Question

What are the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act in relation to community and public health? What is the role of the nurse in implementing this law?

Answer 1

Ans) Affordable Care Act (ACA): The comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010 (sometimes known as ACA, PPACA, or “Obamacare”).

- Reduces number of uninsured people
- Expansion of medicaid
- Subsides to pay premiums in health insurance exchanges
- Federal mandate requiring most legal citizens to enroll in an - - Insurance plan to face tax penalties
- Allows kids to remain on till 26 years old

- The law has 3 primary goals:

• 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.
• Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the federal poverty level. (Not all states have expanded their Medicaid programs.)
• Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally.

Key provisions related to expansion of health insurance coverage through dependent coverage provisions and ESI, health insurance exchanges, employer and individual mandates, and Medicaid expansion.

Nurses role in Affordable Care Act:

- As hospitals, insurance providers, and provider groups align to be a part of value-based payment systems, the roles of nurses become integral to promoting these changes.

- Care managers, care coordinators, and informatics experts-nurses-are vital leadership for directing care process changes, quality and evidence-based interventions, and measurement of care outcomes.

- Nurses have a demonstrated history of leadership in team-based care processes.

- Nurses have patient-centered care as a core professional standard and competency.

- Nurses are pivotal to care quality and patient satisfaction, as well as efficacious use of resources to provide patient-centered and evidence-based care.