Congressperson the Patient Protection and Affordable Care

¶ … Congressperson

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 has become a contentious political issue, which I am sure your office is well aware of. As a future health care administrator and as an American citizen in your constituency, I would like to express my views on the Act. In particular, I am concerned about the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on service delivery in the community and public health care setting. Based on my extensive research using scholarly literature and reports issued by state and federal government agencies, I strongly urge you to continue to support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In fact, I suggest you to consider strengthening the act.

"Although the United States continues to overspend on health care compared to its peer countries, international studies of health care quality suggest that the United States health care system is underperforming," (Whitehouse, 2012, p. 4). The system is underperforming on several dimensions including quality, access, efficiency, equity, and outcomes such as "healthy lives," (Whitehouse, 2012, p. 4). While it may be too early to determine the quantitative results of the Affordable Care Act on delivery of service outcomes, it is certain that the Act will improve health outcomes by reducing the numbers of uninsured Americans ("The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform," 2008). For ethical reasons alone, it is wise to support the Affordable Care Act. The Act is imperfect, which is why there is room for addendums and improvements. Yet it is necessary to support the Act in its current state, as it may help pave the way for future reforms related to delivery of care.

A report by the Center for American Progress reveals different areas of focus related to delivery of service in health care. Those areas of focus include infrastructure, organization, quality, payment reform, patient activation, and population health. Population health, or public health, should be the ultimate goal of all health care reform bills. "Improving the health care delivery system is key to improving the health of all Americans," ("The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform," 2008). Improving health care delivery will entail short-term costs but long-term savings, as fewer Americans will develop preventable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and other problems related to obesity and lifestyle choices.