¶ … affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA or Obamacare) on the elderly
Obamacare: Its impact upon the elderly
The impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (often called 'Obamacare') upon America is often discussed by politicians as if it had a uniform impact upon all citizens. However, the ACA's effects have been relatively disparate, depending upon the nature of the population. This paper will specifically focus upon the impact of the ACA on the elderly of a variety of socio-economic categories.
One of the criticisms of the American healthcare system before the passage of the ACA was the spiraling cost of entitlement programs such as Medicare, the federally-provided health insurance program for seniors. "One good result of all this [ACA] is that the burden of Medicare for taxpayers in future years has been drastically lowered. In fact, the day Barack Obama signed the ACA into law he cut the long-term unfunded liability of Medicare more than in half" (Goodman 2014). However, the ACA accomplishes its cost-cutting objective by imposing a cap on Medicare spending, including reimbursements to physicians that take such patients (and Medicare already reimbursed physicians at a far lower rate than private insurance). "One bad result is that that Medicare beneficiaries are likely to be pushed into a second tier health care system -- where access to care will become increasingly difficult, as seniors less financially attractive to providers become Medicaid patients" (Goodman 2014). For seniors reliant upon Medicare and Medicaid as their primary sources of healthcare -- not private insurance -- some argue that this could compromise the care they receive.
Others counter that the law has actually had a number of salutary effects for the elderly. For example, "in New Hampshire, Medicaid pays for in-home care for nearly all of its developmentally disabled residents. For frail elders, the opposite is true. Most wind up in nursing homes. To remedy this imbalance, New Hampshire is taking advantage of Affordable Care Act funding for a program aimed at removing existing barriers to providing long-term care in people's homes and communities" (Vestal 2014). For patients who are released from the hospital,...
The Affordable Care Act means that health coverage will be required for almost every American and will be partially subsidized. However, it will not change the employer-centric, private-insurer-based system of financing and coverage. Demand for care will increase significantly and rapidly, but the underlying issues that created the need for a safety net in the first place will not be solved in the near future. Feldstein (2005) argues that if
ACA The Affordable Care Act works on the premise that all Americans should have access to health care insurance. Because this is provided through insurance companies, the system is only enforceable under certain conditions. One of the key tenets of health care reform is the idea that those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied insurance coverage. This group of people has long had problems getting insurance, and insurance companies spend tens
Obamacare, or formally known as the Affordable Care Act, is a recent healthcare law that will reach its implementation stage in 2014. Healthcare is certainly a fundamental necessity and indispensable to a growing human population. The United States is known for its adequate healthcare, servicing low income people through Medicaid, and the elderly through Medicare. However, recent events have led to a shift in what can possibly negatively impact the
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Growth and Changes in Nursing Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the law of the land, nurses can expect to have even more responsibility and even more opportunities to use their skills. This paper reviews how the restructuring of the U.S. healthcare system impacts the nursing field. And this paper reflects on how continuum of care, accountable care organizations, medical homes and nurse-managed health clinics will be affected
Current status in implementing the affordable care act with regard to veterans' mental health problems The Affordable Care Act's enactment gave rise to major concerns with regard to greater healthcare expenditure and reduced benefits for the defense population. This has led to the VA (Department of Veteran Affairs), the White House and TRICARE authorities expending efforts towards public education. Veteran Affairs believes the Act (popularly called Obamacare) has no effect on
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