In order to cite the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, you will need the following information: the act’s public law number, the name of the act, the date it was enacted, and the name of the government agency responsible for enforcing the act. The act’s public law number is 111-148, and it was enacted on March 23, 2010. The name of the agency responsible for enforcing the act is the Department of Health and Human Services.
On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. The provisions governing individual and employer responsibility will go into effect on January 1, 2014. In the near future, the Act will reduce the number of uninsured Americans by more than half. About 94% of the American population will be covered by health insurance as a result of the new law. The Affordable Care Act makes it a legal requirement for U.S. citizens and legal residents to have health insurance. A new health insurance market is also established to serve people who do not have affordable employer coverage or another type of minimum essential health insurance such as Medicaid or Medicare. The Affordable Care Act’s goal is to re-frame the financial relationship between the US health care system and the people who use it.
The legal battle over health care reform is at the heart of how Americans’ views of health insurance will change. The act establishes federal standards for health insurers that sell insurance in both the individual and small-group markets as part of its goal of ensuring universal coverage and shared responsibility. The Affordable Care Act establishes a number of federal standards for insurers who sell products to individuals and employers on both the individual and group markets. These standards, which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion, are intended to protect women, older people, children, and adults in poor health from discrimination. In general, federal insurance regulations remain voluntary under federal law, and if necessary, the Public Health Service Act allows direct federal regulation of state insurance markets. Individuals and businesses can enroll in state-run health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. Exchanges are designed to make purchasing health insurance easier by making it easier to shop for insurance.
A number of federal requirements must be met in order for qualified health benefits sold in or outside of an Exchange to be eligible. The Affordable Care Act is the first step toward realigning the health-care system in order to make it more efficient in the long run. The legislation modernizes Medicare and Medicaid, allowing both the Secretary of Health and Human Services and state Medicaid programs to use new payment methods and service delivery models. The act creates a multi-payer National Quality Strategy. In addition, it aims to improve access to primary health care in medically undeserved communities. The Act also seeks to rationalize health care coverage and improve coverage for clinical preventive services, as well as to increase coverage for most Americans. The Prevention and Public Health Trust Fund was established in the Affordable Care Act to provide community investments that improve public health.
With these new investments, Medicaid-enrolled pregnant women are being offered school-based health centers, oral health-care prevention activities, and tobacco cessation programs. Will public health’s role be affected by increased coverage of clinical preventive services in public and private insurance? How might public health agencies respond to the vast increase in demand for clinical preventive care? How will Medicaid agencies and state exchanges locate the supply of health professionals needed to expand existing sources of care? Nonprofit hospitals are required by law to develop community health plans as part of their mission. What are the opportunities in the changes? The Affordable Care Act is a monumental achievement, but massive implementation challenges exist.
There is a unique opportunity for significant advances in public health policy and practice. What role does public health play? How can effective systems of care protect these individuals from the consequences of inadequate health-care access? PPACA is an abbreviation for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The law also provides numerous rights and protections in order to make health insurance more fair and simple to understand, as well as subsidies (in addition to “premium tax credits” and “cost-sharing reductions”). Medicaid will also be expanded in the law to cover more low-income individuals.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 was signed into law on March 23, 2010 and was re-enacted on March 30, 2010 through the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. More information can be found in the Law.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 contains three major provisions: (1) private insurance reform for individuals and small-group purchasers; (2) Medicaid expansion for low-income people with incomes up to 133% of federal poverty level; and (3) significant changes to the health care delivery system.
