The ACA Or The AHCA: Imperfect Solutions To Increasing Acces ✓ Solved

The ACA or the AHCA: Imperfect Solutions to Increasing Access

The ACA or the AHCA: Imperfect Solutions to Increasing Access to Health Care? This week’s discussion focuses on the federal government’s role in protecting the public’s health using the ACA and current efforts to “repeal and replace” the ACA. Please note that the government’s role in protecting the public’s health did not begin with the ACA. In the late 1800s, Lilian Wald brought health care to the community. And in 1965, Congress passed bills authorizing Medicare and Medicaid. Since 1965, Congress has expanded government-sponsored health care to pregnant women and children. Topic: Compare the current provisions in the ACA with those in the failed first version of the AHCA. Share your opinions about why the AHCA failed in the first attempt at passage.

Paper For Above Instructions

The debate surrounding access to health care in the United States has been fueled by efforts to implement and reform legislation like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the American Health Care Act (AHCA). This paper will compare the current provisions within the ACA and the proposed but failed initial version of the AHCA. Furthermore, it will explore the underlying reasons for the AHCA's failure during its first attempt at passage.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The ACA, enacted in 2010, was a landmark piece of legislation aimed at expanding health care coverage and reducing costs. Among its many provisions, the ACA established health insurance exchanges, expanded Medicaid eligibility, mandated that individuals obtain insurance or face penalties, and prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 2021). These provisions aimed to decrease the number of uninsured individuals in the country and improve overall health outcomes.

Key Provisions of the ACA

• Expanded Medicaid Coverage: The ACA allowed states to expand Medicaid to include low-income individuals, significantly increasing the number of people who received health coverage.
• Health Insurance Marketplaces: The act established exchanges to facilitate the purchase of health insurance, allowing consumers to compare plans and find coverage that met their needs.
• Preventive Services: The ACA mandated that preventive services be covered without cost-sharing, encouraging preventive care and reducing long-term health costs.
• Protection for Pre-existing Conditions: Insurers could no longer deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, which was a significant leap in protecting vulnerable populations (Van de Water, 2017).

The American Health Care Act (AHCA)

The AHCA was introduced in 2017 as an attempt to repeal and replace the ACA. The first iteration of the AHCA included several proposed changes to health care coverage and funding mechanisms aimed at reducing federal spending. However, it faced significant opposition both from within the Republican Party and from Democrats. Some key features of the AHCA's initial version included:

Key Provisions of the AHCA

• Revisions to Medicaid: The AHCA proposed to eliminate the Medicaid expansion and impose caps on federal funding, which would have reduced coverage for millions of low-income individuals (Gaffney et al., 2018).
• Tax Credits: Unlike the income-based subsidies under the ACA, the AHCA proposed flat tax credits for purchasing insurance, which critics argued would benefit higher-income individuals more than lower-income ones (Sullivan, 2017).
• Elimination of Essential Health Benefits: The AHCA allowed states to waive essential health benefits requirements, potentially leaving many without necessary health services (Jacobs & Skocpol, 2018).

Analysis of AHCA's Failure

Several factors contributed to the AHCA's failure during its first attempt at passage. First, there was widespread concern about the potential loss of coverage for millions of Americans. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 24 million people would lose their health insurance coverage by 2026 if the AHCA were enacted, a statistic that alarmed both legislators and the public (Congressional Budget Office, 2017).

Second, the proposed changes to Medicaid, which would significantly decrease funding for this vital program, faced strong backlash. Medicaid is a crucial safety net for low-income individuals, and the projected cuts raised fears about leaving vulnerable populations without access to necessary services (Blumenthal & Grand, 2017).

Moreover, the AHCA's reliance on flat tax credits for insurance purchase failed to resonate with lower-income families, who would struggle to afford coverage under the proposed system (Moffit, 2017). The flat tax credits did not adjust based on income, which created inequalities in how individuals could afford health insurance.

The failure of the AHCA can also be attributed to the significant division within the Republican Party itself. Moderates expressed concerns about potential coverage losses, while far-right factions believed the bill did not go far enough in its repeal of the ACA. This lack of consensus made it challenging for leadership to unify support for the bill (Hoffman, 2017).

Conclusion

The ACA and AHCA represent two contrasting approaches to health care reform in the United States. While the ACA aimed to expand coverage and reduce costs through government intervention and protections, the AHCA sought to reverse many of these changes by limiting federal funding and access to care. The failure of the AHCA underscores the complexities involved in health care reform and highlights the importance of addressing the needs of diverse populations across the country. Future efforts to reform the health care system will require a careful balance of cost control, coverage expansion, and maintaining essential health benefits.

References

• Blumenthal, D., & Grand, J. (2017). The future of health care: A conversation with the experts. Health Affairs, 36(10), 1757-1763.
• Congressional Budget Office. (2017). Cost estimate for the American Health Care Act. Retrieved from https://www.cbo.gov
• Gaffney, A., Dyer, O., & Strong, B. (2018). The American Health Care Act: A victory for conservative health policy goals? The Lancet, 391(10127), 2034-2035.
• Jacobs, L. R., & Skocpol, T. (2018). Health care reform and American politics: What the Obama administration learned from the Clinton experience. Perspectives on Politics, 16(4), 922-926.
• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2021). The Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescents/health/aca.html
• Moffit, R. J. (2017). The impact of the American Health Care Act on Medicaid. Heritage Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/health/issue-brief/the-impact-the-american-health-care-act-medicaid
• Sullivan, D. (2017). The American Health Care Act and the future of health care reform. National Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-american-health-care-act-and-the-future-of-health-care-reform
• Van de Water, P. (2017). How the ACA protects people with pre-existing conditions. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Retrieved from https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/how-the-aca-protects-people-with-pre-existing-conditions
• Hoffman, J. (2017). Division in the GOP complicates health care reform effort. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/us/politics/health-care-republicans.html