Assignment Prompt
The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. Many of the provisions of the law directly affect health care providers. Review the following topic Resources: 1. "About the Affordable Care Act" 2. "Health Care Transformation: The Affordable Care Act and More" 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?
What are the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act in relation to community and public health?
The first important element of the Affordable Care Act is that it provides affordable health insurance to all people. This act provides consumers with premium tax credits that lower the costs of insurance for households that have an income that lies between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022). The second important element of ACA is an expansion of the Medicaid program to cover all adults with an income that is below 138% of the FPL (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022). Not all states have expanded their Medicaid programs to cover all adults. The ACA program is essential in supporting innovative medical care delivery methods to generally lower healthcare costs.
What is the role of the nurse in implementing this law?
Nurses play a crucial role in the implementation of ACA. They design and implement the changes in health policies on occupying leadership positions. Nurses play an important role in patient education and they sensitize the family members and the patients on the ACA. Nurses help patients make healthcare decisions and modify their lifestyles to achieve high-quality health outcomes (Cleveland et al., 2019). Nurses work in collaboration with administrators, legislators, and policymakers to make decisions that are necessary to fund Medicare, instability in the insurance plan, and health-related expenditures. Healthcare spending, provision of high-quality care, and availability of resources for the provision of healthcare are top priorities in nursing. ACA is just the beginning of a legislative framework that links the concepts of healthcare to health reimbursement initiatives (Cleveland et al., 2019). Nurses have the capability to shape healthcare due to their utilization of the team approach, their role in the provision of bedside care, and their understanding of the patients and the general population.
References
- Cleveland, K., Motter, T. M., & Smith, Y. (2019). Affordable care: Harnessing the power of nurses. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. https://ojin.nursingworld.org/table-of-contents/volume-24-2019/number-2-may-2019/affordable-care/
- US Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). About the ACA. HHS.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/index.html