HSNCB 476 Explain how the ACA incorporated social determinants of health into health policy

Sample Answer

The ultimate goal of healthcare is to improve patient outcomes and raise the quality of healthcare services. These have become the main objective of all healthcare systems worldwide as they define the desired patient outcome. Over the years, new approaches have been introduced in the healthcare system to heighten disease prevention, better treatment, and adopt effective management of diseases (Gao et al., 2022). The need to meet these changes has compelled the US healthcare system to develop new policies, such as the ACA act that started operation during the Obama administration. Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to explore how the Affordable Care Act impacted health policy and explain the current administration’s proposed changes to health care.

ACA Incorporation of Social Determinants of Health into Health Policy.

The Affordable Care Act has provisions that impact patient safety in relation to the social issues affecting the US population. For example, the policy has a provision known as Hospital Value-Base Purchasing Program (Courtemanche et al., 2018). This is a pay-for-performance initiative where hospitals are rewarded for offering high-quality inpatient care. Such a performance is measured through patient harm rates, reduced readmissions, and patient experience. The same policy reduces payments to those hospitals that do not meet the set standards. Therefore, this policy also prompts healthcare providers to offer quality care to all patients to avoid reduced payments, boosting patient safety.

The policy ensures the accessibility of healthcare services to all people in the US. In doing so, it reduces the disparity in healthcare services. The increase in the number of insured Americans has also effectively reduced healthcare costs despite the economic crisis (Andrews et al., 2018). The policy gives equal opportunity for low-income people to have a flexible payment plan that allows them to access quality care in any healthcare institution in the US. These measures have been reducing the cost of healthcare while assisting many people in subscribing to quality healthcare.

Since the inception of the ACA policy on March 23, 2010, it has led to the historical advancement of health equity in the US. The policy has significantly improved Americans’ health, including people with disabilities, communities of color, women and families, older adults, and kids. The policy has allowed many US citizens to gain healthcare treatment without limits and protect people with preexisting medical conditions (Béland et al., 2020). As a result, patients have access to essential healthcare benefits that include rehabilitative and preventive care. Again, people have access to wellness visits, mental health, and contraceptive information. These activities have streamlined the healthcare system in the US and allowed all people to access better healthcare.

Proposed Changes under Current Administration

The ratification of the ACA policy under the Obama administration led to better changes in the healthcare systems. However, the start of the Trump administration resulted in a major setback in the policy because he was not supporting the healthcare plan (Thompson & Gusmano, 2022). This resulted in various inconsistencies limiting the policy from having the desired effect in ensuring healthcare quality in the US. The current administration supports the bill and has extended the bill to 2025. This allows the play to have an additional role in drug reforming the country. For instance, the policy would now be expected to regulate drug pricing and extend subsidies for the ACA exchanges.

The current administration plans to use the policy to give Americans peace of mind knowing they can access affordable and quality healthcare. He wants to give every American access to affordable health insurance in his plan. In meeting this objective, the current administration is offering Americans a new choice public health insurance like Medicare (Thompson & Gusmano, 2022). For instance, if a citizen feels that the insurance company is not offering the services they need, they can change the insurance company to the one that meets their expectation. The public Medicare option given to all citizens reduces patients’ costs by negotiating lower prices from healthcare providers. It also aids in developing better coordination among professionals in the healthcare system.

Biden’s administration has also been increasing the value of tax credits to aid in lowering premiums and extend cover to many working Americans. In the current administration, families that make up between 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level can receive tax credits that reduce the amount they have to pay for health insurance (Thompson & Gusmano, 2022). The dollar amount of financial assistance is regulated to ensure that families do not have to pay more than a particular amount of their income. These measures are to ensure that low-income families have the flexibility of paying health insurance without straining their daily expenses.

The administration is also tackling market concentration across the healthcare system. The concentration of the market power in the hand of a few individuals is evident across the healthcare system. This situation results in a reduced competition that ends up increasing the price of consumers (Canady, 2020). The government will use its antitrust authority to address these issues and ensure effective and healthy competition in the healthcare system. In doing so, America will enjoy reduced premiums and pay for health insurance of their choice.

Conclusion

ACA policy harnesses the power of healthcare professionals. It allows nurses to take an active part in developing the healthcare system. The reform also aids in reducing healthcare expenses, increasing the quality of care, and increasing access to healthcare for all Americans. On the other hand, the current administration is in support of the policy and plans to use it in making healthcare affordable to all Americans

References

• Andrews, C. M., Grogan, C. M., Smith, B. T., Abraham, A. J., Pollack, H. A., Humphreys, K., … & Friedmann, P. D. (2018). Medicaid benefits for addiction treatment expanded after implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Health Affairs, 37(8), 1216-1222. https //doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0272
• Béland, D., Howlett, M., Rocco, P., & Waddan, A. (2020). Designing policy resilience lessons from the Affordable Care Act. Policy Sciences, 53(2), 269-289. https //doi.org/10.1007/s11077-019-09368-w
• Canady, V. A. (2020). Amid ACA, Medicaid concerns, field vows to work with new administration. Mental Health Weekly, 30(44), 1-3. https //doi.org/10.1002/mhw.32584
• Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., & Zapata, D. (2018). Effects of the Affordable Care Act on health care access and self-assessed health after 3 years. INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 55, 0046958018796361. https //doi.org/10.1177%2F0046958018796361
• Gao, P., Lee, C., & Murphy, D. (2022). Good for your fiscal health? The effect of the affordable care act on healthcare borrowing costs. Journal of Financial Economics, 145(2), 464-488. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.09.003
• Thompson, F. J., & Gusmano, M. K. (2022). Biden and the Affordable Care Act Congressional Action, Executive Federalism, State Litigation, and Program Durability. Publius The Journal of Federalism, 52(3), 382-407. https //doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjac013