BHA 415 TD2 ACA Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay Paper

BHA 415 Background Module 2
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
BHA 415 Background Module 2
The ACA has been crucial to improvement in the healthcare sector in the US. Its implementation resulted in incremental changes in 2010 as it tried to improve access to and regulation of insurance. The implementation of the insurance reform timeline resulted in several changes in 2014 when the health insurance Marketplace was opened and individual mandate took effect, requiring that individuals purchase health insurance or get penalized. This trend has helped in improving health care and access to insurance, despite the ACA facing various challenges. The implementation of the ACA has also led to various incremental gains, but its efficiency can be improved by implementing the appropriate policies.
In light of this classic quote, what incremental gains have been made by passage and implementation of the ACA?
In 2010, the ACA implemented various changes; children should not be denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions; young adults aged 26 years and below should remain on their parent’s health insurance policy; and the ACA stopped cancellations of insurance policy or rescissions based on application errors, technicalities, or minor issues (Goodnough, 2016). As such, these measures improved access to healthcare and protected insurance policy beneficiaries from rescissions arising from minor issues.
In 2011, changes that were implemented included; a 80/20 spending rule for insurance companies, implying that insurance companies were required to spend 80% of the money received in premiums to improve the quality of care offered to beneficiaries (Goodnough, 2016); rate reviews which protected policy holders from baseless increase in insurance premiums, with any increase requiring approval and not being more than 10%; and individuals who had Medicare were given a financial rebate to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses on medication.
Changes implemented in 2012 included; increase in covered preventive services for women, like screenings for breast cancer and contraceptive coverage; companies to avoid supplying confusing paper and instead make it more understandable by writing in plain language and including a Summary of Benefits and Coverage for ease of understanding (Shi, 2014). These two changes improved the range of services offered and the understandability of the nature and terms of services.
In 2013, the ACA opened the federal, state, and hybrid state-federal facilitated marketplaces; the marketplaces were the platform that individuals looking to purchase health insurance could shop and compare the various private insurance plans available in their state. The Marketplace also screens out individuals who qualify for the Medicaid Program or the CHIP. Open enrollment towards the same started on October 1, 2013. This improved access to health insurance, while creating an opportunity for purchasers to draw a comparison between different sellers.
The ACA also implemented several changes in 2014; adults who have pre-existing conditions should not be excluded from health insurance; Medicaid programs in many states have been expanded to include more people and children in the programs (Shi, 2014); many...