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How the Affordable Care Act and Medicare Address Health Disparities
Health disparity is a significant setback in providing accessible, efficient, affordable healthcare. Some social determinants of health, including poverty, illiteracy levels, language barriers, and discrimination, are issues resulting in the dominance of health inequality (Clary, 2018). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare provide health equity guidelines that fight health inequality by promoting accessible, affordable, and efficient healthcare services for all (American College of Healthcare Executives, 2016). The ACA provisions, including the premium tax credits, ACHE ethics, exemption of non-profit organizations from taxation, and Medicare programs such as waives safety net program and HHS requirement, have significantly helped curb social determinants that hinder health equity.
High poverty levels reduce the quality and access to healthcare services by limiting patients purchasing power and quality of life. Poor health is disproportionally concentrated among people living in high poverty. The ACA guidelines helped establish a program that supports innovative medical care for more people despite their economic status (Clary, 2018). One principle supporting affordable healthcare is the premium tax credit. This waiver makes healthcare accessible to lower-income people whose earnings are below the federal poverty level. Lowering healthcare costs through such programs enables everyone to access healthcare services without sustainable income. The program enables every patient to access high-quality healthcare services and prescription drugs even when they cannot afford the services or a product that improves care and quality of life.
Another integral program supported by the ACA is the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) code of ethics. The opinion is that no individual should be denied access to critical healthcare services due to an inability to pay or a shortage of available services. In addition, ACHE holds that maintaining the availability of inexpensive healthcare is the obligation of healthcare providers, the government, community groups, and the private insurance sector. Therefore, such provisions steered improvement initiatives such as the tax exemption program for non-profit organizations. These provisions have promoted affordable healthcare services for low-income earners, reducing health inequality.
Education is also an integral social determinant of health, leading to health disparity. High levels of illiteracy results in inaccurate health beliefs and distorted knowledge about health factors, resulting in poor lifestyle choices, habits, and lower self-advocacy. The ACHE principles require health executives to assist trade and other professional associates in creating proactive roles to enhance access to care issues (American College of Healthcare Executives, 2016). This strategy helps the community understand the healthcare services available and how to access them. It also enables people to discover ways to stay healthy through campaigns targeting specific populations to promote healthy habits.
The ACA standards help integrate hospital expenditure on community health with state priorities, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides a framework for states to build. The ACA mandates charitable hospitals governed by Internal Revenue Code to complete community health needs assessments and to develop a strategy to fulfill those needs (Clary, 2018). It also compels hospitals to develop financial assistance programs and prevent charging those receiving financial help higher costs compared to insured customers (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). All these exemptions help establish a better system whereby healthcare service becomes readily available and affordable for all, eradicating health inequality.
The Medicare programs also provide provisions that eliminate determinants that affect health equity. The language barrier is one factor that enhances health disparity by affecting communication resulting in medical misunderstandings. Patients who do not speak English experience difficulty understanding labels, prescriptions, and descriptions, resulting in poor experience and health outcomes (American College of Healthcare Executives, 2016). Therefore, Medicares safety net program requires providers to organize their systems to deliver high-quality healthcare service to vulnerable and uninsured patients (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). This organization should promote the efficiency and accessibility of health services among vulnerable populations.
Medicare has a list of provisions to enhance the quality of care delivered to patients. The codes support an inclusive approach to healthcare through a multidimensional system that caters to diverse populations (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). The recent expansion of Medicaids role in developing and shaping care has established a better system for all to access care. The new proposition requires that Medicaid cover individuals who require mental health services and those with comorbid and degenerative illnesses (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). Expanding health homes for long-term health needs has also significantly enhanced the quality of care since more certified community clinics, and mobile crisis units have been established to help provide care for needy people.
A fundamental barrier to providing accessible, efficient, and reasonably priced healthcare is the existence of health disparity. It hinders positive outcomes, better patient experience, and engagement in healthcare. The most prominent problems that lead to the preponderance of health inequality are those associated with socioeconomic determinants of health. These problems include high levels of poverty, illiteracy, difficulties caused by language, and prejudice. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare encompass various criteria promoting health fairness. They provide tax exemptions and codes that ensure that organizations work towards providing efficient healthcare services for all people regardless of their economic, education, and ethnicity.
References
American College of Healthcare Executives. (2016) Access to affordable healthcare, Web.
Clary, A. (2018) States work to hold hospitals accountable for community benefits spending. National Academy for State Health Policy. Web.
The Commonwealth Fund (2022) Medicaid and safety-net providers: An essential health equity partnership. Fund Reports. Web.
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