Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Write about the ACA? (Affordable Care Act). Why the ACA was passed by Congress?
How has the ACA changed health insurance coverage?
What do you think about the attempts to dissolve the ACA?
Would you be able to afford your insurance if the ACA was dissolved? Discuss your view of the ACA. Please cite sources to support your answers.
Sample Answer
Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Affordable Care Act (ACA) has played a role in improving access to uninsured in the U.S. This federal statute was signed into law in March 2010 by the former president, Barrack Obama (Quadagno & Lanford, 2019). Congress passed the healthcare policy for three different reasons. One of them was to modify the private insurance market, especially for individuals and small-group purchasers. The second purpose of the policy is to expand Medicaid or make it affordable to low-income individuals whose income is 133 percent of the federal poverty level (Sommers et al., 2017). Also, the policy aimed to sustain innovative medical care delivery methods aimed at reducing the costs of healthcare generally.
ACA has undergone various changes since its implementation. For example, the ACA added some significant new protections for people with pre-existing conditions. It requires insurers to offer insurance policies to anyone and avoid discriminating people based on their health status (Sommers et al., 2017). Also, it has expanded the Medicaid program to cover low-income adults and guarantees federal financial support that will cater for ninety percent of the healthcare expenses. Lastly, ACA has improved access to prescription drugs. It requires insurers to cover at least one drug in each category (Sommers et al., 2017).
After the healthcare policy kicked in, it became possible for health care systems to care for by large, an insured population. Thus, if the attempts to dissolve the ACA succeed, the change is likely to cause more harm to the U.S. healthcare system. Millions of people in the U.S., including those with pre-existing health conditions will be unable to access affordable care (Quadagno & Lanford, 2019). Also, 23 million residents will as well lose their health care plans completely.
It will be challenging for me to afford my insurance if the healthcare policy gets dissolved. The policy has contributed to the expansion of health insurance coverage (both private and public insurance options) for adolescents and young adults, including college students, allowing them to access preventive care and health education. For instance, the policy requires the parent’s health insurance to cover young adults up to age 26 (Akosa Antwi, Moriya & Simon, 2015). Therefore, if the policy is eliminated, it means I am going to spend more financial resources to access health care services.
References
- Akosa Antwi, Y., Moriya, A. S., & Simon, K. (2015). Effects of federal policy to insure young adults: evidence from the 2010 Affordable Care Act’s dependent-coverage mandate. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 5(4), 1-28.
- Quadagno, J., & Lanford, D. (2019). The Obama health care legacy: the origins, implementation, and effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act of 2010. In Looking Back on President Barack Obama’s Legacy (pp. 69-92). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham..
- Sommers, B. D., Maylone, B., Blendon, R. J., Orav, E. J., & Epstein, A. M. (2017). Three-year impacts of the Affordable Care Act: improved medical care and health among low-income adults. Health Affairs, 36(6), 1119-1128.
