Essay Example on Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)

One of the policies that President Barrack Obama will be remembered for is the passing of the Obama care act, commonly known as the affordable care act. In 2010, the acts were passed successfully by the Obama administration. The legislation is composed of two bills, the first one is the patient protection and affordable care act, and the second bill is the healthcare and education reconciliation act of 2010. This policy is one of the best policies that were passed during the Obama administration. Both bills had two goals; the first goal was to increase the number of American citizens who had access to insurance coverage. The second objective was to reduce the healthcare related costs for both the government and the citizens. Healthcare is an essential part of life, and having access to the right kind of care might mean the difference between life and death. Within the United States economy, the healthcare industry contributes the most to economic development that means that the healthcare sector cannot be ignored; it is a sector that plays a role in everyone's life. At some point in life, every person gets sick, and they need to be checked up by the doctor. So the purpose of this paper is to shed some light on one or two things about the Obama care act and the influence that it might have generated as the years go by. Has there been any difference since the act was implemented? Do more people have access to quality healthcare?

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What does the ACA cover for in terms of the policyholders? What package comes with the holders of the coverage of ACA? To begin with, young people under the age of 26 years can benefit from the coverage, which means that they can use their parents cover. They are considered and treated by their parents. The child is covered by the health insurance regardless of whether they are married or not, whether they are working or not, whether they are in institutions of higher education or not, as long as they fit in the age bracket, they qualify to receive coverage. It is also important to note that for people who earn below a certain threshold, the United States government has given a specific subsidy to help them afford ACA. That means that more people can afford ACA. The policyholders of the Affordable Care Act are guaranteed for consumer protection. We all know that most people in the past have had quite a difficult time with insurance companies, in other cases, in the event of a tragedy, the insurance company comes up with reasons not to pay for the client, with ACA, the consumer is protected.

Some of the benefits that accrue to policyholders of ACA include, emergency services, ambulatory services, maternity, and newborn care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, pediatric services, laboratory services, rehabilitative services, and mental health services. By just looking at the services that one can get access to when they are sick, you will notice that having such a plan can go a long way in making sure that lives are saved (Writers, n.d.). For instance, the provision of emergency care can go a long way in saving a person's life. Knowing very well that the united states of America is a country with very many social vices, people get into accidents all the time, people get shot on the streets all the time, there is always commotion around the country and people get hurt, if you fail to get the services of an ambulance and also fail to get urgent medical attention, the number of lives that would be lost would be unimaginable.

Based on the goals that they had while initiating the act, is the Affordable care act working? Are the goals being realized? When trying to look at whether the act is working, using metrics to assess would go a long way in giving a clear picture. The legislation on Obama care has been taking place for the past five years. Data analysts should use the data from the metrics so that they can understand the impact on the American healthcare system. Initially, the ACA was set out to make sure that more Americans regardless of their level of income have access to quality healthcare. Since the inception of Obama care, the number of Americans living without health insurance has decreased by 50 percent, only five years after its inception. So the bill is working, at least more people are getting access to quality healthcare. Another goal of the affordable care act was to make sure that healthcare was affordable to as many people as possible. The government has given subsidies to people who are below a certain income threshold. In one way or another, healthcare in the United States of America has become more affordable.

What are the challenges facing the law? Everything no matter how good it is or how many people it is helping must have some challenges and opposition (Writers, n.d.). The Obama care act has faced much opposition in the United States of America. The law has survived two repeals. The law has become one of the most controversial topics of the 21st century. The liberals have been supporting it while the conservatives have been against it from the day it was conceived. The requirement for all citizens to carry their healthcare insurance has received much opposition from the conservatives. President Trump has also been part of the opposition that has been fighting to repeal the law, from the first day that he got to the office, he swore to eliminate the law. However, despite the opposition, the law still stands intact, and many Americans are benefiting from the act. Even the poor people in America can afford emergency healthcare; they can afford ambulances to take their loved ones to the hospital. So despite the challenges, the law has gone a long way in changing the healthcare of the nation as we know it.

What is medical billing? This is a term that is especially common among health insurance providers. Medical billing is the preparation of financial invoices for services and procedures offered at the hospital. The invoices are given to the insurance companies and the patient. Those medical billers act as the evidence that a patient was treated for a certain amount of money so that the insurance company can reimburse the hospital. Without medical billing, then the hospital will not get paid. Without the billings, the hospital will not be reimbursed the resources they used in the treatment of the patient. Medical billing is very common in the Affordable care act. When the doctor treats the patients and gives them prescriptions, every service must be reimbursed by the insurance agencies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, therefore, it is quite clear that impact that the Obama care act is undeniable, more people have been able to get access to medical services, more people have been able to afford quality healthcare. The distribution of healthcare amenities is moving towards an equal society, where the rich and the poor can get treated equally without fear or favor.

References

Writers, S. (n.d.). Medical Billing Training - Expert Video Overview. Retrieved from https://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/billing-training/

Writers, S. (n.d.). Understanding the Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from https://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/health-insurance-guide/affordable-care-act/