The Affordable Care Act, also known as ACA, has brought many positive changes to the healthcare industry, benefiting people’s health in various ways. While there are still some issues, it has been a boon for some who wanted insurance but had issues getting covered. While some plans were scrapped because it was seen as too big for the government to take the power from the citizens, like the Cadillac Tax, the changes that were made have many proponents. A look back over a dozen years can show what needs more improvement.
Surgical Matters
One of the ways that the ACA has changed healthcare is that people needing surgery can get them far easier, while they are insured in a way that will not bankrupt them. With the right care, more people have acute surgical issues found before they become an emergency. There are far more people getting their cancer diagnosed in earlier stages, which means the survival rate is going up. Surgeries are scary for many, but having access to better doctors and planning time allows people a better chance at survival and living better, not bankruptcy and emergencies.
Cushioned Fall
When the pandemic happened and the government shut down companies, millions were affected in a way that caused them to go on unemployment. The government was there to help, especially when it came to the loss of workplace insurance. The ability to get insurance through the ACA meant that if people could not get Medicaid, they had low-cost alternatives. People were still able to deal with medical issues, though if they were put on Medicaid, they were limited in what medical professionals would see them. The pandemic helped show what the ACA and government help was available.
Pregnancy Help
The ACA had parts written to specifically help females who become pregnant and are part of certain at-risk groups. Teens who get pregnant have several issues, with stigma being the biggest risk for them. They now have a fund set up to help educate them, while also helping them with social and economic issues that can bring stress that causes issues. There were also provisions put in to help mothers that leaving home is difficult. They may have a baby and small children, or medical issues. Pregnancies bring stress, but the ACA is there to help.
Payment Failures
One of the stress points that was found during the pandemic is that the different payment styles cause headaches for medical providers. Another headache, that was somewhat known but the pandemic magnified it, is that Medicaid has many issues paying doctors. That is why many medical professionals refuse to see patients with Medicaid because they have issues getting paid by the government. While the ACA created a government program to fix these problems, they have not been able to fix the problems of Medicaid. Medicare is thought of as better, which could be the model for Medicaid payments.
Drug Costs
Modern medicine has become reliant on medications to treat everything, which has to deal with the bureaucracy of the FDA to get approval. The ACA had provisions to start the process of lowering prices, while the Justice Department worked to remove criminal elements within the pharmaceutical industry. Lower-cost medications have been a boon for at-risk populations, with seniors being the largest. Price lowering allows people to get medicine easier when they have medical conditions that could kill them without too much change to their economic standards. There are still ways to help, which are all being investigated.
Mental Awareness
People who suffer from mental health issues, especially those undiagnosed, have a far higher percentage in their community that end up addicted to illicit drugs. Medical professionals have tried to educate people on this, which is why provisions were put into the ACA to help this situation. Helping this community allows a drop in demand for many addictive drugs, which increases life expectancy and removes the power from several criminal cartels. Helping those with mental illnesses helps them when they are having a crisis, which prevents suicides, homicides, and deadly police encounters. A treatment area that helps many areas.
Insurance Clarity
Anyone who looks at legal documents knows that they have their language, which hurts those trying to understand their insurance policy. Within the ACA are provisions that make the language far more understandable for the average person, which allows people to know what they are getting. The insurance industry has suffered from a negative reputation because of their not wanting to pay for needed medical treatments, but this helps people know when this may happen. A glossary must also be provided, which helps people know what the terms mean when they read through their new policy.
Rate Hikes
Another way that insurance companies gained a bad reputation was their changing rates at bad times for their customers. This forced people needing the coverage with no interruptions to have tighter budgets at a bad time. Under the ACA, the insurance companies must announce when they are going to raise their rates ten percent or higher and either the state or the HHS have the right to stop it. Several states have stepped in when companies have attempted to raise their rates, which meant that policyholders were able to not have to sacrifice in other necessary areas.
Less Individuals
One major change that has come to healthcare since the ACA was passed is that doctors are now having to focus on population groups over the individual. Part of this comes from the fact that the number of medical professionals is not keeping up with the number of patients to be seen. That means individuals feel less connected to their doctor, making them think they are not being heard. Medical professionals are now looking at symptoms in a larger context, like the pandemic. This can evolve into situations where early findings percentages drop from assembly line medicine.
There are many ways that healthcare has changed since the passing of the ACA, which means navigating through the healthcare system easier. People still have to deal with a system that has many problems to solve, along with a changed medical industry that may not have time to truly listen to them. It can be handled, but a person has to make sure they fight for themselves.
The Affordable Care Act, also known as ACA, has brought many positive changes to the healthcare industry, benefiting people’s health in various ways. While there are still some issues, it has been a boon for some who wanted insurance but had issues getting covered. While some plans were scrapped because it was seen as too big for the government to take the power from the citizens, like the Cadillac Tax, the changes that were made have many proponents. A look back over a dozen years can show what needs more improvement.
Surgical Matters
One of the ways that the ACA has changed healthcare is that people needing surgery can get them far easier, while they are insured in a way that will not bankrupt them. With the right care, more people have acute surgical issues found before they become an emergency. There are far more people getting their cancer diagnosed in earlier stages, which means the survival rate is going up. Surgeries are scary for many, but having access to better doctors and planning time allows people a better chance at survival and living better, not bankruptcy and emergencies.
Cushioned Fall
When the pandemic happened and the government shut down companies, millions were affected in a way that caused them to go on unemployment. The government was there to help, especially when it came to the loss of workplace insurance. The ability to get insurance through the ACA meant that if people could not get Medicaid, they had low-cost alternatives. People were still able to deal with medical issues, though if they were put on Medicaid, they were limited in what medical professionals would see them. The pandemic helped show what the ACA and government help was available.
Pregnancy Help
The ACA had parts written to specifically help females who become pregnant and are part of certain at-risk groups. Teens who get pregnant have several issues, with stigma being the biggest risk for them. They now have a fund set up to help educate them, while also helping them with social and economic issues that can bring stress that causes issues. There were also provisions put in to help mothers that leaving home is difficult. They may have a baby and small children, or medical issues. Pregnancies bring stress, but the ACA is there to help.
Payment Failures
One of the stress points that was found during the pandemic is that the different payment styles cause headaches for medical providers. Another headache, that was somewhat known but the pandemic magnified it, is that Medicaid has many issues paying doctors. That is why many medical professionals refuse to see patients with Medicaid because they have issues getting paid by the government. While the ACA created a government program to fix these problems, they have not been able to fix the problems of Medicaid. Medicare is thought of as better, which could be the model for Medicaid payments.
Drug Costs
Modern medicine has become reliant on medications to treat everything, which has to deal with the bureaucracy of the FDA to get approval. The ACA had provisions to start the process of lowering prices, while the Justice Department worked to remove criminal elements within the pharmaceutical industry. Lower-cost medications have been a boon for at-risk populations, with seniors being the largest. Price lowering allows people to get medicine easier when they have medical conditions that could kill them without too much change to their economic standards. There are still ways to help, which are all being investigated.
Mental Awareness
People who suffer from mental health issues, especially those undiagnosed, have a far higher percentage in their community that end up addicted to illicit drugs. Medical professionals have tried to educate people on this, which is why provisions were put into the ACA to help this situation. Helping this community allows a drop in demand for many addictive drugs, which increases life expectancy and removes the power from several criminal cartels. Helping those with mental illnesses helps them when they are having a crisis, which prevents suicides, homicides, and deadly police encounters. A treatment area that helps many areas.
Insurance Clarity
Anyone who looks at legal documents knows that they have their language, which hurts those trying to understand their insurance policy. Within the ACA are provisions that make the language far more understandable for the average person, which allows people to know what they are getting. The insurance industry has suffered from a negative reputation because of their not wanting to pay for needed medical treatments, but this helps people know when this may happen. A glossary must also be provided, which helps people know what the terms mean when they read through their new policy.
Rate Hikes
Another way that insurance companies gained a bad reputation was their changing rates at bad times for their customers. This forced people needing the coverage with no interruptions to have tighter budgets at a bad time. Under the ACA, the insurance companies must announce when they are going to raise their rates ten percent or higher and either the state or the HHS have the right to stop it. Several states have stepped in when companies have attempted to raise their rates, which meant that policyholders were able to not have to sacrifice in other necessary areas.
Less Individuals
One major change that has come to healthcare since the ACA was passed is that doctors are now having to focus on population groups over the individual. Part of this comes from the fact that the number of medical professionals is not keeping up with the number of patients to be seen. That means individuals feel less connected to their doctor, making them think they are not being heard. Medical professionals are now looking at symptoms in a larger context, like the pandemic. This can evolve into situations where early findings percentages drop from assembly line medicine.
There are many ways that healthcare has changed since the passing of the ACA, which means navigating through the healthcare system easier. People still have to deal with a system that has many problems to solve, along with a changed medical industry that may not have time to truly listen to them. It can be handled, but a person has to make sure they fight for themselves.
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