Benchmark – Population Health Policy Analysis

Translational health research and management of population health.

Introduce yourself

Health care providers and policymakers are concerned about the availability of quality care at an affordable price. The United States implemented several policies in recent years to improve access to health care for all Americans, including those who are vulnerable. The Affordable Care Act is one such policy. It was designed to increase access to healthcare for everyone in the United States, even those previously underinsured and uninsured. This paper will analyze the ACA, and explain how its design is intended to increase cost-effectiveness for health care and equity. In addition, this paper discusses the nursing perspective, ethical, political, legal factors that should be taken into account when implementing a policy. The paper will also explore strategies for advocacy to make sure that the vulnerable population has access to policy benefits.

Affordable Care (ACA) Act

Obamacare (also known as the Affordable Care act) was signed into legislation in 2010, with the intention of increasing health care access for Americans. The ACA aims to accomplish the following:

• Increase access to healthcare
• Enhance the quality and quantity of healthcare
• Reduce health care costs
• Preventive health and wellness is the focus

The ACA contains several provisions aimed to achieve these goals.

• Individual mandate: All Americans must have health insurance
• Medicaid expansion to include more low-income people
• Exchanges and marketplaces for health insurance are being created so that individuals, small businesses, and other organizations can buy insurance.
• Insurance companies must cover pre-existing medical conditions
• Individuals and small businesses can afford insurance by utilizing tax credit and other subsidies.

Cost-Effectiveness and Health Care Equity and the ACA

The ACA includes several provisions which are intended to enhance cost-effectiveness, health equity and affordability for the general population. The ACA requires that all Americans have insurance to ensure they can access preventive health care. This will help to reduce overall health care costs. Additionally, the ACA’s provisions to expand Medicaid and provide tax credits and subsidies to help individuals and small businesses afford insurance help to improve access to care for low-income individuals and small businesses. The ACA’s provisions to expand Medicaid and provide tax credits and subsidies for individuals and small businesses can also reduce the cost of health care by making sure that people receive treatment in a timely fashion, which will prevent costly future treatments.

Does the policy have a sound financial basis?

Some people argue that the ACA is a financially inefficient policy. The ACA is criticized for increasing health care costs, and reducing the quality of healthcare. Research suggests, however, that the ACA is responsible for increased health care access and costs reduction. Commonwealth Fund published a report in 2019 that found the ACA was responsible for reducing the number of Americans without health insurance from 16.6% in 2010 to 9%. The report also found that the ACA has improved the access of low-income people to health care.

The Nursing Perspective on Ethical and Legal Factors

While implementing the ACA there are many ethical, legal and political aspects that must be taken into consideration. Those who feel the individual mandate is a violation of their rights may be against it. ACA may face legal challenges as well. In the nursing field, it’s important that every individual has access to cost-effective, high quality care. It may be necessary to work with policymakers in order to address any barriers that prevent people from receiving care.