Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Essay Example

The problem of the inability to pay medical needs is one of the challenges that patient protection and affordable care was meant to solve. This act was implemented in various ways, for example, the employed class was going to receive insurance covers from their respective employers. This was mainly focused on reducing the number of uninsured Americans. High premiums charged by the private insurance firms normally prevent most Americans from obtaining insurance covers, especially during this time of economic crisis, and high unemployment rate.

The first step in the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Acts began by ensuring that all Americans acquire the minimum health care required (Reid 236). In other words, the policy demanded that all Americans should be insured. The act, however, did not force those who were comfortable with their current health insurance covers to obtain new ones intended to change the current health care plans. This means that the policy mostly intended to benefit uninsured Americans (Reid 236). . But with the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, citizens will not directly pay for those who are illegally in the country.

Another advantage of this act is that it will provide the opportunity for the youths to get covered under their parents’ insurance plans until they reach the age of twenty-six (Reid 236). This policy measure is aimed at ensuring that a large number of youths remain covered until they acquire employment opportunities after college. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care is also focused on ensuring that the current healthcare system is modified by changing all the current paper records into electronic records (Reid 236).

This will allow Americans to use their healthcare plans purchased within the country in any state. In addition, it will easily allow employees applying for the healthcare plan to be accepted, and those already covered to renew their healthcare plans. With electronic records, administrative cost will reduce, and quality healthcare will be provided since pharmacists will track an individual’s health records more easily, thereby identifying the tests, medications, and treatment a patient has already received (Reid 236).

Inadequate healthcare services were as a result of paper records because the doctors spent too much time tracking a patient’s records, which they sometimes even failed to acquire. Gwande says that, “Checklists seems to provide protection against such failures. They remind us of the minimum necessary steps, and make them explicit” (Reid 236). This proposed healthcare plan was also meant to tax the wealthy to acquire funds to facilitate this healthcare plan (Reid 236). Most wealthy Americans consider this plan as unfair since it makes them unfairly