The Affordable Care Act: Impacts on Nursing Practice

Introduction

The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly referred to as the Obama Care, in 2010 signified a new era of health care reform law and practice. This piece of federal legislation makes sweeping changes to various aspects of the US healthcare system and hence will have significant impacts on consumers of health care, insurers, providers of care, and nurses. This paper discusses how two provisions of the ACA - Sections 5205 and 5309 - have impacted, or will impact, the current practice of nursing.

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Titled "Allied Health Workforce Recruitment and Retention Programs," Section 5205 of the Affordable Care Act seeks to assure the adequate supply of allied health professionals by authorizing an Allied Health Loan Forgiveness Program. The ultimate objective of this provision is to reduce or do away with the shortage of workforce in ambulatory care facilities, acute care facilities, and public health agencies. This provision will affect nursing practice by giving more nurses the opportunity to be employed and practice in different capacities.However, while Section 5205 of the PPACA will help address the current shortage of nurses at most healthcare facilities by increasing the number of nurses being recruited and retained to join the current workforce, it will also have adverse impacts on nurses and their practice. With an increased number of insured people under the Obama Care, there will be an increased strain on both nurses and healthcare facilities. According to Martin (2013), the unprecedented and dramatic changes to the US healthcare system as enacted by the Obama Care present both opportunities and challenges to nurses, hence nurses will have to adapt to them. The changes introduced by the ACA to nursing will also "redefine the role of nurses today" (Martin, 2013, p. 189).

Furthermore, Section 5309 of the ACA on Nurse Education, Practice, and Retention Grants introduces two additional grant programs that emphasize on nurse retention. Under one of these grants, the HHS is authorized to provide grants to accredited health care facilities or schools for the purpose of promoting nurses' career advancement. This way, this provision will affect, nursing practice in that it will ensure that nurses are well educated and trained so that they can take on the role of providing affordable, quality, accessible, and efficient care. The grants under this program will also affect the practice of nursing by providing nurses with a myriad of opportunities to advance their education and become more employable and retainable by healthcare organizations (Brody & Sullivan-Marx, 2012). According to Brody and Sullivan-Marx (2012), through its nurse faculty program, nursing workforce diversity program, and nurse student loan program, the PPACA not only promotes nursing education and practice but also enhances the expansion of the public health workforce.

Conclusion

In summary, these two provisions will impact the practice of nursing by increasing the supply of more nurses to practice, hence eliminating workforce shortage. Additionally, the ACA will provide nurses with the opportunity to advance their careers by increasing their eligibility for subsidized funding and loans.

References

Brody, A., & Sullivan-Marx, E.M. (2012). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for geriatric nurses and patients. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 38(11), 3-5. Retrieved from https://www.healio.com/nursing/journals/jgn/2012-11-38-11/%7B045952c2-c440-41b4-a1d7-ea791184c581%7D/the-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-implications-for-geriatric-nurses-and-patients.

Martin, M. (2013). Nursing during an era of change: A challenge and opportunity. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 4(1), 189-199. Retrieved from www.sciedu.ca/journal/index.php/jnep/article/download/3009/2225