ACA Medicaid Expansion and Patient Access to Medical Records

Introduction: A Vulnerable Patient's Healthcare Challenges

Mr. Y is a patient with heart failure who has visited the emergency room twice in the last three weeks for shortness of breath. He is a gentleman with limited literacy and e-literacy. Among the challenges Mr. Y faces are homelessness, difficulty complying with his heart failure medication regimen, and dietary restrictions. He is admitted to the hospital to stabilize his condition. Given his current situation and the numerous challenges he faces, there are significant concerns about what will happen to Mr. Y upon discharge from the hospital.

Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act

Mr. Y's situation is an example of an issue addressed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, enacted by President Obama in 2010 as part of broader health reforms aimed at enhancing the affordability and accessibility of healthcare in the United States. The provision most likely to impact Mr. Y's situation is Medicaid expansion. The Medicaid program is one of the most significant titles of the ACA, seeking to expand healthcare coverage to low-income individuals and families. The Act seeks to ensure that such individuals have access to health insurance despite pre-existing conditions, meaning that people who could not previously afford health insurance can now obtain coverage through the federal funding program. This is primarily because the healthcare reform financed by the Act operates through a mixture of reduced spending in existing public programs, including Medicaid (Cutler & Feder, 2009).

Like other homeless individuals, Mr. Y could benefit from the Medicaid expansion brought by this health reform legislation. The patient is likely to receive health coverage despite his pre-existing condition of heart failure. Access to health coverage will make it easier for Mr. Y to receive necessary care services given his deteriorating condition and the other challenges he faces.

Integrated Electronic Health Records and Care Quality

Access to one's own medical record is available in varying degrees. Some access points are called patient portals, and some allow full access to information such as biopsy results and more. These varying degrees of access form part of an integrated electronic health record that can be shared with an interdisciplinary care team. The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has promoted the use of integrated electronic health records across different healthcare settings as part of enhancing the quality of care by reducing medical mistakes (Hass, 2014). When established and implemented effectively, an integrated electronic health record that allows access to patient medical information in varying degrees improves the quality and effectiveness of care delivered.

Given the significance of integrated electronic health records, varying degrees of access to one's own medical records are particularly beneficial to patients in Mr. Y's situation. Such access improves the quality of care delivered by different providers attending to the patient. Through this access, healthcare providers can deliver appropriate care and avoid mistakes because Mr. Y's medical information is stored electronically and can be retrieved easily by any member of his care team.

References

Cutler, D. M., & Feder, J. (2009, June). Financing health care reform: A plan to ensure the cost of reform is budget-neutral. American Progress.

Hass, S. A. (2014). Health reform act: New models of care and delivery systems.