Affordable Care Act
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Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is comprised of nine titles that address a crucial element of a reform (Cronin and Aponte, 2012). These include quality and affordable health for the entire American society, the role of public policies and programs, improving the efficiency and quality of health care, preventing chronic illnesses and improving the health of the public, program integrity and transparency, health care labor force, improving access to innovative medical therapies, support of revenue provisions, and assistance services to community living (CCH Incorporated and Wolters Kluwer (2010). This paper discusses two areas that is quality and affordable health for all Americans and preventing chronic illnesses and improving the health of the public. It is aimed at elaborating each of these areas in detail and discussing whether or not they will be successful and the reasons for each case.
Quality and affordable health care for all citizens of America
Provision of affordable health care for individuals is one of the fundamental objectives that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is aimed to accomplish. This will be made possible through accomplishing an essential transformation of insurance in health care in America through what is known as shared responsibility. This is because universal reform in the insurance market will eradicate practices that are discriminatory in nature including pre-existing exclusions. However, attaining such reforms without an increase in insurance premiums on health will imply that all citizens should be a part of the system. In addition, tax credits for families and individuals must ensure that insurance is made affordable for every person. The three components are the vital needs of achieving the reform. It is essential to note that health insurance reform may take some time to put into practice. Quality and affordable health care services for individuals can be successfully achieved. Thus, after the achievement of this reform, the act will ensure the elimination unreasonable and lifetime annual limits on benefits, it will forbid rescissions of policies of health insurance, provide support for individuals who are uninsured due to pre-existing conditions, it will necessitate coverage of immunizations and preventive services, establish consistent coverage documents in order for consumers to make comparisons when purchasing health insurance covers, restrict administrative and non-medical expenses, and extend dependant coverage (National Research Council (U.S. et al., 2012).
Other immediate achievements in this area include ensuring that consumers have an easy access to an efficient appeal process and offer them assistance in accessing coverage. Additionally, there is also the creation of a temporary re-insurance policy to support early retirees’ coverage and the establishment of an internet portal to help individuals in identifying options of coverage. In addition, there will be facilitation of administrative simplification in order to lower costs of system costs. These are only achievable if the health insurance reform is achieved. There needs to be implementation of health insurance market reforms. New rules to end medical exclusions should be established across small groups and individual health insurance markets in all states, in America. Insurers should be restricted from setting rates based on a medical condition, health status, genetic information, evidence of domestic violence, claims experience, or other factors related to health. They should also be prohibited from limiting or denying coverage. Premiums should only vary by geography, family structure, tobacco use, actuarial value, age, and participation in a program of promoting health (National Research Council (U.S. et al., 2012).
In order for this area of the act to be successful, there should be offering of a qualified health plan, which must give crucial health benefits including health sharing limits. The system should ensure that the out-of-pocket requirements do not surpass those in Savings Account on health. Coverage should define how much an insurer will pay. Additionally, a plan of people under the age of 30 and those who qualify for an exemption of the individual responsibility requirement should be set up. An Exchange should be established in America to assist small employers and people gain coverage. Plans to be included in the Exchange program should be credited for quality, and should be able to present alternatives in a standardized manner to ensure easy comparison. People who are qualified to gain tax credits must not be legible for insurance coverage. Federal assistance should be available, and states must have the flexibility to set up basic plans for health especially for individuals of lower incomes (American Psychiatric Association, 2012). Other options for reforms should also be explored to ensure success in this area. Making coverage available is, therefore, an essential set towards the achievement of this. This implies that refundable and new tax credits should be made available for individuals with low incomes. The aspect of shared responsibility is crucial for maintaining a minimum vital coverage. If all these aspects are taken into consideration, then there will be successful accomplishment of this area.
Prevention of chronic illnesses and improving public health
In order to better orient the country’s system of health care toward disease prevention and health promotion, a number of initiatives should be available for successful accomplishment of this objective. These initiatives will offer infrastructure and impetus. This requires the establishment of a new interagency prevention council to be supported by a new investment fund in prevention and public health. To achieve this objective, obstacles to access of clinical preventive services will be eradicated. Establishing healthy societies must, therefore, become a priority and a modern and advanced infrastructure should support this objective. The first strategy towards the achievement of this goal is the modernization of illness prevention and public health systems. A new council should be established to facilitate healthy policies and develop a national promotion and prevention strategy. The investment fund is created to offer sustained and expanded investment in the promotion of public health and illness prevention strategy. There should be national health promotion and prevention outreach, as well as, education campaign to increase awareness of activities aimed at preventing diseases and promoting health (American Psychiatric Association, 2012).
For this goal to be attained successfully, there should be increased access to clinical preventive services. This is because the Act approves essential new programs and policies related to preventive health care services. These are aimed at development and operation of health clinics that are school-based, education campaign for an oral health care prevention, provision of Medicare coverage without deductibles or co-payments for welfare visits and establishment of a prevention plan. In addition, they are aimed at waiving deductibles and coinsurance requirements for a majority of preventive services in order for Medicare to cover full costs. Grants should be available to states to offer incentives to beneficiaries of Medicaid in order to take part in programs that offer incentives for healthy lifestyles (Ulmer et al., 2012).
Promoting health starts with preventing illnesses in societies. Therefore, creating healthier societies is important if this is to be attained. Grants should be provided to facilitate health of individuals and community at large and prevent chronic illnesses. Grants should be offered to local and health departments to carry out pilot programs to assess risk factors of chronic disease, carry out interventions on public health, and ensure that people with chronic illnesses or those at risk of contracting the disease are offered clinical or medical treatment in order to reduce the risk associated with chronic disease. Vaccines should be made available for purchase at all times. Restaurants should play their part in promoting good health. There should be support for public health and prevention innovation. This is possible through the provision of funding for funding in systems and services of public health to explore best practices of prevention. This should include federal health programs to gather and report information by ethnicity, primary language, race, and other factors of disparity. Evaluation of practices of promoting healthy wellbeing of employees should also be carried out too (Ulmer et al., 2012). The health of individuals matters as it enhances the lifespan of individuals. Bearing this in mind, all actions should be taken to ensure that individuals are prevented from chronic diseases that cause much suffering and death. If the above measures are effectively and efficiently implemented, then there would be successful accomplishment of goals and objectives of this are of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
References
Cronin, O., & Aponte, P. (2012). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Select elements and entities. New York: Nova Science Pub.
CCH Incorporated., & Wolters Kluwer (Firm). (2010). Law, explanation and analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Including Reconciliation Act impact. Chicago, IL: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
National Research Council (U.S.)., Shortliffe, E. H., & Millett, L. I. (2012). Strategies and priorities for information technology at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
American Psychiatric Association. (2012). Health care reform: A primer for psychiatrists : the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act : analysis and commentary from APA Publications and the APA Department of Government Relations. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Pub.
Ulmer, C., Institute of Medicine (U.S.)., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2012). Essential health benefits: Balancing coverage and cost. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
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