Is Affordable Care Act Really Affordable for All? Essay Example

In light of the Affordable Care Act and other health care reform, some individuals are still unable to gain access to affordable health insurance. Furthermore, since the government will implement a fine for being uninsured, these individuals suffer from significant financial impact. In particular, patients that wish to purchase coverage for only themselves are having trouble finding health care packages that are affordable (Friedlander, 2014). This is the case even for plans that cover only emergency care. Ultimately, while many changes were made to the health care system to positively impact patient care, the health insurance requirement under the Affordable Care Act has made it more challenging for some health care stakeholders to receive fair access to care.

It is important for health insurance companies and the government to consider that in spite of the changes that have been made to health care in the nation, there are those who are neither eligible for Medicaid nor able to afford their own health insurance (Ollove, 2014). This is detrimental because the purpose of the Affordable Care Act was to ensure that all Americans would be insured. However, this has not been true in all situations in practice. Many of these individuals are unable or unwilling to visit the doctor because it will contribute to a significant amount of incurred expenses that they are not able to afford. Furthermore, these citizens are not protected in emergency situations and this lack of insurance may prevent their access to necessary care. It is therefore necessary for health care professionals to consider how this problem could be resolved and provide appropriate recommendations to the government to ensure that all patients have equal access to care.

References

Friedlander, N. (2014). Why Am I Paying More Under the Affordable Care Act? Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noam-friedlander/affordable-care-act-costs_b_5149120.html

Ollove, M. (2014). Is Affordable Care Act really affordable for all? Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/14/stateline-obama-health-care/4471957/