Substantive Response to the Discussion Question or Topic
The signing into law of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) led to the much-needed reforms of the US healthcare system. Through ACA, low-income people could now access quality care since they were insured. More importantly, ACA provides a platform for nursing leaders to meet and discuss more ways to improve the quality care offered.
Your response Ruben is well researched and provides required information about the Affordable Care Act. I agree with your analysis that signing ACA into law was not an easy task as it took numerous discussions and petitions by law experts and congress. The purpose of ACA was to seek solutions to problems facing healthcare problems in the US. Before ACA was signed into law, only people with private insurance accessed quality care since it was expensive. This is what motivated state congress to implement ACA since it is the right of all Americans to access quality care. All in all, ACA ensures that all Americans access quality care as a human right.
The implementation of ACA ensured that gaps existing in healthcare were addressed. For instance, health insurance was not available to low earning people as they could not cover medical costs. However, ACA has been successful in addressing health insurance coverage gaps for millions of Americans. More importantly, ACA provides the option of group health plans covering both parents and children. This allows them to receive the needed services and improving their lives through quality care. The equity provided by ACA ensures that nursing leaders know their roles as the primary providers of healthcare. As such, ACA not only benefits patients but healthcare providers as well in innovative ways to deliver medical care.
To conclude, the implementation of ACA was a much-needed healthcare reform in the US. Through ACA, millions of Americans can now afford quality care as they are insured. All in all, ACA helped to find solutions to problems that faced the US healthcare.
References
Sommers, B. D., Maylone, B., Blendon, R. J., Orav, E. J., & Epstein, A. M. (2017). Three-year impacts of the Affordable Care Act: improved medical care and health among low-income adults. Health Affairs, 36(6), 1119-1128. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0293
Druss, B. G., & Goldman, H. H. (2018). Integrating health and mental health services: past and future history. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(12), 1199-1204.