Since its passing in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been overwhelmingly opposed by the majority of Americans (Dalen, Waterbrook, & Alpert, 2015). A key provision of the law was to increase the number of Americans with affordable health insurance. In order to accomplish this goal, the law mandated that all citizens obtain health insurance or face financial penalties. In response to this change, numerous states and lawmakers made many efforts to repeal the law on the basis that the mandate violated individuals’ rights (Hamel, Blumenthal, Abrams, & Nuzum, 2015) Still, the majority of Americans support various provisions within the ACA including provisions that prohibit private insurance companies from denying coverage …show more content…
However, when compared with other health care systems in the developed world, the U.S. is one of the few countries that doesn’t provide its citizens with universal coverage while also being the most costly (Dalen et al., 2015; Hirsch & Lyman, 2014). The individual mandate combined with provisions within the ACA guide the U.S. health care system towards universal coverage. Universal health care provides security to all people and it is in the best interest of public health. Despite the popular arguments made against the mandate, it is evident that it is not just economical but also, is in line with American values. The mandate ensures equitable health insurance for all which protects the rights of the American people to have access to quality health …show more content…
Preventive services were provided to Medicare recipients for free and prescription drug discounts will help lower costs over the following ten years (“USDHHS,” 2014). From 2012 through 2013, the ACA began integrating health care systems addressing health care inefficiencies to help reduce overall costs and to prepare states, hospitals, and insurance companies for upcoming changes. According to Goodrich and Conway (2013), the ACA’s most anticipated provision began at the end of 2013 with the launch of the Marketplace, which provided individuals and small businesses access to affordable health