An Economic Perspective On The Affordable Care Act Essay

An Economic Perspective On The Affordable Care Act Essay

Thank you Ogunleye for your discussion on the subject.

Healthcare policies are mostly attributed to some of the major public health successes as they aim to address certain health issues affecting a country’s citizens. These issues might include healthcare costs, maternal and infant health, and tobacco control among others. The greatest issue affecting American citizens is healthcare costs. I agree that through the implementation of the ACA, many U.S citizens became insured and thus could access quality and affordable care (Nikpay et al., 2020). Additionally, implementation of the policy would see a rise in healthcare spending through insurance expansion reforms. According to, approximately 50 million American citizens lacked insurance coverage, which was the most miserable performance in the U.S healthcare system. However, with its implementation, only 9.1% of the U.S population are uninsured (Statista, 2022). Therefore, the citizens can access quality and affordable care, which thus reduces morbidity and mortality rates among patients with chronic conditions. An Economic Perspective On The Affordable Care Act Essay

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Section 133(a) of the affordable care act allows states to adopt basic health programs for their residents to ensure health coverage for low-income families, who do not qualify for the Federal Medicaid programs. In 2015, New York established the Essential plan New York, which ensures the provision of low-cost health insurance options for individuals below 65 years, with low income. The implementation of the plan saw approximately 259,000 individuals enroll in the program thus, with its launch, the number of uninsured individuals in New York state declined significantly (New York State, 2022). Like the ACA, the Essential plan ensured that state residents access quality and affordable care which improves patient outcomes and reduce morbidity and mortality rates. Therefore, in the policy-making process, all stakeholders including government, providers, consumers, and insurance companies among others, must be involved to ensure policies enhance quality and safe care.

olade ogunleye
RE: Initial Discussion Post – Week 8
COLLAPSE
The New York Essential Plan (NY State policy) and the Affordable Care Act (Federal policy) are examples of two policies that address similar needs but passed at two levels of government. The Essential Plan is a NY health insurance program for state residents that do not qualify for Medicaid or the Child Health Plus Program. NY State established this program to fill the health insurance coverage gap that many residents and families have since they do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford full premium coverage (Gottfried, 2018). On the other hand, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended healthcare coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. The act required that all Americans obtain health insurance and barred insurance companies from denying coverage or charging extra to individuals with pre-existing conditions (McIntyre & Song, 2019).

The duplication of the two policies has the advantage of increasing the number of NY residents who have health insurance coverage. Besides, the duplication has made healthcare more accessible to low-income families. The NY State of Health Essential Plan also features the same ten health essentials as the ACA, and this duplication has ensured that NY residents have access to essential health care (Gottfried, 2018). The duplication of the two health policies reflects the implication of federalism since it promotes the political participation of policymakers at the state level (Gluck & Huberfeld, 2018). State policymakers established that the low- or no-cost Essential Plan would help overcome barriers to purchasing health insurance.

The Federal government should deeply be involved in healthcare policymaking by creating policies that ensure equal access to healthcare and high-quality health care across all states. Policymakers at the federal level should develop healthcare policies with input from other professionals, which will ensure all Americans across the country have equal access to healthcare regardless of their socioeconomic status (Gluck & Huberfeld, 2018). Besides, the federal government should be involved in coordinating and overseeing all healthcare policies enacted at the local and state levels. For instance, the Federal government enacted the ACA, which ensured that all Americans have access to essential healthcare services and increased the number of insured Americans in all states An Economic Perspective On The Affordable Care Act Essay.

References

Gluck, A. R., & Huberfeld, N. (2018). What is federalism in healthcare for. Stan. L. Rev., 70, 1689.

Gottfried, R. N. (2018). Single-Payer Plan for New York Could Lead the Country. American journal of public health, 108(4), 452–453. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304301

McIntyre, A., & Song, Z. (2019). The US Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLoS medicine, 16(2), e1002752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002752

References

New York State. (2022). Essential Plan New York’s Basic Health Program. Health.ny.gov. Retrieved 22 July 2022, from https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/managed_care/essential/2015-dec_annual_rpt.htm.

Nikpay, S., Pungarcher, I., & Frakt, A. (2020). An Economic Perspective on the Affordable Care Act: Expectations and Reality. Journal Of Health Politics, Policy And Law, 45(5), 889-904. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-8543340

Statista. (2022). Topic: Obamacare. Statista. Retrieved 22 July 2022, from https://www.statista.com/topics/3272/obamacare/#topicHeader__wrapper An Economic Perspective On The Affordable Care Act Essay.