Why was Affordable Care Act needed?

Asked by: Daphnee Feil  |  Last update: August 16, 2023
Score: 4.4/5 (46 votes)

The ACA helps cut high U.S. health care costs.
In addition to increasing insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act makes investments in programs designed to reduce the cost and improve the quality of health care.

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 did the Affordable Care Act actually do?

The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility, created a Health Insurance Marketplace, and prevented insurance companies from denying coverage due to preexisting conditions. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover a list of essential health benefits.

What happens if there was no Affordable Care Act?

Across the country, 29.8 million people would lose their health insurance if the Affordable Care Act were repealed—more than doubling the number of people without health insurance.

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.

ACA 101: A Comprehensive Guide to the Affordable Care Act

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Why is affordable healthcare important?

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.

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 two benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

Make affordable health insurance available to more people. The law provides consumers with subsidies (“premium tax credits”) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the FPL.

Why didn't people want the Affordable Care Act?

Despite these positive changes, a near majority of Americans still oppose the ACA, even though they approve of most of its features. They oppose the mandate that all Americans must have health insurance (the individual mandate), and they oppose a government role in health care.

Did the Affordable Care Act save money?

Yet the ACA has more than delivered on that promise, saving about $4,000 per family. And these lower health care premiums probably contribute to the recent rise in workers' wages.

Who supported the Affordable Care Act?

The bill passed with support of the majority of Democrats, together with one Republican who voted only after the necessary 218 votes had already been cast.

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 are some of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act quizlet?

Affordable Care Act Provisions Include:
  • Individual mandate.
  • health insurance reforms.
  • Essential Health benefits.
  • Affordable insurance exchanges.
  • Premium Credits to Eligible Individuals and Families.
  • Employer Requirements.
  • Premium Subsidiaries to Small Employers.
  • Early retirement reinsurance program.

Who does the ACA benefit the most?

2020). The coverage gains under the ACA made it easier for people to get health care. Adults with low income have benefited the most from the law's insurance subsidies, out-of-pocket cost protections, and expansion in Medicaid eligibility.

What are the two main parts of the Affordable Care Act?

The law has 2 parts: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.

How does the Affordable Care Act affect Americans?

Gaining insurance coverage also increased the probability of having a usual place of care by between 47.1 percent and 86.5 percent. These findings suggest that not only has the ACA decreased the number of uninsured Americans, but has substantially improved access to care for those who gained coverage.

What did Biden do to the Affordable Care Act?

For his first two years in office, President Biden prioritized the ACA in his legislative agenda. Early in his term, he signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which included a significant increase in premium subsidies for Marketplace enrollees, through 2022.

Was the Affordable Care Act mandatory?

The bottom line

The ACA individual mandate nudged consumers to have health insurance by imposing a financial penalty if they did not have coverage or an exemption. Congress removed the national mandate in 2017. Some states have their own health insurance mandates that impose financial penalties.

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.

Why is the Affordable Care Act controversial?

One early controversy concerned whether individuals would lose their current health plans when the new law took effect. Initially, some insured people were taken by surprise when their insurers canceled policies that did not qualify as minimum essential coverage (MEC) under the ACA.

How does the Affordable Care Act impact reimbursement policies?

Some Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates declined under the Affordable Care Act to transition the industry away for fee-for-service. While rates were reduced, CMS developed value-based incentive payments and alternative payment models to reward high-quality and affordable care rather than volume.

Why is the Affordable Care Act important to nurses?

The Affordable Care Act and Its Impact on the Nursing Profession. The ACA places a greater focus on outcomes, with more pressure on nurses to show they can give effective care. This means the demand for advanced practice nurses (APNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) has also increased.

How many Americans benefited from the Affordable Care Act?

New Reports Show Record 35 Million People Enrolled in Coverage Related to the Affordable Care Act, with Historic 21 Million People Enrolled in Medicaid Expansion Coverage.

What were the two main goals of the Affordable Care Act ACA with respect to health insurance?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has two main goals: (1) to make health care coverage more available, affordable, and acceptable and (2) to slow the growth of health care costs in the U.S.

What was the goal of the Affordable Care Act and what did it try to prevent?

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.