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Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Healthcare in the US

Due to the effect of healthcare on almost every aspect of life, it is incumbent that past

and current policies on healthcare be carefully examined to ensure that the most critical areas

of health are addressed—access and the cost of healthcare services. To that end, this essay

assesses the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on improving healthcare in the US. In

my opinion, ‘Obamacare’ has had a positive effect on increasing access to and reducing the

cost of healthcare in the country. Many people are unable to access healthcare due to a lack of

health insurance. This Act was enacted with the aim of making health insurance affordable to

everyone and circumventing the financial exploitation of patients, currently being perpetuated

by insurance companies. Contrary to what others believe, the Affordable Care Act provides

healthcare at a lower cost than insurance companies. Besides, Obamacare enables even low-

income groups to afford health insurance. This is because it provides for payments in

installments. While monthly payments help to ease the burden of paying in bulk, yearly

premiums are considerably subsidized, allowing substantial cost savings. In the few years

since its enactment, the Affordable Care Act has helped to expand coverage for those who

had traditionally been ineligible for insurance coverage. Consequently, the number of insured

persons has risen exponentially, which has coincided with falling mortality rates in the

country since its enactment (Gutiérrez vi). ACA has been pivotal in reducing socioeconomic

disparities in access to health care in the US (Qi 1). Medicaid expansions facilitated through
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the Affordable Care Act have helped to improve health outcomes, access to health care, and

mortality among young American adults (Qi 1).

The Affordable Care Act is based on the principles of Universal

Healthcare, which involves “Equity in access to health services,” according to the World

Health Organization. The WHO further elucidates that “quality of health services should be

good enough to improve the health of those receiving the care [and] “People should be

protected against financial risk” (WHO). Many countries globally, including Thailand,

Rwanda, Sweden, and Canada, have successfully implemented Universal Healthcare

programs, while the U.S. still lags. Obamacare is an ambitious attempt to realize the goals

and objectives of Universal Healthcare (McDonough 3).

Obamacare enhances the affordability of health insurance by

allowing subsidies, without which insurance companies cannot maintain lower premiums.

Recently, Trump’s decision to withhold insurance reimbursements compelled providers to

raise premiums by 20% (Kilgour 167). The Affordable Care Act emphasizes preventive care,

allowing people to receive preventive care and avert the escalation of untreated diseases that

could necessitate expensive emergency room care. Since healthcare is more affordable, the

number of people declaring bankruptcy due to their inability to cover the costs has gone

down. In 2010, 1.5 million Americans filed for bankruptcy. By 2016, the Affordable Care

Act helped that number to drop to 770,846 by coercing insurance companies to eliminate

lifetime and annual limits to cover all costs (Kilgour 168).

In 2018, a study that states that implemented the expansion of

Medicaid witnessed a 40% increase in the number of diabetes prescriptions filling. Those that

failed to expand Medicaid did not see any improvement. A study by the U.S. Centers for

Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that each diabetic patient now saves up to

$6,394 in hospital costs. Lower health care costs justify why the Affordable Care Act
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managed to minimize the deficit by $143 billion within a decade (CMS). Affordable health

care makes Medicare and Medicaid less expensive. Obamacare, thus, shifted the burdens of

health care costs to providers and pharmaceutical companies. For these reasons and more, I

think the Affordable Care Act is the best system to use, as it will save Americans from

exploitation from insurance companies and lower the cost of healthcare.

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Works Cited

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. National Health Expenditure Data: Historical,

https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-

Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.

Gutiérrez, Ángela. “Affordable Care Act.” Californian Journal of Health Promotion, vol. 12,

no. 3, Dec. 2014, pp. vi–ix, doi:10.32398/cjhp.v12i3.1575.

McDonough, John E. “The Road Ahead for the Affordable Care Act.” New England Journal

of Medicine, vol. 367, no. 3, Massachusetts Medical Society, 19 July 2012, pp. 199–201,

doi:10.1056/NEJMp1206845.

Kilgour, John. The Affordable Care Act: An appraisal. Compensation & Benefits Review, vol.

47, no. 4, 2015, pp. 166-172.

Qi, Yanling. "Three Essays on the Impact of the Affordable Care Act Expansion of

Dependent Coverage for Young Adults," 2015. Accessed 20 February 2020 from

https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/econ_diss/116/XWHO. “WHO | Universal Health

Coverage.” WHO, World Health Organization, 2018.