The United States Affordable Care Act - Essay Example

'The United States Affordable Care Act' is an excellent example of a paper on the health system. 
The United States Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare” has transformed healthcare in the U.S. Since its implementation, the ACA has had immense impacts on the citizens of the United States. However, the Act has been riddled with some controversy, as a result of which it is considered to have some demerits. This review will highlight the merits of the Affordable Care Act. One of the merits that the ACA has had is enhancing access to health insurance. As a result, people who could not previously access health cover have been in a position to enjoy the benefits of health cover. Moreover, the ACA has contributed to an increase in the number of citizens who enjoy the benefits of a healthcare plan (Blumenthal and Collins, 2014).

Another merit of the Affordable Care Act is the enhancement of eligibility for Medicaid. Since the law was passed, high-risk groups such as youths have become eligible for enrolment in the Medicare program. With the passage of the Act, young adults can now enroll in their parents’ policy until they are 26 years. As such, young adults below the age of 26 years have benefitted a lot from the Affordable Care Act. This has helped to improve health among young persons in the United States, who form a large proportion of the population. Thus, the ACA has enabled the young population to be healthy (Blumenthal and Collins, 2014).

Obamacare has enhanced cost-sharing in the provision of health services. The Act covers the sharing of medical costs such as the cost of visiting medical facilities, as well as the cost of purchasing drugs for patients. Another benefit that the ACA has had in the United States is improving eligibility of Americans to Medicaid. With the expansion of Medicaid, it implies that most American citizens will be in a position to access healthcare of high quality, which is also affordable at the same time. The establishment of health insurance within the state will ensure that Americans can get health insurance at low costs. In addition, uninsured citizens have the opportunity to access freed Medicare from their respective health centers in their states. The Affordable Care Act has established standards that determine the provision of private insurance to small groups. For example, based on the ACA, the price of the health plans sold cannot be determined by insurers, but by the federal and state governments (Blumenthal and Collins, 2014).

There are numerous provisions in Obamacare, which ensure that a person is covered when they get sick. Moreover, citizens of the United States cannot be denied medical coverage despite their income or poverty level. The enactment of this Act was essential as it ensured that citizens cannot be overcharged for medical services. Thus, the rates of medical services will not be hiked regularly as it was the case in the past. The ACA also ensures that insurance companies spend most of the money paid as premiums for the medical needs of the clients. From the above discussion, it is apparent that the implementation of Obamacare will have immense benefits to American citizens.