ANALYSIS OF THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT part 2

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Surveys show that the newly insured are pleased with their coverage. Three quarters of those seeking to make an appointment with a primary care physician or a specialist secured appointments within 4 weeks or less. (Blumenthal, 2015)

The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) reports improvements in the area of individual health. Reports show the rate of hospital-acquired infections in the United States declined by 21 percent between 2010 and 2015 with an estimate 125,000 fewer patients died in hospitals. Medicare patients’ hospital readmission rates declined substantially; an estimated 565,000 readmissions were avoided between 2010 and 2015 as a result of the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). (The Advisory Board Company, 2016)

The data clearly supports that more individuals have access to health care and improved health conditions due to measures provided in the Affordable Care Act such as the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), individual wellness programs, preventative care, prohibitions for health care policy recissions, elimination of annual and lifetime limits for benfits and coverage, enrollment denials due to pre-existing conditions,and most importantly capping out of pocket expenses.

Yet, in 2016, 27.6 million Americans still remained uninsured. The uninsured still site cost as the main reason for lack of coverage. Despite the ACA’s insurance subsidies, many still feel that insurance costs are too high and unaffordable. (KFF Updated: Nov 29, 2017 | Published: Sep 19, 20