Affordable Healthcare Act in State

Affordable Healthcare Act in State of Kansas

Access of care and to drop the cost

Expansion of health insurance coverage in state of Kansas

Establishing the health insurance marketplace

Increasing access to Medicaid

Providing new coverage options for young adults

Covering preventative services

Unreasonable premium increases

New Care Act support preventing illness

Promoting health

The Grants that Kansas received

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 faced opposition by the members of forty five state legislators. The constitutional amendments were also proposed by the members. The states even after opposing the reforms sought grants and some of them returned the grants. Kansas was among the states that returned a grant of $31 million given under the Early Innovator Program. The American healthcare system faces a deep rooted involvement of the government and a large number of the nationals take advantage of the Medicare and Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act has included sixteen million U.S. citizens to Medicaid and nearly the same number under the private insurance. The Act is discussed in terms of its applicability to increase the reach of U.S. citizens for healthcare and most importantly the cost is reduced. Moreover it is also argued that the quality of healthcare is also improved (parks, 2012).

Implementation of the Affordable Healthcare Act in State of Kansas:

The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 provides room for the states to select public plans to compete with the private insurers or adopt a single player approach to eliminate the insurance companies. The reforms in Massachusetts provide a complete guideline for the implementation of Act. The authentication of the Affordable Care Act through the Supreme Court required the states to implement it despite having political difference of opinions against the legislation. The former Insurance Commissioner of Kansas currently working as the Secretary of Health and Human services was designated the task to implement the Affordable Care Act.

The state of Kansas has received $1 million as a grant for the research, planning, it, and implementation of Affordable insurance Exchange. The grant was useful in providing necessary resources for development of the healthcare insurance marketplace. The usage of funds was also significant in terms of determining the essential system for exchange operations and governance. The Affordable Care Act has already increased the Kansas's non-elderly residents. The earlier figures described that 14% of the citizens were uninsured (HHS, 2013).

Access of care and to drop the cost:

The access of healthcare was increased through the implementation of Affordable Healthcare Act. According to the Act provided additional healthcare coverage options for young adults. 25,000 young adults were granted insurance coverage in the state. The access of healthcare is increased under the Act enabling the parents to include their young jobless children less than 26 years of age (HHS, 2013). The seniors of the sate were also facilitated through the affordability of prescribed drugs. The latest laws also require numerous inclusions from insurers without cost sharing for healthcare services. The Act is also one of the milestones in reducing barriers for citizens to achieve Medicare.

The cost is not applicable factor as a barrier for the senior citizens and disabilities. A large number 284,396 citizen used preventive service in the year 2012 provided under the Act. The premium increases are also checked through the implementation of the new Act. It is also noted that Kansas State is provided $1,000,000 to administrate the unreasonable hike of premium. The Act ensures that cost of providing healthcare and health aid is reduced in terms of public spending. Therefore it can be concluded that the cost has decreased while the spread of healthcare services is facilitated by implementing the Act (HHS, 2013).

Expansion of health insurance coverage in state of Kansas:

The expansion of health insurance services is noted due to various initiatives taken through the implementation of the Act. The health insurance services are affected in multiple directions. It is noted that the health insurance premium is controlled within the reasonable limits. The management of the insurance companies requires including the young adults with their parents. The limited number of health insurance covered under various schemes is expanded as well as the barriers on old aged citizens are also removed (Warner, 2012). The limited time health benefits are also affected through the legal provisions of Healthcare Affordability Act. The establishment of healthcare insurance marketplace will enable the expansion of health insurance coverage. The implementation of law enables 95% of the excluded citizens for qualifying tax credits to purchase medical insurance coverage from the market place or Medicaid program. The law implemented in Kansas will enable the inhabitants to compare health insurances available in the market place in order to select the best suitable option. The acquisition of health insurance and procedures will be drastically affected after the complete implementation of the key components of healthcare law in 2014(HHS, 2013).

Establishing the health insurance marketplace:

The Gaps present in the current healthcare system of United States and individual states is filled with the help of Affordable Care Act. The Act enables the governments of participating States to effectively handle market-based development of health insurance. The unreasonable insurance premiums will not be able allowed under the new law. It will result into a fierce competition of health insurance providing companies to compete with in the open market place having a positive effect on the citizens. The grants and resources provided to the State's governments are also helpful in planning and development of a healthcare insurance marketplace (HHS, 2013). The governments will also be facilitated to develop a mechanismfor healthcare insurance exchange and governance. The Act facilitates the consumers of healthcare insurance to take advantage of the available options in open marketplace (Kingsdale, & Bertko,2010). The comparison of insurance premium and service entitlements will not only provide options to the consumers but a competition among business rivals will also improve quality of healthcare products in Kansas.

Increasing access to Medicaid:

The Medicaid will be increased in order to facilitate the option to underprivileged U.S. citizens. The coverage is focused to increase the coverage of the individuals less than 65 years of age and 133% below the federal poverty levels. The poverty levels reveal that $14,000 for a single individual and $29,000 for a family of four are considered as individuals living under the federal poverty line. The State of Kansas like others is expected to receive 100% funds from the federal government for first three years. The expected funding will be phased out in coming years starting from 90% downwards. It is required to spend these budgets to facilitate the increased coverage as a result of Act implementation. The synchronization with the marketplace will also affect the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance facilities. The enrolment process is also amended in order to simplify the operating procedures and entitlement criterion (HHS, 2013).

Providing new coverage options for young adults:

According to (HHS, 2013)the new cover rage options for young adults are also one the significant area of development. It not only enables them to seek healthcare facilities but also covers a wide range of unemployed individuals. It is a fair treatment for the young lot towards healthcare and increasing investment in healthcare of State's youth. The implementation of Affordable Healthcare Act has enabled the families of young adults to include their unemployed young children less than the age of 26 to be treated under the same insurance covers. The 25000 unemployed youth of the Kansas State sought coverage of healthcare insurance coverage during 2011. The healthcare law implemented in Kansas also had similar results throughout the country as approximately 33.1 million youth got a facilitating treatment under their parents' health coverage. The creation of marketplace and additional provisions for reasonable healthcare premium has enabled the underprivileged class to take advantage of the legal development.

Covering preventative services:

The preventive coverage of the healthcare law is significantly improved and requires he insurers not to take any additional amounts of co-pay. The legal provisions are implemented through requiring the insurance companies to include coverage without cost for colonoscopy, colon cancer screening, pap smears, and mammograms for women. The well-child visits and flu shots for children and adults are also categorized as free services for Medicare. A large number of 684,000 Kansas inhabitants sought preventive services under the same private healthcare insurance in year 2011 and 2012. The renewed insurance coverage is providing women increased healthcare preventive services without cost sharing. The 450,915 women will have access to the additional preventive services without cost sharing. The barriers for people are removed through implementing the healthcare law (HHS, 2013). The early treatment and detection does not require senior citizens and disable inhabitants to share cost and co-pays. The additional benefits to the preventive services are facilitated through the latest legal development. A large number of individuals benefited from the system introduced in the state regarding the free preventive service.

Unreasonable premium increases:

The insurance providers are required to increase their spending on providing the healthcare facilities to the premium providers. The administration and operating costs should be reduced to 20% of the premium earned. The 80% of the expenses should be spent on providing healthcare services to the holders of health insurance. The law further states that in case the insurance organizations fail to follow they are required to rebate the insurance premium to consumers. The unreasonable premium increase will not allow the companies to mint profits. They will be required to rebate $4 million in State of Kansas alone. The amount is $91 per family in the state having an insurance cover (HHS, 2013). The legal implications for not spending on health have enabled the insurance services providers to facilitate their consumers.

New Care Act support preventing illness:

The individuals of Kansas State are now enabled through the Act to seek insurance cover even after having pre-conditions for their health. The coverage plan for individuals with pre-conditions has enabled 525 residents of the State. The new Act has also enabled the Kansas government to receive $6 million since 2010 from the Prevention and Public Healthcare Fund as created after the implementation of Affordable Care Act. The longer productivity and improvement in living condition throughout United Sates and individual member states were benefited through these funds. The fund is also helpful in supporting the efforts for preventing illness. The Act is also beneficial in increasing support for the community health centers in the State. The operational community health centers and their sites are 16 and 48 respectively (HHS, 2013). The healthcare community centers and sites received a large amount for its operational support. The capital required for the projects enabled a thorough operations and achievement of Affordable Healthcare Act's objectives.

Promoting health:

The healthcare promotion and improvement in operating procedures of insurance companies have enabled the governments to provide affordable healthcare facilities to the citizens. The rural, urban, and frontier communities are served through increased investments in the National Healthcare Services Corps. Nearly 10,000 Corps clinics are operating throughout the nation to provide healthcare facilities to underprivileged and communities living in remote areas. The National Healthcare Services Corps also pays for the loans of physicians and medical staff working in remote areas. It also provides scholarships to the individuals serving in areas where there are very few medical practitioners available to serve communities (HHS, 2013).