PAD 632 (5-1)

PAD 632 (5-1) Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Course Name & Code Instructor’s Name Date PAD 632 (5-1) The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a wide-ranging healthcare legislature enacted in March 2010 by former President Obama. The law was responsible for expanding Medicaid admissibility, establishing insurance exchanges, and prohibiting insurance organizations from rejecting coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Nevertheless, evaluating the law can be challenging because it demands reflection of factors vital in its design and results over the years since its enactment. This essay reflects on ACA's key stakeholders, advocates, and critics and how they impacted the design of this program. The paper also examines the influences of media, interest groups, lobbyists, and vested interests in the ACA's outcomes and intended and actual outcomes. Program Factors: Stakeholders The ACA's formulation comprised several stakeholders, including federal and state governments, healthcare providers, insurance companies, political parties, patients, and the public. Notably, the provision of ACA significantly impacted physicians, hospitals, and healthcare networks, especially in how they delivered and reimbursed care. Each healthcare provider must adhere to new rules and regulations involving electronic medical records and preventative care. Healthcare providers were also supposed to adapt to the new reimbursement approach to foster quality over quantity care. Moreover, government entities were critical stakeholders in the formulation of the law. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at the federal level was pivotal in implementing the ACA. HHS continued to embrace the law and assisted in enhancing the wellness of numerous Americans. At the state level, it worked with states to create new competitive and transparent marketplaces, allowing people and small businesses to compare their coverage choices. State governments further became crucial players, particularly in deciding whether to implement Medicaid expansion under the ACA provision. On the other hand, the law directly impacted insurance companies, demanding them to provide coverage plans on the insurance exchanges and forbidding practices like refuting coverage for pre-existing problems. ACA limited the premium percentage that insurance companies could dedicate to administrative expenses and profit and demanded that federal or state regulators examine the basis for rate surges (Hall & McCue, 2016). In addition, the law was projected to involve the numerous underinsured or uninsured public who needed access to affordable care. The ACA significantly reduced the uninsured rate, providing options for individuals who lacked affordable healthcare. The general public, on the other hand, especially those who lacked insurance coverage, had to explore the new marketplaces to acquire insurance coverage. In contrast, those with previous covers had to evaluate modifications in their insurance coverage and possible subsidies. Impacts of Media, Lobbyists, and Interest Groups The media plays a significant role in spreading the news to people through several channels. For the ACA, the media played a pivotal role in educating the public about the law. It also helped in polarizing individuals' standpoints about the law. Alternatively, advocacy groups such as the American Medical Association (AMA) were crucial in the legislation's backing. The AMA has a history of advocating for insurance coverage for every individual in the U.S. and universal eligibility for healthcare for patients (American Medical Association, 2024). Their support of the law pinpointed the rewards of having expanded coverage. Lobbyists from insurance and pharmaceutical companies also pressed for modifications to safeguard their financial benefits. The triumph of the ACA for state and federal governments was vital to realizing long-term public health objectives and mitigating the increased spending among healthcare providers. The providers wanted to guarantee that new changes would not adversely affect their overall revenue and quality of care. Patients and the public were interested in having accessible, affordable, and all-inclusive coverage. Advocates The law consisted of several advocates who were crucial in its implementation. For example, political leaders like Former President Barack Obama advocated for this legislation. As a presidential aspirant in 2008, Obama heard notable stories from Americans being denied insurance coverage due to having pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and cancer (Jarrett, n.d). He also encountered uninsured persons who had to declare bankruptcy due to healthcare debt. These reasons made him go to the White House, determined to change the situation. Moreover, congressional democrats also ...