Why is affordable health care important?

Asked by: Norval Hintz  |  Last update: November 15, 2023
Score: 4.1/5 (58 votes)

People without coverage are more likely to suffer declines in overall health — the result of little or no preventive care and delays in care that cause more severe problems or hospitalizations.

Why is affordable care important?

Since its enactment on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act has led to an historic advancement of health equity in the United States. This landmark law improved the health of all Americans, including women and families, kids, older adults, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ and communities of color.

Why is the Affordable Care Act important in healthcare?

The ACA supports public health prevention efforts. It created the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which has paid for public health efforts across the country. The ACA requires insurance policies to cover essential health benefits that can help prevent serious, costly conditions.

What are 3 benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Affordable Care Act (ACA) basics

Among other things, the ACA made it easier for many people to get coverage, removed annual and lifetime limits on essential health benefits and put in place requirements that individuals have medical coverage or pay a tax penalty.

What are two major benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Two of the biggest coverage expansion provisions of the ACA went into full effect in 2014: the expansion of Medicaid and the launch of the health insurance marketplaces for private coverage. Together, these programs now cover tens of millions of Americans.

The real reason American health care is so expensive

45 related questions found

What are the 10 essential benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Essential health benefits ensure that health plans cover care that patients need
  • Ambulatory patient services (outpatient services)
  • Emergency services.
  • Hospitalization.
  • Maternity and newborn care.
  • Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment.
  • Prescription drugs.

Who benefits most from the Affordable Care Act?

People with the lowest incomes tended to benefit the most from the law. That makes sense, given how the Affordable Care Act is designed. In states that expanded Medicaid, low-income people can get insurance without having to pay a premium.

How does the Affordable Care Act impact me?

The ACA enabled people to gain coverage by 1) expanding the publicly funded Medicaid program to cover adults with annual incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level; 2) establishing the Health Insurance Marketplace for individuals and small businesses, allowing them to purchase private health insurance (PHI); and 3 ...

What is the Affordable Care Act and what does it require?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive reform law, enacted in 2010, that increases health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implements reforms to the health insurance market. This includes many provisions that are consistent with AMA policy and holds the potential for a better health care system.

Is the Affordable Care Act good for the economy?

In reviewing evidence over the past five years, this report concludes that the ACA has had no net negative economic impact and, in fact, has likely helped to stimulate growth by contributing to the slower rise in health care costs.

How does the Affordable Care Act improve quality of care?

Findings In this nationally representative cross-sectional study of 123 171 individuals, the ACA was associated with more high-value diagnostic and preventive testing, improved patient experience and access, and decreased out-of-pocket expenditures for lower income US individuals.

How can we make healthcare more accessible and affordable?

What Are Some Problems with Access to Health Care?
  1. High Health Care Costs. ...
  2. Transportation Barriers. ...
  3. Implicit Bias and Health Care Avoidance. ...
  4. Expand Insurance to Cover Health Care Costs. ...
  5. Extend Telehealth Services. ...
  6. Invest in Mobile Clinics. ...
  7. Educate the Public About Multiple Health Care Sites. ...
  8. Improve Cultural Responsiveness.

How could Affordable Care Act be better?

Making Insurance Premiums More Affordable

ensure through 2025 that no one has to spend more than 8.5 percent of household income on premiums; previously, eligibility for premium tax credits was capped at 400 percent of the federal poverty level (i.e., $106,000 for a family of four)

What are three benefits of the Affordable Care Act quizlet?

Match
  • extending insurance coverage to the uninsured/underinsured.
  • decreasing costs by improving efficiency.
  • expanding prevention and wellness programs (PH measures)
  • protecting against undue financial burdens on individuals as a result of healthcare expenditures.
  • improving patient safety and quality of care.

What is the Healthcare Affordability Act?

The Health Care Affordability Act lowers health care premiums by making advance premium tax credits for Marketplace plans more generous and available to more Americans, ensuring that no American pays more than 8.5% of their household income on premiums — and most pay far less.

What is one requirement of the Affordable Care Act answers?

The correct answer is B. The government will set up its own health insurance entity. This act provides medical insurance for all Americans. The state shall ensure that necessary health benefits are provided.

Has the Affordable Care Act helped people?

The ACA has reduced the number of uninsured people to historically low levels and helped more people access health care services, especially low-income people and people of color.

How will the Affordable Care Act affect healthcare organizations?

The ACA reduced the annual increases in payments to hospitals under the traditional Medicare program. It also reduced payments to Medicare Advantage plans. Partly because of these measures, increases in Medicare expenditures have been 20 percent lower than projected since the law was enacted.

How does the Affordable Care Act impact health disparities?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage expansions, including the Medicaid expansion to low-income adults, provide an opportunity to reduce disparities in coverage, which research suggests may contribute to reductions in disparities access to care and health outcomes.

Why was the Affordable Care Act created?

The purpose of the ACA was to expand access to insurance, increase consumer protections, emphasize prevention and wellness, improve quality and system performance, expand the health workforce, and curb rising health care costs.

What are benefits of health insurance?

Health insurance protects you from unexpected, high medical costs. The amount you pay for covered health care services before your insurance plan starts to pay. With a $2,000 deductible, for example, you pay the first $2,000 of covered services yourself.

What is one benefit of Affordable Care Act quizlet?

Increases benefits and lower costs for consumers, bolster our health care and public health workforce and infrastructure, foster innovation and quality in our system.

What was the purpose of the Affordable Care Act quizlet?

more widely known as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. The act was enacted to expand coverage, hold insurance companies more accountable, lower healthcare costs, give people more choice for insurance, and increase the quality of healthcare/ health insurance.

Did the Affordable Care Act save lives?

We find a reduction in all-cause mortality in ages 20 to 64 equaling 11.36 deaths per 100,000 individuals, a 3.6 percent decrease. This estimate is largely driven by reductions in causes of death likely to be influenced by access to health care, and equates to one life saved per 310 newly covered individuals.

Why is healthcare important for everyone?

High-quality health care helps prevent diseases and improve quality of life.