a health check up done due to the soaring cost, are coming forward and enrolling themselves under various screening tests. This ultimately leads to a healthier nation (Culp- Ressler, 2015). The numbers of supporters for the act are more than those standing against it. In a poll conducted to determine the number of supporters of the act, it was seen than 42% of the United States citizens voted for the act and 40% opposed it (Easley, 2015).
Thus, it can be concluded that the act has brought about a positive change in the United States’ healthcare sector. It has reduced the cost of healthcare for the low income group. It has made healthcare more affordable for the needy section of the society. People who were not covered earlier under the insurance plans have not gained coverage. The people who abstained from visiting the doctors for their illnesses earlier are more responsive towards their ill health now. People now go for regular health checkups and screening tests. This has made the overall population of the States a lot healthier. Healthcare has become more accessible and the overall health status of the people has improved.
References
Affordable Care Act - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2016). Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Retrieved 3 April 2016, from https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/American-Indian-Alaska-Native/AIAN/Affordable_Care_Act.html
Amadeo, K. (2016). Is Obamacare Worth It?. About.com News & Issues. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from http://useconomy.about.com/od/healthcarereform/a/Obamacare-Pros-And-Cons.htm
Culp- Ressler, T. (2015). The Truth About How Obamacare Is Faring. ThinkProgress. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/03/23/3637393/obamacare-five-year-anniversary/
Easley, J. (2015). Americans Fall In Love With Obamacare As New Poll Shows Growing ACA Support.Politicususa.com. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/07/americans-fall-love-obamacare-poll-shows-growing-aca-support.html
Growing Hospital Jobs. (2016). Retrieved from http://images.dailykos.com/images/146924/large/HospitalJobsGrowth2.png?1433533931
Obamacare Statistics. (2016). Retrieved from http://blogs-images.forbes.com/rickungar/files/2014/06/kff.png
ObamaCare: Pros and Cons of ObamaCare. (2016). Obamacare Facts. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-pros-and-cons/
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) definition. (2010). Health Insurance Resource Center. Retrieved 3 April 2016, from https://www.healthinsurance.org/glossary/patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-ppaca/
Williams, S. (2016). Obamacare Pros and Cons: Where We Stand Following Its Implementation -- The Motley Fool. The Motley Fool. Retrieved 4 April 2016, from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/06/27/obamacare-pros-and-cons-where-we-stand-following-i.aspx
