DNP 840 Discuss a health care policy or practice that has been advanced through lobbying efforts at the national level

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the healthcare policies that have been advanced through lobbying efforts at the national level. Enacted in 2010 by the 111th US Congress, the ACA aims to improve access to affordable care by increasing health insurance coverage for uninsured citizens (Reny & Sears, 2020). The policy has undergone various amendments that are grounded on the need to address hindrances to accessing quality healthcare and improve the US healthcare system. The ACA helps overcome the barriers to quality healthcare by making affordable health insurance available to more people. Even though the ACA was enacted and signed into law by President Barack Obama, lobbying efforts at the national level have led to the expansion of the policy’s major provisions throughout the past decade. For instance, the ACA’s main provisions that came into force in 2014 aim to expand coverage, control healthcare costs and improve the healthcare system.

Since enacting ACA, most states in the US have expanded the Medicaid coverage program to all adults living under the federal poverty level. Many adults earning less than 138% of the federal poverty line have joined the cover program, thus improving access to quality and affordable care (Hardcastle et al., 2011). Besides access to affordable care, US citizens with an income between 100% and 400% of the poverty level enjoy subsidies that reduce the cost of households. Also, the expansion Affordable Care Act introduced innovative methods of delivering care to patients that aim at lowering the cost of healthcare. Methods such as integrated delivery systems, preferred provider organization, and point-of-service plans enhanced the connection between hospitals and insurers for easier payments and care delivery. Furthermore, the expansion of the ACA has increased the distribution of healthcare facilities across the US (Courtemanche et al., 2020). The distribution of hospitals to the most vulnerable communities has seen more citizens in economically disadvantaged areas get access to quality care.

References

Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., & Yelowitz, A. (2020). The full impact of the Affordable Care Act on political participation. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 6(2), 179-204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2020.6.2.08

Hardcastle, L. E., Record, K. L., Jacobson, P. D., & Gostin, L. O. (2011). Improving the population’s health: the Affordable Care Act and the importance of integration. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(3), 317-327. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2011.00602.x

Reny, T. T., & Sears, D. O. (2020). Symbolic politics and self-interest in post-Affordable Care Act health Insurance coverage. Research & Politics, 7(3), 2053168020955108. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1691