The Affordable Care Act brought various positive changes to US health care, but it still had some drawbacks. The reforms are needed, although the dismantling of the ACA is a serious mistake. The reforms should concentrate on increasing people’s access to high-quality care that could ensure Americans’ health and wellness. Manchikanti, Helm, Benyamin, and Hirsch (2017) claim that the ten benefits of the ACA are “subject to interpretation” of insurance providers (p. 115). These benefits are:
- Ambulatory services,
- Emergency services,
- Hospitalization,
- Maternity care,
- Mental health services,
- Prescription drugs,
- Rehabilitative services,
- Laboratory services,
- Preventive and wellness services,
- Pediatric services.
Such extended plans are some of the remarkable improvements related to the ACA. It has also been estimated that approximately 20 million people received access to healthcare services due to the enactment of the ACA (Manchikanti et al., 2017). Millions of people managed to improve their health and their financial conditions because of the implementation of the reform. Nevertheless, some drawbacks should be mentioned as well.
The major objective of the ACA was to cover all people in need rather than provide access to a part of the vulnerable population. Hence, the set goals have not been attained, although the dismantling of the ACA can be responsible for this situation. According to Manchikanti et al. (2017), some of the most criticized aspects were high out-of-pocket expenses. The ACA is also characterized by narrow networks, which reduces people’s access to timely and high-quality care.
In conclusion, it is possible to state that the current healthcare system should be reformed. However, it is important to turn back to the ACA while working on its improvement. The networks need considerable reforming as their improvement will be instrumental in ensuring all Americans’ access to high-quality healthcare services. Of course, it is critical to make sure that the prices will be low enough for all people to benefit from their plans.
Reference
Manchikanti, L., Helm, S., Benyamin, R.M., & Hirsch, J.A. (2017). A critical analysis of Obamacare: Affordable care or insurance for many and coverage for few? Health Pain Physician, 20, 111-138.