The purpose of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was to ensure all citizens in America had access to affordable and quality health care (Giovannelli, Lucia, & Corlette, 2014). The Act was designed to transform the country’s healthcare system by containing costs (Hall, 2014). The proposed reforms are expected to transform the role and effectiveness of different public health programs. Such changes will also support the welfare of more American citizens. It is agreeable that many analysts and politicians have been opposed to the PPACA (also known as Obamacare). However, the agreeable fact is that the Act has several benefits that should be retained. The new reforms in healthcare should consider some of the beneficial aspects of the country’s healthcare system.
Beneficial Aspects of the Current American Health Care System
The PPACA continues to attract the attention of many insurance companies, policymakers, and politicians. This is the case because the Act “has led to costly taxes for individuals who do not participate” (Hall & Lord, 2015, p. 4). Additionally, citizens who want to get health insurance cover to encounter a wide range of challenges. Despite such cons, some aspects of the Act should be considered in the future. The three major aspects of the Act that are beneficial to more American citizens are presented below.
The first important aspect of the PPACA is that it has managed to reduce healthcare costs in the country. Healthcare experts believe strongly that the Act makes it easier for more people to have insurance cover (Hall & Lord, 2015). Obamacare has also made preventive care available, reliable, and free for the nation. This is a clear indication that more citizens have access to quality medical support. Under Obamacare, the cost of medical care has decreased significantly within the past four years (Giovannelli et al., 2014). When this aspect is maintained, the country will continue to reduce the burden of healthcare.
The PPACA is characterized by another unique benefit that should be considered by future policymakers. The Act dictates all insurers to cover ten key health benefits (Hall, 2014). The policy has forced many insurance companies to come up with sustainable plans that cover addiction and mental health (Hall, 2014). Such plans also consider chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. These services make it easier for more Americans to get timely and adequate medical support. The health costs “for such diseases are passed onto Medicaid” (Giovannelli et al., 2014, p. 6).
The third advantage of Obamacare is that it provides a platform to ensure more children have access to quality medical care. This is the case because such children are covered by their parents’ insurance policies until they are 26 (Giovannelli et al., 2014). Before 2010, many young people were unable to get quality health services due to the lack of sustainable insurance plans. By the year 2014, more young people were covered by various insurance plans than ever before. Consequently, the increasing number of insured people has maximized the profitability of health insurance firms (Hall & Lord, 2015). This provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should be retained to continue safeguarding the health needs of many young people in the United States. These three beneficial aspects should, therefore, be considered when trying to reform the country’s healthcare system.
References
Giovannelli, J., Lucia, K., & Corlette, S. (2014). Implementing the Affordable Care Act: Revisiting the ACA’s essential health benefits requirements. The Commonwealth Fund, 28(1), 1-10.
Hall, J. (2014). Realizing health reform’s potential. The Commonwealth Fund, 31(1), 1-8.
Hall, M., & Lord, R. (2015). Obamacare: What the Affordable Care Act means for patients and physicians. State of the Art Review, 1(1), 1-10.