The Affordable Care Act, Research Paper Example

In a language for the ordinary man to understand, the Affordable care Act is expected to make health care accessible to millions of Americans who did not have any health insurance. Precise provisions include changes in the amount of uninsured Americans; insurance exchanges and individual mandates; modification of insurance standards; addressing health care costs inflation issues; employer mandate and part time employee health insurance coverage. These are the major provisions, but others range from changes in individual health care plans and managed care programs to reduce health care cost generally (Cohn, 1).

It has been communicated to the public and health care authorities that the Secretary of state was mandated under the Patient Protection/ Affordable Care Act to develop a hospital value-based purchasing program. Thisprogram was intended to come into operation in 2013. It enabled hospitals, which were eligible through standardization to receive certain incentives. These incentive facilitated transformation suggested by the ACA. It included implementation of information technology which is a very costly endeavor (Essential Health Benefits).

Currently, this eligibility criteria speculated that 2% of an hospitals annual market basket increase should be allocated to the VBP program. Participating and hospitals would become capable of earning their inflationary adjustment. This would be calculated based on an overall score emergingfrom compliance with an annual data reporting system.  VBP were to be derived from a three domain participation namely‘Process of Care (RHQDAPU), Patients’ Perspectives of Care (HCAHPS Survey), and Outcomes (30-day mortality measures for AMI and heart failure)’(Medicare Value-Based Purchasing (VBP). Centers for Medicare/Medicaid services were mandated to implement the VBP program and ensure that hospital participate.

This programs has its irregularities even though not yet fully implemented due to infrastructural difficulties. Therefore, in answering the question to, where and why the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) is attempting to steer healthcare in the coming years, simply means exploring the real reason for the Affordable care act and all the other supporting legislations such as the Patient Protection and VBP later.

Repealed reports how where the American health care bill was facing a huge deficit. The actual scenario is reflected in the health care inflation costs. Below is a graph depicting the current situation form 2000-2011.

U.S. healthcare costs as a percentage of GDP from 2000 to 2011

These two diagrammatic representations of healtyh care costs and inflation rates clearly explain where the Affordable care Act is expected to take Americans. Health care cost percentage per GDP has steadily increased from 200 to 2011. The actual figures show 13.8 in 299 increasing to 17.9 in 2011 (Cohn).

Analysts have projected that these estimates do not reflect how health care reform under the Obama care will impact these current rates. However, the desire is to reduce inflation and costs. Then to say that the Affordable care Act is expected to take healthcare budget to a fair deficit level. The truth is however that a large majority of Americas up to last year were uninsured. If eligible Medicare/Medicaid was paying for their health care. The Affordable Care Act still does not cover 11 million undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for health care under the Act (ASPE Brief).

Politicians argue that undocumented immigrants affect health care costs since they do not have health insurance. Even if they pay out of pocket for the required services it is impossible to pau when am emergency occurs and they are taken to a hospital. There is an emergency policy which allows anyone arriving there to be treated whether insured or not until the condition is stabilized. As such, all these cases contribute to a huge health care deficit in America (Shea).

Further arguments pertaining towhere and why the Affordable Care Act  (“Obamacare”) is attempting to steer healthcare in the coming years the where still continue to be obscure because if undocumented immigrants do not have access to health care and are in the county what do the health care system do when they become ill and need care? Get them deported? Health care is costly in America. While Affordable care act is aiming at cutting cost without addressing these issue there will still be a deficit (  Cox, 106).

The incorporated supporting systems such as systems such as Mangled care and VBP where by hospitals have to confirm top certain criteria to benefit from health care budgets is another obscure mechanism. The overall goal is to make healthcare more accessible to minorities and people who do not have the means to pay for health care, Then why omit undocumented immigrants  from the program, They are carrying up  health care costs immensely (Cox, 106).

The other sound argument pertains to cutting cost and yet providing quality care. It is difficultto reduce costs and yet provide quality care to the population. Essentially, the insurance policies sold to minorities are of the lowest coverage.Theyget basic care from them. Besides, Medicaid covers limited services. The population is told that under affordable care act they will receive great services and have opportunities to choose providers. Under managed care they must confirm to into a plans consistent with their Medicare coverage (Goodman, 10).

Finally, in the future affordable care act is really taking the nation backwards to where those who have the best health insurance receive the best care. Persons with no or low insurance coverage get basic care and denied the care they need due to insurance coverage. Heath disparities continue or widen in the society.

Works cited

ASPE Brief. The Affordable Care Act: Coverage Implications and Issues for Immigrant Families. Accessed on December 4^th from http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/11/ImmigrantAccess/Coverage/ib.shtml 2012 Web.

Cohn, Jonathan. Obamacare’s New Paperwork Is Simpler than Private Insurers. The New Republic 2013. Print

Cohn, Jonathan. Was the Mandate a Mistake?The New Republic. 2011. Print

Essential Health Benefits. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Accessed December 4^th 2014 from Health Care.gov.

Cox, T. Legal and ethical implications of health care provider insurance risk assumption. JONAS Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation. 12(4): 2010, 106–16

Goodman, John C. Health Insurance. In David R. Henderson (ed.). Concise

Encyclopedia of Economics (2nd ed.). Indianapolis: Library of Economics and Liberty. 2008 Print.

Medicare Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Score TrackerReport Description.PDF

Shea, John.The Crisis in America’s Emergency Rooms and What Can Be Done. Accessed December 3^rd, 2014 fromhttp://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2007/12/the-crisis-in-americas-emergency-rooms-and-what-can-be-done 2014. Web