Overhauling the healthcare system is one of the goals that successive US governments have attempted to achieve. Some success has been registered in the quest to attain this goal. However, the US healthcare system remains notoriously inefficient and costly. In fact, the country lags behind its developed counterparts as regards the cost of care. In an effort to enhance care quality and lower the costs that the American people incur, the Obama administration led efforts that resulted in the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (2010). Among other things, this act sought to expand insurance coverage in the country. While this goal has been met, the act is under threat and concerted effort is needed to ensure the full implementation of its provisions.
Impact of ACA on Health Care Organization and Finance
One of the most significant impacts that the ACA has had on American healthcare is that it has expanded medical insurance coverage. Upon its enactment, it was believed that as many as 30 million uninsured Americans would gain access to insurance (Anderson, 2014). The implication of this for healthcare finance is that these Americans would no longer need to pay for care out-of-pocket. Instead, the costs of the care that they receive would be met through such government programs as Medicaid. Requiring states to play a more significant role in financing health care is another impact that the ACA had. As already noted, the implementation of the ACA involved the expansion of government health insurance programs like Medicaid. This expansion was a costly undertaking. To meet the increased costs of offering medical insurance, the federal government sought support from state authorities which had to increase their spending (Emrick, 2017). Overall, the ACA lowered the costs that Americans incur when they seek treatment while placing a heavier burden on state governments to fund healthcare.
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The impacts of the ACA went beyond healthcare financing. This act also presented implications for healthcare organization. Introducing the affordable care organizations (ACOs0 model is among these implications (Bartels, Gill & Neslund, 2015). Through the ACOs model, practitioners and facilities joined forces to offer high quality care to Americans. Essentially, the ACA shifted the focus of healthcare from volume to quality. In the past, practitioners strived to attend to as many patients as possible. When the ACA came into force, the healthcare system was challenged to place emphasis on quality and cost reduction. Thanks to the ACA, the healthcare system has become a more efficient tool for delivering quality services to the American people at low costs.
ACA and Social Determinants of Health
It is true that the ACA’s primary goal was to expand insurance coverage. However, it should also be remembered that this act set out to offer comprehensive solutions to the challenges that Americans face as they seek care. To achieve this purpose, the act accounted for the social determinants of health. Acknowledging the existence and the adverse impacts of health disparities is among the ways through which the act accounted for the social determinants (Leong & Roberts, 2013). Essentially, the ACA recognized that such issues as race and income levels hinder many Americans from affording quality care. It sought to ensure equity in the distribution of and access to medical services. Establishing such agencies as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is another way that the ACA accounted for the social determinants of health (Artiga & Hinton, 2018). CMMI was tasked with the mandate of ensuring that beneficiaries of such programs as Medicaid enjoy access to community facilities and services which address their social needs. The ACA also requires providers to perform needs assessment with the goal of identifying and responding to the social needs of patients. Overall, this act was clearly inspired by the fact that there are various social factors which influence the health of Americans.
Trump Administration Health Care System Changes
Overhauling the country’s healthcare system is one of the key pledges that Donald Trump made during the presidential campaigns. In his time in office, he has identified a number of changes that his administration will strive to implement. Repealing the ACA is among the changes (Seegert, 2018). As part of efforts to implement this change, the Trump government has lobbied Congress to replace ACA. For the most part, the administration’s efforts have yielded little fruit since many Americans are persuaded that the ACA represented a step forward in transforming the country’s healthcare system. Enabling small employers to sell insurance is another proposed change that the Trump administration is pursuing (Appleby, Rovner & Agnes, 2017). This change is part of the government’s effort to roll back the impacts of the ACA. To facilitate the implementation of this and other changes, Trump signed an executive order. It is worth noting that the changes that the Trump administration is pursuing have caused unease among Americans. It is feared that if implemented, the changes will undo the positive effects that the ACA has had on the country’s healthcare system.
In conclusion, the US healthcare system is needlessly complex and inefficient. In a bid to make the system work better for the American people, the ACA was adopted. This act has had profound impacts on healthcare financing and organization. It has expanded coverage and challenged providers to focus on quality. Moreover, the ACA also strives to address health disparities by making sure that all Americans are able to access quality care. It is therefore surprising and unfortunate that the Trump administration is working tirelessly to replace the ACA. Since its impacts have mostly been positive, there is a need for all Americans to join forces and defend the ACA.
References
Anderson, A. (2014). The impact of the Affordable Care Act on the health care workforce. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved August 19, 2018 from
https://www.heritage.org/health-care-reform/report/the-impact-the-affordable-care-act-the-health-care-workforce
Appleby, J., Rovner, J., & Agnes, M. (2017). Analysis: what you need to know about Trump’s Changes to the health law. PBS. Retrieved August 19, 2018 from
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/need-know-trumps-changes-health-law
Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2018). Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in promoting Health and health equity. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved August 19, 2018 From https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/
Bartels, S. J., Gill, L., & Naslund, J. A. (2015). Mental health care for older adults: implications And opportunities. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 23 (5), 304-319.
Emrick, A. (2017). The effect of the Affordable Care Act on the financial stability of the Healthcare system. Murray State University. Retrieved August 19, 2018 from http://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=bis437
Leong, D., & Roberts, E. (2013). Social determinants of health and the Affordable Care Act. Rhode Island Medical Journal,96 (7), 20-22.
Seegert, L. (2018). A year in health and healthcare under President Trump. The British Medical Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k192
