Perhaps the most sterling example of an intervention or tactic that has changed greatly in light of the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act is the interaction that many people have with health insurance, the poor in particular. In the past, Medicaid was about all there was in terms of health insurance for the poor. The subsidies and support system in place for those that struggle but yet are not poor enough to qualify for Medicare were not yet in place. With that in mind, the author of this report witnessed more than once where people would delay or even forgo care due to the inability to afford paying out of pocket for healthcare as well as healthcare insurance premiums (Wisk & Witt, 2012).
Rather than hope and what for a job that offered decent healthcare coverage, the Affordable Care Act has allowed for people to get coverage even if they are of a lower income strata and even if they are not able to get coverage from an employer. The cost of premiums has gone up rather sharply but having that framework in place is better than nothing. The author of this response has seen situations where people put themselves or even their kids in dire danger so as to avoid being bankrupted or otherwise left in dire straits due to lack of money. Further, the coverage of preventative care has allowed many people to improve their healthcare outcomes (Pipes, 2016).
References
Pipes, S. (2016). Obamacare's Subsidies Are No Excuse For High Premiums. Forbes.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2016/11/28/obamacares-subsidies-are-no-excuse-for-high-premiums/#61c90b61449b
Wisk, L. & Witt, W. (2012). Predictors of Delayed or Forgone Needed Health Care for Families With Children. PEDIATRICS, 130(6), 1027-1037. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-0668
