Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion

Political leaders collaborate with policymakers to improve the healthcare sector by enacting new policies or laws. Upon resuming office, President Barack Obama was interested in improving the US healthcare industry. This goal could only be achieved by reducing the number of uninsured Americans, which was significantly high compared to other developed countries. According to Glied et al. (2020)Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion, a relatively high number of low-income families living in the US were uninsured before the introduction of the ACA. For this reason, President Obama enacted the ACA (Obama Care) to boost medical coverage, especially among low-income earns across the US. However, present-day Obama’s successors have different views regarding the ACA, with some proposing alternative health policies. This paper presents the cost-benefit analysis of the ACA.

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Repealing the ACA and replacing it with the AHCA

In May 2017, the Congress attempted to repeal and replace the ACA for the first time. The House of Representatives passed the “American Health Care Act” (AHCA) during this time (Gluck & Scott-Railton, 2019). Republican legislators led by President Trump expressed their interest in repealing Obamacare and replacing it with AHCA. Nonetheless, the AHCA would disadvantage citizens since approximately 24 million Americans would lose their medical insurance coverage if the ACA was replaced (Goldman & Sommers, 2020). Americans would be taxed based on age rather than income following the enactment of the proposed AHCA. As a result, most Americans would be exposed to high healthcare costs. Specifically, Americans with pre-existing medical issues would incur higher treatment costs. Additionally, several regulations currently in the ACA would be suspended if the ACA were replaced with AHCA (Gluck & Scott-Railton, 2019)Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion. Consequently, Americans undergoing continuous treatment for chronic illnesses would pay higher premium rates for medical insurance coverage.

The Impact of Voters’ Views on Legislative Leaders’ Decision Regarding the ACA Repeal/Replace

Voters’ perception of the repeal process would impact legislative leaders significantly. Most Americans (voters) value the ACA since it enhances access to quality healthcare services across the US through increased medical insurance coverage and its current provisions (Goldman & Sommers, 2020). Therefore, the legislators, particularly Republicans, conducted a cost-benefit analysis to guide their repeal/replace decisions. Analysis results indicated that Republicans risked not being re-elected if they advocated for ‘repeal and replace’ due to the negative aspect of this action, especially a rise in the cost of medical care across the US. Thus, the new AHCA policy would limit access to affordable and quality healthcare services to most Americans, especially low-income households, the elderly, and persons with chronic illnesses. Therefore, it is evident that citizens would not vote for leaders who expose them to problems that Obamacare has addressed. Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion

The primary goal of legislators is to be re-elected. Thus, elective legislators consider voters’ interests when supporting proposed policies. Cost analysis revealed that these legislators were likely to lose their positions in the government if they continued to support the ACA repeal effort. As a result, most legislators in the Senate and House of Representatives withdrew their support for the repeal effort. This decision would please the voters, increasing legislators’ possibility of being re-elected.

References

Glied, S. A., Collins, S. R., & Lin, S. (2020). Did The ACA Lower Americans’ Financial Barriers to Health Care? A review of evidence to determine whether the Affordable Care Act was effective in lowering cost barriers to health insurance coverage and health care. Health Affairs, 39(3), 379-386. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01448

Gluck, A. R., & Scott-Railton, T. (2019). Affordable Care Act Entrenchment. Geo. LJ, 108, 495. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/glj108&div=19&id=&page=

Goldman, A. L., & Sommers, B. D. (2020). Among Low-Income Adults Enrolled in Medicaid, Churning Decreased After the Affordable Care Act: This study examines whether the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid eligibility impacted coverage disruptions–known as “churning”–among Medicaid enrollees. Health Affairs, 39(1), 85-93. Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00378

Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Regardless of political affiliation, individuals often grow concerned when considering perceived competing interests of government and their impact on topics of interest to them. The realm of healthcare is no different. Some people feel that local, state, and federal policies and legislation can be either helped or hindered by interests other than the benefit to society.

Consider for example that the number one job of a legislator is to be reelected. Cost can be measured in votes as well as dollars. Thus, it is important to consider the legislator’s perspective on either promoting or not promoting a certain initiative in the political landscape. Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion

Resources

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on efforts to repeal/replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Consider who benefits the most when policy is developed and in the context of policy implementation.
By Day 3 of Week 3
Post an explanation for how you think the cost-benefit analysis in terms of legislators being reelected affected efforts to repeal/replace the ACA. Then, explain how analyses of the voters views may affect decisions by legislative leaders in recommending or positioning national policies (e.g., Congress’ decisions impacting Medicare or Medicaid). Remember, the number one job of a legislator is to be re-elected. Please check your discussion grading rubric to ensure your responses meet the criteria. Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion

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By Day 6 of Week 3
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by expanding on their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example.

*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues. Politics and the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay Discussion