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Impact of Affordable Care Act essay
The impact of the Affordable Care Act on healthcare
Economic implications of health insurance
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Problem Statement: Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has finally been fully implemented, millions of Americans will now have access to health care coverage and to health care services. As a country, we are now able to begin the transformation from a “sick care” system into one that centers on prevention and health promotion. People that were once denied coverage, those who did not have employee health benefits, or those who were too financially insecure to afford premiums are now able to seek care, and the medical and public health workforces must adapt to accommodate these increasing numbers by increasing their own. As of today, despite the growing national awareness of the importance of the public health system in sustaining a healthy population, the public health workforce is being crippled by substantial decreases in funding, reductions of resources and staff, inadequate training, and an inequitable distribution of health care practitioners in areas of the greatest need. According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), 44,000 governmental public health jobs at the state and local level were lost between 2008 and 2010. Numbers compiled by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) show that 41 percent of local health departments (LHD) experienced some level of reduction in workforce capacity. The NACCHO reports that all LHDs are experiencing a 13 percent diminished capacity in staff operations, with reductions in hours worked and mandated furloughs. Because of these budget cuts and workforce shortages, agencies must now do more with less. This not only puts a strain on agencies; it also detracts from worker recruitment and retention. Given the estimate provided by the Association o... ... middle of paper ... ...frastructu Greysen, S. R., Chen, C., & Mullan, F. (2011). A History of Medical Student Debt: Observations and Implications for the Future of Medical Education. Academic Medicine, 86(7), 840-845 810.1097/ACM.1090b1013e31821daf31803. Davidson, S. (2013). A New Era in U.S. Health Care: Critical Next Steps Under the Affordable Care Act: Stanford University Press. Fani Marvasti, F., & Stafford, R. S. (2012). From Sick Care to Health Care — Reengineering Prevention into the U.S. System. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(10), 889-891. doi: doi:10.1056/NEJMp1206230 Holtz-Eakin, D., & Ramlet, M. J. (2010). Analysis & commentary. Health care reform is likely to widen federal budget deficits, not reduce them. Health Aff (Millwood), 29(6), 1136-1141. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0446 McDonough, J. E. (2011). Inside National Health Reform: University of California Press.
During the study of various reforms that were proposed and denied, both the GOP and Democrats attempted to find a balance that would guarantee the success of their proposals. Years of research, growing ideologies, political views and disregard for the country's constitution sparked an array of alternatives to solve the country's healthcare spending. The expenditure of US healthcare dollars was mostly due to hospital reimbursements, which constitute to 30% (Longest & Darr, 2008). During the research for alternatives, the gr...
One of the most controversial topics in the United States in recent years has been the route which should be undertaken in overhauling the healthcare system for the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. It is important to note that the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to make healthcare affordable; it provides low-cost, government-subsidized insurance options through the State Health Insurance Marketplace (Amadeo 1). Our current president, Barack Obama, made it one of his goals to bring healthcare to all Americans through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This plan, which has been termed “Obamacare”, has come under scrutiny from many Americans, but has also received a large amount of support in turn for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include a decrease in insurance discrimination on the basis of health or gender and affordable healthcare coverage for the millions of uninsured. The opposition to this act has cited increased costs and debt accumulation, a reduction in employer healthcare coverage options, as well as a penalization of those already using private healthcare insurance.
Ghosh, C. (2013). Affordable Care Act: Strategies to Tame the Future. Physician Executive, 39(6), 68-70.
Peterson, Mark A. "It Was A Different Time: Obama And The Unique Opportunity For Health Care Reform." Journal Of Health Politics, Policy & Law 36.3 (2011): 429-436.Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Reese, Philip. Public Agenda Foundation. The Health Care Crisis: Containing Costs, Expanding Coverage. New York: McGraw, 2002.
It is no secret that the current healthcare reform is a contentious matter that promises to transform the way Americans view an already complex healthcare system. The newly insured population is expected to increase by an estimated 32 million while facing an expected shortage of up to 44,000 primary care physicians within the next 12 years (Doherty, 2010). Amidst these already overwhelming challenges, healthcare systems are becoming increasingly scrutinized to identify ways to improve cost containment and patient access (Curits & Netten, 2007). “Growing awareness of the importance of health promotion and disease prevention, the increased complexity of community-based care, and the need to use scarce human healthcare resources, especially family physicians, far more efficiently and effectively, have resulted in increased emphasis on primary healthcare renewal.” (Bailey, Jones & Way, 2006, p. 381).
Society has, throughout history, introduced several questions that we, as a people, have to answer. However, none of these answers can satisfy everyone and have some negative drawbacks. The editors of Searching for Great Ideas agree with that statement based what they said on page 30… Some current issues that can be examined are gender and sexual equality in society, the access to education, and health care. I feel that the world’s most important questions involve, in some way, health care. One such question that I feel has the uttermost importance is that our system of health insurance is linked to employment. Health insurance usually is provided by the employer, with some contribution from the employee; but more than ever, we have many people working part-time, or working through other non-traditional arrangements (like at home). Therefore, it limits many people from receiving health care insurance and proposes “do you think that all Americans should have health insurance?” I feel, like most people, that everyone should have the option to have health care insurance if they so choose. This also causes several subcategory questions to formulate from this question. As a future Dr., these will be issues that I will have to deal with on a daily basis. Even though I won’t have the authority to change some important health care legislation, I do have the power to comfort my patients through their tough times.
Sahadi, Jeanne. "Health reform's tax bite." CNN Money. 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2013.
Herman, Catherine. "U.S. Unprepared for Impact of Aging Population on Health Workforce According to UAlbany Center for Health Workforce Studies." University at Albany. N.p., 5 Apr. 2006. Web.
In present 2016, with the presidential elections coming up, one of the talked about problems is student debt. The U.S. currently owes over 1 trillion dollars in student debt and it is growing by the second (Collegedebt.com). Tuition rates are over the roof and how these politicians plan to act upon them is one of the major deal breakers for this election. Yet as tuition rates keep on soaring, people are questioning, how and when did it become this bad? The answer is simply three factors: The Great Recession, Privatization, and lastly the need for higher education.
Today in the United States two thirds of graduating students leave colleges and universities with student debt. The Institute for College Access and Success began an initiative called “the Project on Student Debt” to estimate just how much student debt has been accumulating over the years. What they found was that the average student will graduate with $26,000 in debt and in more extreme cases, over $100,000 dollars in unpaid loans. These numbers have serious underlying implications, not only for student borrowers and their lenders but rather the entire national economy. With more than a quarter million graduating students every year, the national student debt has amassed to over $1.2 trillion dollars – or about 6 percent of the country’s total debt, and twice the size from 2007. While Americans already struggle to pay credit card and auto loan debts, the national student loan debt is larger than both, second only to mortgage loan debt. Those burdened by unpaid loans aren’t the only ones affected however, business owners, corporations and employees alike will be touched by the stresses a huge debt can put on an economy. As unpaid balances accumulate people will spend less money where they can. Consumer spending drives the economy; without it businesses will profit less, employee wages will be cut and loans will continue to go unpaid.
“Debt Burden: Repaying Student Debt.” American Council on Education. One Dupont Circle NW. Sep. 2004. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
As Graduation comes near we all like to believe that our careers begin debt free behind that glass door, and we turn the knob and all our hard work will have paid off. When in fact, the glass door shatter and the student faced with the reality of paying back student loans. There is little dispute today that the number of students who have student loan debt has increased.
The student loan crisis in America has recently reached its peak with 1.3 trillion dollars in outstanding student loan debt (Barrett & Dickler). Tuition is not only growing at a rate faster than inflation but more students are also pursuing a postsecondary education (Houle). These students include individuals from all income levels, so those unable to afford tuition are forced to take out student loans to make up the difference. This problem directly impacts the 40 million Americans who have taken out these loans; however, more people are affected than just those in debt (Franken). Student loan debt influences major life decisions such as starting a family, buying a house, and retiring. Beyond the individual problems debt creates, this crisis is impacting the economy, politics, and the nation as a whole; therefore, if the student loan debt crisis is not rectified, the well-being of America will be negatively affected.
ObamaCare Summary: A Summary of Obama's Health Care Reform. n.d. Web. 18 03 2014. .