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Health Care Reform Essay

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The purpose of the content in this paper will be to examine the status of the implementation of the health care reform in Ohio. The effectiveness will be examined as well as how this reform has impacted health at the community level in my state. In addition to discussing health care reform, the effects of health care economics will be described.
On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. This act is a comprehensive reform of the United States healthcare system; the intent is to reduce health care costs while making health care coverage more affordable for every American (Cho & Partridge, 2013).
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (2014), over 15% of Ohio’s nonelderly population (nearly 1.5 million people) were uninsured in 2012. Lack of insurance is a major factor associated with lack of access to medical care (book citation). Like any state within the United States, Ohio has their own disparities regarding health and health care access. In …show more content…

The health of patients, families, and community members is influenced by economics. Those who are considered economically disadvantaged (i.e. those who cannot afford to obtain food, shelter, etc.) are less likely to access health care services. Referring back to the ACA passed in 2010, it dramatically influenced health care access for the better by expanding Medicare and Medicaid services in some states. Together, Medicare and Medicaid serve about 111 million beneficiaries. As the number of beneficiaries and the spending amounts for Medicare and Medicaid increase, these programs will remain a focus of national attention (Altman & Frist, 2015). When the reform has been fully implemented, almost all citizens in the United States will have access to health care services due to insurance being available for purchase through employers, private purchase, or low income

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