Pros And Cons Of The Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act, formally known as Obamacare, has been an outstanding controversial topic in this nation. Many things about this act work well or at least have a good idea behind it. However, it is affecting people underneath. As Mark Twain would say it is gilded or coated with gold. This means everything looks pretty on the outside but is truly suffering underneath. The true harm and impact are on those who are providing the care covered by this act. Workplace stress is responsible for depression and burnout among nurses. Hospitals, individual physicians, group practices, and other healthcare businesses are merging and consolidating to remain strong in the marketplace. The Affordable Care Act does nothing to help with this problem

Reed Abelson states, “In recent years, the private insurance market for adults under 65 has steadily declined as more companies stopped offering insurance to employees and more individuals became unable to afford coverage, a trend expected to continue. But the Affordable Care Act has provided subsidies that have helped millions afford coverage.” John F. Holahan, a policy expert from the Urban InstituteOne, says that the insurers are “really the only game in town in terms of growth” for private insurance. This is a clear sign that the carriers find the market attractive and is their decision to offer policies through the online health exchanges. UnitedHealth Group, a for-profit company that operates one of the nation’s largest insurers, originally chose to offer individual plans through the exchanges in only a few states. However, in 2015, they offered plans in as many as two dozen. There are 56 new insurers entering the market so far this year, according to a count by the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform. Contrary to what some predicted, the law has not been a good thing in every way for the insurance industry. State and federal officials are controlling what the insurers can do, and the marketplace encouraged more competition for the plans. “It’s going to be a more pressured environment,” said Vishnu Lekraj, a senior healthcare analyst who follows the area for Morningstar

In the article “The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Health Care Workforce” it states, “In 2012, the number of graduates exceeded residency slots for the first time. This shortfall will produce a snowball effect moving forward, creating yet another barrier to output.” The American Association of Medical Colleges is looking to increase the number of Medicare-funded residency slots. Even with this increase, the shortfall will continue. A survey that was done by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing acknowledged that there were 1,358 unfilled faculty positions for the 2013–2014 academic year. Without any teachers or faculty, no new students can get in to help meet the demand. In addition to that, 414 schools reported even more