The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare is a US federal government statute created to reduce health insurance coverage costs for persons who qualified for the same. The law has made provisions for low-income earners to be offered cost-sharing reductions and premium tax credits. Unfortunately, the enactment has not been embraced by all states in the US. This is a gap which this discussion will analyze and explain why a state should adopt the law or not.
So far, only 37 states have implemented Medicaid in the US. Among the 37 states, Medicaid has improved care access to persons in the US regardless of ethnicity, gender, income group, race, or age. This indicates that this is an inclusive act that does not segregate or marginalize members of society (Ward, 2020). Research has shown that Medicaid may not be as perfect as we expect, but it is highly effective. Low-income earners who were uninsured were the target of the program, and things have worked their way. They can have usual quality care at a lower cost, thus improving healthcare in general. When a nation’s individuals are healthy, the nation becomes productive, even economically. Life expectancy, consequently, increases when everybody has access to affordable healthcare. Besides, the expansion has produced consistent results among medical institutions by significantly increasing revenue (without imposing any extra taxes) and considerably saving on budget. Also, the actual cost of expanding Medicaid is way below the states’ 10 percent sticker price.
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The outcome of Medicaid expansion has been plausible. The ACA has helped low-income earners get access to affordable healthcare, thus increasing the average life expectancy. It has also reduced segregation and marginalization due to gender, race, income level, or age. Healthcare providers have also enjoyed increased revenue at a lower operation cost after implementing the ACA. This does not mean that the act has lacked its challenges or unmet objectives. The ACA was categorically created to help low-income earners, children, and elderly individuals (vulnerable groups) access affordable healthcare. Unfortunately, the eligibility of the ACA (low-income) has been eliminated with time since (Abner, 2016). The law is now focusing on other priorities while providing healthcare. This expansion is not a bad idea, but the operating costs will skyrocket, thus reducing its cost-efficiency.
In conclusion, Medicaid has some adverse outcomes, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Outcomes like reduced costs of healthcare access reduced segregation. They increased revenues among providers, making me believe that states that are yet to implement the ACA should adopt it because it is worthwhile.
References
Abner, C., 2016. To Expand or not to Expand: To some States, Expanding Medicaid remains a
Question. file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/Medicaid%20expansion%20Capitol%20Ideas%20CSG%20Aug%202016.pdf
Ward, B., 2020. The Impact of Medicaid Expansion on States’ Budget .
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/may/impact-medicaid-expansion-states-budgets
