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View the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" video: (This video was developed just as the (commonly referred to as ACA) was due to be implemented. Now that the ACA is operational, contrast the information from the video with actual outcomes and provide your assessment of whether or not the stated goals of the ACA are being met for direct patient care. Support your position using sources inclusive of peer-reviewed literature as well as governmental statistics (state or national) or other nonpartisan resources. - use 2 apa references - answer questions straight to the point - PLEASE NOTE THAT A COVER PAGE IS NOT NEEDED - THIS IS JUST A DISCUSSION QUESTION. NOTHING FANCY)

Paper For Above instruction

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in 2010, aimed to improve healthcare access, reduce costs, and enhance care quality. The original video emphasized expanding health coverage through Medicaid expansion, establishing health insurance exchanges, and implementing preventive care measures with the goal of improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare disparities.

Since its implementation, data indicates mixed outcomes relative to these goals. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicaid expansion led to increased coverage among low-income populations, decreasing the number of uninsured individuals, which aligns with one of the ACA's primary objectives (CMS, 2021). Furthermore, the expansion of insurance coverage has been associated with improved access to care; for instance, patients with insurance are more likely to receive preventive services and timely treatment (Courtemanche et al., 2020). These outcomes suggest that the ACA has successfully increased healthcare access for vulnerable populations.

However, challenges remain regarding the quality and consistency of care. Although coverage has expanded, some critics argue that the quality of care and health outcomes have not significantly improved. As reported by the National Academy of Medicine, disparities in care persist among racial and socioeconomic groups, indicating that coverage alone does not fully address health inequities (National Academy of Medicine, 2017). Additionally, rising healthcare costs continue to burden both patients and the healthcare system, with premium costs and deductibles increasing for some populations despite overall efforts to control costs (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2021).

In conclusion, while the ACA has made meaningful progress towards increasing health insurance coverage and access, its impact on improving health outcomes and controlling costs has been uneven. The goals of expanding coverage and access appear to be met to some extent, but addressing disparities in care quality and cost control remains an ongoing challenge. Therefore, the ACA has partially achieved its aims, but further reforms are necessary to realize its full potential in enhancing patient care.

References

  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2021). Health Insurance Policy & Coverage. https://www.cms.gov
  • Courtemanche, C., Yeloushanova, E., Pinkston, J., et al. (2020). Impact of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on access to healthcare and health disparities. Journal of Health Economics, 70, 102299.
  • Kaiser Family Foundation. (2021). The State of Health Insurance in the United States. https://www.kff.org
  • National Academy of Medicine. (2017). Improving quality in health care. The National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org