Health reform in the US

“Health reform in the US refers to the overhaul of its health care system and is frequently used interchangeably with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).” (Keith, par. 1). health reform refers to the complete overhaul of the healthcare system in order to reduce national spending and expand healthcare coverage to millions of Americans. In 2010 President Barrack Obama signed The Patient Protection and Affordability Act also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The overall goal of the health reform was to reduce the number of uninsured Americans in the United States and allow basic access to health care statewide. Unfortunately, I do not believe healthcare in the United States will ever be 100% accessible to everyone or ever free. Access to health care is one of the biggest challenges in healthcare, whether it’s not having insurance, high deductibles, co-pays, or distance/location of facilities.

I think one of the best ways to analyze the impact the healthcare reform has had not only on insurance coverage and the healthcare system but also on patient outcomes and financial success or failure is by looking at the statistics, through feedback, and surveying insurance companies/agencies and their customers. Being able to look at the previous years or even the statistics based on the years before the reform and compare and contrast. Also by asking those who went from being uninsured to insured how they like their plan, their coverage, and the affordability to gain insight from their point of view and lifestyle in order to better the healthcare system for the future.

FYI: Did you know that the “U.S spends far more on medical care than any other industrialized nation, but ranks 28 among 36 OECD countries of the life expectancy?” (APHA.org, par. 9).

References

APHA.org. (2022). Health Reform. Retrieved from, https://www.apha.org/health-reform

Cutler, M. David. (2010). The Impact of Health Reform on Health System Spending. Retrieved from, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/documents/___media_files_publications_issue_brief_2010_may_1405_cutler_impact_hlt_reform_on_hlt_sys_spending_ib_v4.pdf

Keith, Katie. (2022). Congress Extends Enhanced ACA Subsidies. Retrieved from, https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01293