The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. Many of the provisions of the law directly affect health care providers. Review the following topic Resources:

1. About the Affordable Care Act”
2. “Health Care Transformation: The Affordable Care Act and More

What are the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act in relation to community and public health? What is the role of the nurse in implementing this law?

Policy And Environmental Issues-Solution

Affordable Care Act

Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a law reform on comprehensive healthcare delivery and coverage. Some of the components addressed in this law include preventive care, healthcare costs, and insurance coverage on health. It was sanctioned in two sections; The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed to law, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation amended it. The law was mainly designed to outspread insurance coverage on health to most American citizens who are uninsured.(Policy And Environmental Issues Essay-Example)

In relation to public and community health, the Act developed a Health Insurance Marketplace and extended Medicaid eligibility. It certified that the insurance companies did not deny patients’ coverage who had some underlying conditions and required the insurance plan to cover several vital benefits on health (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019). Moreover, it enabled lower-income families to acquire extra savings on insurance plans on health through cost-sharing reductions and credits on premium tax. Affordable Care Act offered a requirement to most insurance plans coverage to cover a list of some of the policyholders’ preventive services. They include patient counseling, checkups, health screenings, and immunizations. It also enabled states to extend Medicaid coverage to a broader range of individuals. From these provisions, the Act created a healthcare system that is more community-centered.(Policy And Environmental Issues Essay-Example)

Today, the link between healthcare access and health policy has become more apparent in the U.S. Nurses now have found themselves at this historic juncture in healthcare delivery evolution where they must play a key leadership role (Reflection on Nursing Leadership, 2013). Nurses will now be required to support communities and families’ health through serving as information providers on how one can access the insurance coverage on health offered by the ACA.(Policy And Environmental Issues Essay-Example)

References

Reflection on Nursing Leadership (2013). Nurses and the Affordable Care Act: A call to lead. Retrieved from https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/features/more-features/Vol39_3_nurses-and-the-affordable-care-act-a-call-to-lead

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2019). HHS.gov: What is the Affordable Care Act? Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/answers/affordable-care-act/what-is-the-affordable-care-act/index.html