Sonal Payne
Group 1
Week 4 Discussion #4
Outline potential benefits (2 minimum) and potential negative impacts (2 minimum) of the affordable care act (ACA).
The healthcare system in United States is mostly dominated by the private insurance sector, whereas many countries have a universal healthcare system, the United States does not (Finkleman & Kenner, 2013). Because of the influence of the private insurance sector healthcare is very expensive and in most cases not affordable in Unites States. According to HHS.gov, “The Affordable Care Act puts consumers back in charge of their health care and under the law, a new “Patient’s Bill of Rights” gives the American people the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health (2014). Like every new law ACA also has its pros and cons.
The benefits of having ACA is that it includes reforms designed to help all Americans, such as prohibiting insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, expanding Medicaid eligibility, subsidizing insurance premiums, and providing incentives for businesses to provide health care benefits (Sorrell, 2012). Insurance companies will no longer be able to drop clients when they become ill, the act has the potential to improve health outcomes across all income and age groups at a reduced cost (2012).
Some of the disadvantages of ACA are that Americans who are employed will have to pay more for their health care coverage. Most middle-class Americans hold full-time jobs and receive health insurance through their employers. Health care costs were rising before the Affordable Care Act became law, and combined with the effects of the law, employers will likely re-evaluate the insurance they offer (UPMC, 2013). As employers attempt to reduce the cost of providing coverage to employees, employed Americans may pay more for their work-based health insurance,