American Healthcare Act of 2017

American Healthcare Act of 2017 Name Institution American Health Care Act of 2017 The health care system reform in the U.S. is continuous, and lawmakers are always looking for ways to improve it to capture the health care components such as universal care, patient-centeredness, and affordability. This paper examines the recently introduced American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) to determine which components it addresses, the major stakeholders, and its effect on health care professionals and the delivery of care. Summary of the Health Care Bill (10) The AHCA is a bill that was introduced into legislation with the main aim of repealing the existing Obamacare (ACA) to close all the existing loopholes in the health care law. One of the main components of health care that the bill aims to address is the component of patient-centeredness. In the modern health care system, patient-centered care has become imperative because it allows medical professionals to address patients’ needs that would otherwise be left unattended or unrecognized (Millenson, Shapiro, Greenhouse, & DiGioia, 2016). The AHCA focus on patient centered-care is thus based on the need to address the problems in the health care system by allowing patients to be part of the change. As revealed by the Congress report of the Committee on the Budget House of Representatives (2017), AHCA achievement of a patient-centered health care system requires repealing the Obamacare and involving major participants in the health care system, both professionals and patients. When patients and health care professionals are involved in the health care reforms, a better system that truly addresses patients’ needs will be established. Another component of health care that the bill aims to address is the component of universal care. Universal care entails universal coverage such that every member of society has access to quality care without any limitations (Abiiro & Allegri, 2015). In line with this, the AHCA focuses on providing patients with more options while at the same time ensuring universal access (Congress, 2017). Given that the American population is highly diverse, the health care system should be such that the whole population can access health care that suits their individual needs, hence the need to provide patients with more choices. The two health care components addressed by the AHCA of 2017 are essential if any reforms in the system are to be expected, but it is imperative that changes are not made based on political alliances but based on patients’ needs. The Bill’s Stakeholders (15) Rep. Black Diane introduced the bill in the 115th Congress in 2017 (Congress, 2017). In most cases, when a bill is introduced to Congress, it faces both opposition and support from the lawmakers and other stakeholders. The case was not any different for the AHCA because it received uproar from the public and health care professionals. The major stakeholders who would be affected by the bill include insurers, patients, health care professionals, and the government. For insurers, their interests lie on the insurance premiums and how the bill affects them. For instance, as stated in Sec. 131, the bill aims at removing “ cost-sharing reductions for low-income individuals with certain health insurance” after 2019 (Congress, 2017). While it is unclear what those “certain health insurance” stipulated in the bill are, it is clear that insurers will benefit largely from this action because the cost of care will be transferred from the insurer to the patient due to lack of cost-sharing subsidies. Insurers support for the bill might be guided by some of the benefits, such as the one mentioned above, that they will enjoy when the bill is enacted. Patients also have certain interests in the bill, and they are highly likely to be affected by the bill more than other stakeholders. For instance, the bill aims to eliminate “ (1) the enhanced FMAP for Medicaid services furnished to adult enrollees made newly eligible for Medicaid by PPACA; and (2) the expansion of Medicaid, under PPACA, to cover such enrollees” (Congress, 2017). Such a move could greatly lower the federal spending on health care, thus benefiting the government and the taxpayers, but it can also increase the cost of care for adult enrollees. Lambrew (2017) reveals that enactment of the bill would result to higher premiums, especially for older adults, who can be charged higher premiums because the GOP proposal that accompanies the bill allows for such action. Health care professionals will be affected in the sense that there will be limitations on access to health care to certain patients who fall outside the new eligibility criteria. The American Medical Association (AMA) has been the biggest opposer of the bill, citing patients’ loss of access to quality care and more so for patients with pre-existing conditions (AMA, 20...