On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, providing greater access to health coverage, making it more equitable, and controlling costs.
Despite its shortcomings, the Affordable Care Act has had a beneficial effect on many lives. Unfortunately, there remain several issues that need to be addressed in order for this progress to continue.
1. It’s a scam
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed to reduce costs and increase access to health insurance. Among its many advantages, it prohibits insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Though the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made health insurance more accessible and affordable, there remain issues such as high premiums, deductible increases, and cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments.
Scammers are taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act to coerce consumers into providing personal information such as bank account numbers and credit card numbers. Unfortunately, these scams often lead to inferior policies than promised or outright fraudulence.
Scams related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) include calls claiming you must purchase health insurance now or face penalties; or calls advertising medical discount plans. While some of these plans are legitimate, others are not.
2. It’s a government takeover
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, providing health insurance to over 52 million Americans who would otherwise have been denied coverage due to preexisting conditions. It also instituted comprehensive reforms that enhance access, control healthcare costs, and put consumers in control of their own healthcare decisions.
The Affordable Care Act has curbed many of the worst practices in the health insurance industry, such as charging more or denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. Furthermore, it created a system that shields subsidized enrollees from costly premium increases.
Despite its successes, the Affordable Care Act faces numerous obstacles. Proposed repeal efforts and poor administration oversight threaten to unravel the law, including eliminating the individual mandate penalty in 2019, regulations to expand non-ACA-compliant insurance products, and waivers for Medicaid that could disenroll sick or economically vulnerable enrollees from coverage under the program.
3. It’s a bad idea
For years now, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been making waves in healthcare circles – helping millions of Americans gain access to medical coverage while simultaneously cutting health care costs across the board. It was an unambiguous success.
In the past, insurance companies could take advantage of people’s preexisting conditions by charging more than necessary or denying coverage entirely. Thankfully, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has put an end to these and other unethical business practices within this industry.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made other notable advancements in health care, such as creating an insurance marketplace that allows people to shop and compare plans while receiving subsidies to help cover premium costs. Despite some challenges, despite 50 years of progress since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965, the ACA remains America’s greatest achievement when it comes to access to quality healthcare for all citizens while decreasing our nation’s growing health care deficit.
4. It’s a waste of money
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s primary objectives are to make health insurance more accessible, cost-effective, and acceptable to patients. Controlling rising healthcare expenses is the key to achieving all three of these outcomes.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains many provisions designed to enhance efficiency and eliminate waste in the health insurance marketplace, Medicare, and Medicaid programs. These initiatives have helped contain healthcare costs while also improving patient quality of care.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) also offers incentives to encourage clinicians into primary care. These include increased payment rates for primary care physicians who accept Medicaid or work in rural areas, as well as investments into the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program to train more primary care doctors.
