Affordable Care Act

Abstract

The analysis of the Affordable Care Act (AC) is breaking down in different areas to provide verification on how the new ACA is effective the United States citizens. The implementation of the ACA will reinvent the role of Medicaid; Medicare and the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) In this paper, I will show how the implementation of the Patient protection and Affordable Care Act affects the future of the Medicare, Medicaid system in the United States. Also I will provide evidence of why the development of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) law was a stressing process for the Democratic and the Republicans. The sole purpose of my paper is to analyze the Patient Protection and Affordable Act providing an opportunity for more American citizens to have health care coverage. Also this paper will provide analysis on how the ACA will affect the States and the impact of the individual mandate and the insurance mandate. This paper will provide analysis of the Supreme Court decision concerning the individual mandate.

Table of Contents

Chapter Page

1. Affordable Care Act impact on Medicare/Medicaid and CHIP 5

2. The Individual Mandate Explained 8

3. The Impact of the ACA to the State's 10

4. What does the ACA mean to Special Groups 12

5. Law Divided Between Democrats and Republicans 14

6. The Supreme Court Decision on the Individual Mandate 16

7. The Uninsured 18

8. My Opinion About ACA 21

9. Conclusion 23

Chapter 1

Affordable Care Act impact on Medicare/Medicaid and Children Health Insurance Program

As earlier as ancient times there has been a need for individuals to have help with the cost and with the assistance given by health providers. In our present day we do have some type of system available for individuals to receive medical assistance but there were not any type of medical assistance program for the people in the A.D. time frame. In the first century A.D., Piny wrote, "The Roman people for more than six hundred years were not without medical art but were without physicians." "However, the Aquuilian law of the third century B.C. made a medical practitioner liable for his neglect of a slave treated by operation, so at least someone was publicly practicing the healing arts. (www.healthguidance.org).

I have been working at my present job for five years. I think it is wonderful that our government is trying to find a solution to the current health insurance problems in the United States. Hopefully, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is able to solve those problems for millions of people that does not have health care. This plan should also be a plus for Americans that does have Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP insurance. The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Act on Medicaid and Medicare will impact each State differently so I will provide information on how it will impact the State of Ohio. "According to Ohio Medicaid estimates, the Medicaid expansion will cause an additional 916,500 Ohians (both children and adults) to enroll in Medicaid in 2014, at a total cost of $4.3 billion dollars (state and federal share combined). "Notably, however, the federal government will pay $100 of the cost of newly eligible individuals through 2016 and, in the future years, we pay at least 90% of such coverage. Therefore, the state share of the Medicaid expansion is zero for CY 2014-2016 and is estimated to be $203 million for CY 2017 and $256 million for CY 2018." (www.hpio.net). It is great that the state of Ohio will be able to have an additional 916,500 individuals enroll in Medicaid in 2014; the intent of the Affordable Care Act is to have medical coverage available to more people. The enrollment numbers in Ohio is showing that it is happening. Many doctors in the Ohio area are enjoying the business that the Affordable Care Act is bringing to their city. "Still, the health care law will open a variety of opportunities throughout the health care system, in many cases staring with primary care doctors," said Dr. Donald Nguyen, a Dayton-area pediatrician and state director for Doctors for America--a national group of doctors and medical students that support health care reform." (Mary McCarty; (2013).

The CHIP is formulated in regards to the federal match and each state child poverty level is associated with children Medicaid enrollment. If there is a decrease in the federal match then there is a possible that a child may be at the risk of losing Medicaid coverage. This is why many states are ensuring that the federal government understands why it is so valuable that children Medicaid eligibility is not affected by the decrease in the federal match. "Our study found a strong relationship between the federal match and Medicaid enrollment. Congress must therefore be mindful of the fact that changes in federal funding to Medicaid through federal match-based mechanisms may result in pronounced shifts in children's coverage. (Patrick; 2012).

Chapter 2

The Individual Mandate Explained

"The individual mandate is officially part of the shared responsibly provision and is called an individual shared responsibility fee. The fee works like this: if you don't have insurance by January 31st, 2014 or obtain an exemption you get charged a fee for every month you don't have insurance on your year-end taxable income." http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-individual-mandate.php

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