Affordable Care Act Introduction A current law that impacts the delivery of human services is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. The legislation (most commonly known as the Affordable Care Act but also referred to as "Obamacare") basically overhauls the existing healthcare statutes and is aimed specifically at reducing the number of Americans who are not covered by health insurance.
Affordable Care Act
A current law that impacts the delivery of human services is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. The legislation (most commonly known as the Affordable Care Act but also referred to as "Obamacare") basically overhauls the existing healthcare statutes and is aimed specifically at reducing the number of Americans who are not covered by health insurance.
Reliable Sources Available to Cover the Law's Implications
There are multiple reliable sources from which to gather information about this major change in the way the healthcare services are available in the United States. The law's implications are spelled out very clearly by the federal website www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (National Center for Biotechnology Information / National Library of Medicine / National Institutes of Health) (Rosenbaum, 2011).
The Act "…establishes the basic legal protections" that up until now have not be available to citizens; that is, the Act is a "near-universal guarantee of access to affordable health insurance coverage, from birth through retirement" (Rosenbaum). When the law is fully implemented, an estimated 94% of Americans will be covered with health insurance.
The five main aims of the Act include: a) to achieve "near-universal coverage" for Americans through "shared responsibility among government, individuals, and employers"; b) to improve the fairness, the quality, and the affordability of health insurance coverage; c) to improve the value, the quality, and the efficiency of healthcare coverage while at the same time reducing "wasteful spending"; d) by providing preventative healthcare services; and e) to make "strategic investments in the public's health," by expanding clinical preventative care and by making community investments (Rosenbaum).
The Act basically represents an effort to "reframe the financial relationship between Americans and the healthcare system" in order to try and come to grips with the "…crisis that has enveloped individuals, families, communities, the healthcare system and the national economy" (Rosenbaum).
What is the purpose and the rationale of the law?
One of the rationales is to bring a sense of fair play to the table vis-a-vis forcing insurance companies by law to stop harmful policies. The White House explains that when the law is fully in place (in 2014) insurance companies will no longer have "unchecked power to cancel you policy, deny your child coverage due to a pre-existing condition, or charge women more than men" (White House). Another rationale is to make preventative care available to Americans; in fact as of June, 2012, more than 86 million Americans have enjoyed preventative care "free of charge" (including mammograms for women and wellness visits for seniors) (White House). Moreover the law has helped 6.6 million young adults who, because of the law, can stay on their parents' healthcare insurance policies until they are 26 years of age (White House).
Also, insurance companies no longer can simply drop the coverage of an individual because they got sick; and insurance companies can no longer put "a lifetime cap on the dollar amount of coverage" a person can receive, nor can they raise a person's premiums with "no accountability" (White House).
How will the law affect day-to-day operations within human service organizations?
The human service organizations that are impacted by the Affordable Care Act are the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals that provide service to people with insurance. The White House explains that the Affordable Care Act will cut red tape for physicians and other healthcare providers. It simplifies rules for eligibility and healthcare claims by establishing guidelines and rules that are expected to save physicians "an estimated $14.8 billion"; it is also expected to save up to $3.6 billion for healthcare providers by using "electronic billing" rather than paper transfers (White House).
The Affordable Care Act has funded an "Innovation Center" which has to date introduced 17 initiatives involving more than 50,000 healthcare providers. Those initiatives are expected to reduce the costs for doctors and will "…touch the lives of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in all 50 states" (White House). Also, hospitals nationwide will be paid based on the quality of care they deliver, not just on the "quantity of care provided" (White House). It will be easier for healthcare organizations to coordinate the care needed by patients through the "Accountable Care Organizations" established by the Act (White House).
What are the Arguments for and against the Law?
It should be noted that this legislation passed through the House of Representatives with no Republican votes. It passed the U.S. Senate with no Republican votes. The arguments against the legislation were several; the opponents of Obama and of the legislation attacked the Act: a) the legislation is socialized medicine; b) the legislation is a government takeover of healthcare; c) Obamacare will increase the national deficit; d) America has a decent healthcare system so why create a big government program? And even though the United States Supreme Court has ruled that the Act is within Constitutional limits, there still are conservatives who oppose the Act.
State Senator Phil Berger (North Carolina) is passing a petition around to "Stop Obamacare in North Carolina." Berger says that the Act means that the government "…[will be] turning our health records over to the IRS" and there will be "billions in new taxes on businesses and on the people of North Carolina" (Frank, 2013).
The arguments for the Act are numerous: a) As previously mentioned, the Act will prevent insurance companies from arbitrarily cancelling a person's policy because of a pre-existing condition"; b) young people can stay on their parents' policies until they are 26; c) preventative healthcare is now available for seniors at no cost; d) starting in 2014, insurance companies can no longer charge women more than men or deny coverage because you get cancer or another disease.
What are the potential ramifications if the law is not followed?
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