Affordable Care Act

Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act has so far been the most effective healthcare Act in the United States. It was designed to reduce the costs of offering medical care to the citizens of the United States and at the same time improve the quality of health care. The Affordable Care Act has opened up access to medical insurance to the citizens of the United States in a way that has not been experienced before. The people in the United States that at the moment do not have insurance has been greatly reduced. The Act passed a law that reduces the number of reasons why an insurer will not sell a medical cover to a citizen. Having insurance for medical care is a very important thing because it ensures that in the case of an emergency, the patient will access the services without having to source for funds at the time of the emergency. 

The health care Act has also made sure that more patients are eligible by lowering the requirements of buying insurance. Previously, the employers were responsible for finding a cover for their employees but now with the responsibility in the hands of the employees, they can find an insurance cover that is favorable for them. The passing of the Affordable Care Act into law has left only illegal immigrants and those who choose not to purchase insurance covers uninsured. Also, the people whose income will mostly go to servicing the insurance cover are exempted from the groups of people with health care insurance. The Insurance companies in the United States will take time to adjust their operations to cover the medical bills because most of them are reporting losses after the Act was signed into law. Previously, insurance companies would refuse to cover a patient due to pre-existing conditions and gender, a thing that has so far been eliminated by the passing of the Act into law. 

The hospitalization process has changed significantly after the Act was made law. The hospitals are now working to ensure that the numbers of readmissions after treatment are minimal (Mansukhani, Bridgeman, Candelario, & Eckert, 2015). The heath care providers are more cautious about the treatment they offer the patients because most of the patients have insurance covers. Prior to the Act being made law, the patients would have to be asked for their insurance or payment for admission. The hospitals had to verify the patient’s ability to make payment for the services before it was determined whether the patient could be granted admission. The patients had to ensure that if they fell sick they could pay for the services and if not, they did not seek medical attention. This process made emergency services slow and inefficient. Emergency means that the patient needs immediate care while the process of checking for funds was a waste of time that could otherwise be used to save the life of the patient. Under the new health care Act, patients get immediate medical attention in cases of emergency because the medical facilities are assured of pay most of the time. 

The hospitals have developed a program that helps patients transition from the hospital setting into the home setting where they complete their recovery process. This program means that the hospitals have more space to take in patients while those who can recover from the comfort of their homes are able to do so as fast as possible. The program is referred to as Transitional Care. The Transitional Care is important in reducing avoidable readmissions of patients (Pulley & Nelson, 2015). It takes into consideration the fact that the readmission could be prevented and at the same time when a patient is readmitted it costs money. The Affordable Care Act is in place to ensure that any health condition that can be prevented is actually prevented. The health care practitioners have to fit their operations into the budget allocated by the government. By preventing the preventable readmissions, these health care facilities save money for more important health situations (Mansukhani, Bridgeman, Candelario, & Eckert, 2015).

Prior to the passing of the health care Act into law, the medical experience was exhausting to the patients and the care providers. The health care facilities were overburdened by both real medical emergencies and the miscellaneous medical situations. The health care providers were overworked in the process and this reduced their efficiency. Health care providers under the new Act are more careful because insurance companies can sue for malpractice and the safety of the patient at this time is guaranteed. The Act being passed into law has improved many things in the health care sector in the United States. More people having access to medical care means less avoidable deaths due to lack of proper medical care. Prior to the passing of the Affordable Care Act, the people of the United States had to find ways of funding their medical bills and sometimes, all income went to medical bills. This is a situation that the Act came to change.

Prior to the Act being made law, access to facilities like rehabilitation centers was almost a preserve for the rich and the less affluent people were left to their own means. After the bill was passed, the rehabilitation facilities were made more accessible and the services improved to prevent relapsing of the patients. The process of rehabilitation is now affordable because the government, on top of ensuring that more people have access to insurance covers, the health care costs are subsidized. The rehabilitation process in this case is more thorough and effective. Admission into this facilities will only require the patient to show their insurance cover documents and the willingness to be rehabilitated. This in the long run will ensure that there are more sober people in the streets of the United States compared to before the Act was passed into law. 

The acquisition of medication after treatment was always a very expensive affair for the patients and a major contributor to the readmission numbers being high. The patients would be discharged and give prescriptions to go and purchase medication and because most of them could not afford it, they never got access to the complete medical assistance that they required in the first place. The Affordable Care Act came to change all that. The health care providers now have the ability to provide after care which means that the patient are treated and get medications as they required (Pulley & Nelson, 2015). The insurance covers take care of the medical bills in their entirety or to a certain percentage that leave a small portion that the patient can afford. This situation means that the health care Act has endured patients can now afford medication.

The health care Act now means that as medical practitioner, I have to be cautious with the health status of my relatives and myself at all times. I have to ensure that the patients within my family get first class treatment regardless of their ability to pay for it. The work of a health worker is to save lives and care for patients effectively.  The safe practice under the Affordable Care Act is to ensure no patient is turned away, no patient is neglected during hospitalization, upon discharge and at the point of acquisition of drugs.

My role as a medical practitioner is to save life. The health care customer is entitled to proper care and attention. I will advocate for the wellbeing of the health care customer by also ensuring that I pay my taxes on time. This will in the long run trickle down to better health care for these patients. The health care customer is a patient, I will also offer the best care I can to patients within my reach after their discharge (Pulley & Nelson, 2015). This may be a small gesture but it leaves room for the medical practitioners to take new patients and treat them efficiently. In the long run, this means that all citizens have to come together to support the vision of the Affordable Care Act by the government.

My future role as a result of the Affordable Care Act will not change much. I will keep striving to make life better for myself and my family. The only difference may be my ability to pay for insurance will reduce my worry about what to do in case of an emergency. My family will rest easier with the knowledge that even if anything happens to me health wise, the burden will be reduced. The Affordable Care Act will make me have to learn a few medical care tips because the transitional care program will require vigilance in case I have to house a recuperating patient at home. This makes me more aware of health issues beyond the doors of hospitals.

The role of my chosen profession may have to change in the near future. I may have to develop a keener eye in taking care of patients in the hospitals to ensure that the rates of readmission are minimal. The medical profession will have to develop a technology based system to sure that the admission of patients is faster and their medical histories are available faster than before the Act was made law. The role of the medical profession will have to go an extra mile in developing the after care services for their patients. My being in the medical profession means that the role of nurses will be extended beyond the hospital confines to the homes of patients. 

In the long run, more people will know more about medical care as opposed to before the Affordable Care Act was made. The Act will improve the people’s view of health care. They will know how to prevent readmissions better in the future (Pulley & Nelson, 2015). Overall, the Affordable Care Act, if well-funded by the government, will lead to a healthier United States. Affordable health care is important for the progress of any nation. The health of citizens is the responsibility of the government which is why most hospitals are government hospitals as well as rehabilitation centers. The citizens of a nation have to feel that the government cares for the production of the country as a whole to improve.

References

Mansukhani, P. R., Bridgeman, M. B., Candelario, D., & Eckert, L. (2015). Exploring Transitional Crae: Evidence Based Strategies for Improving Provider Communication and Reducing Readmissions. Journal for Managed Care and Hospital Formulatory Management.

Pulley, A., & Nelson, J. (2015). Transitional Care can Reduce Hospital Readmissions. American Nurse Today.