Improving Population Health

Melissa Hinkhouse

Week 3-Original Post

NURS 6050: Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Walden University

In 2010 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted; the hope was to expand access to medical care, make coverage more affordable, and decrease the number of people without medical insurance. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded and improved health insurance coverage in two primary ways. First, the number of individuals receiving insurance coverage grown by increasing access to coverage through Medicaid expansion and providing subsidies to purchase private insurance on the health care exchanges. Second, the ACA upgraded the quality and scope of coverage by improving benefit design, including implementing the essential health benefits (Willison & Singer, 2017). People who did not have coverage through their employer or Medicaid were required to purchase insurance through the Marketplace. The Marketplace was created as a one-stop-shop for people to view multiple plans and purchase insurance. Just because you have access to health care insurance does not mean you are going to receive quality health care (Teitelbaum, 2018).

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Both parties have asked that the ACA be repealed or replaced for multiple reasons. Every Republican presidential candidate for 2016 has called for the repeal of the ACA. Some, but not all, Republican candidates have proposed health policies that they would like to put in place after repeal, but there is no broad agreement on a replacement for the ACA (Buettgens & Blumberg, 2016). The federal government would spend $90.9 billion less on health care for the nonelderly in 2021 if the ACA were repealed (Buettgens & Blumberg, 2016). State governments as a whole would spend $5.2 billion more on health care for the nonelderly in 2021 if the ACA were repealed (Buettgens & Blumberg, 2016). Healthcare is a priority to many Americans for obvious reasons; it was more costly for those with preexisting conditions before the ACA to obtain Medical Insurance. With the ACA the income guidelines for Medicaid where changed so additional people qualified that didn’t prior. As a Behavioral Health Nurse, I am a fan of anyone and everyone having access to Healthcare Services. I have seen to many times my patient not have the money for their medications because insurance was canceled so they go off their medications, they become unstable and ended up in the Emergency Department and admitted Inpatient, costing more money, hurting themselves and their loved ones.