The Affordable Care Act, Article Review Example

This article discusses that despite the widespread belief that the Affordable Care Act will help more Americans access health care due to an increased number insurance enrollees, health care will become less accessible because people will have to wait a longer time for care when they visit their doctors. Ultimately, while the demand for doctors will increase, the supply will remain the same. It is uncertain what this phenomenon will bring in practice, as there are many aspects of the health care setting that could be sped up or slowed down depending when considering health insurance as a variable.

I disagree with the belief that the acquisition of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act will increase the amount of individuals visiting physicians. Many of the individuals who will acquire insurance will gain minimal coverage for emergencies. These new insurance customers were likely to only visit the hospital for emergencies to begin with, and were more likely to forgo regular checkups. As a consequence, it is not expected that this particular group of patients will increase the number of their annual hospital visits. In addition, while many physicians will see more patients than they are typically accustomed to, they will likely adjust by extending their office hours and by agreeing to see a greater number of patients. There is incentive to do so, as the physicians who choose to see a larger patient base will earn a greater profit. If this is not possible, these same physicians can hire a greater amount of physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners to help assist with this new patient load.

Works Cited

Frakt A. (2014). When Health Coverage Expansion Means Longer Waits for a Doctor. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/1teDVtu