Adoption of Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act implemented during President Obama’s administration is one of the main policies that has been adopted in the United States to improve healthcare. The adoption of ACA has resulted in a number of changes in United States healthcare. First, the policy has increased the number of American citizens with health insurance. The Affordable Care Act allowed individuals to purchase health insurance in the market place with restrictions for vendors to services such as chronic disease screening and vaccinations. The policy has facilitated the expansion of Medicare programs by states to allow for easy access to healthcare by low-income adults. There has been an increase in the number of Americans with health insurance since the implementation of the policy (Courtemanche et al., 2018). Current statistics show that over 90% of the total population has health insurance. Health insurance has helped in reducing out-of-pocket payments for healthcare services. Some states have agreed to expand Medicaid, which is funded by the federal government to facilitate access to healthcare by low-income Americans (Collins et al., 2015).
The second change observed in the United States healthcare system is the improvement in the provision of community health services in public facilities. The Affordable Care Act provided for an increase in community health center funding to provide primary care services such as early disease screening and vaccination to uninsured Americans. The federal government has provided increased funding for community health centers. The increased funding has facilitated the expansion of community health services to rural areas and renovations to attend the increasing number of patients seeking primary care services. Community health centers are utilized by low-income Americans and those without health insurance, which has increased access to primary care services to screen for chronic diseases as well as health promotion services (Collins et al., 2015).
The third change as a result of the Affordable Care Act is the development of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, which aims at preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States. The diabetes prevention program is funded by government and private organizations. The program has facilitated the development of specific interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes. Through the NDPP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has discovered strategies that can be used in the prevention of diabetes, such as lifestyle modifications that inform public health providers on health promotion measures for individuals at risk of diabetes. The program recommends proper weight management and reduced intake of carbohydrates as well as physical activities. Through the Diabetes Prevention Program, many Americans are aware of the risk factors associated with diabetes and can seek early screening for the disease to prevent its progression (Chait & Glied, 2018).
The fourth change is the requirement for tobacco cessation programs that target pregnant women across the United States. State governments have implemented specific programs in communities to target pregnant women to educate them on the need to stop tobacco smoking during pregnancy to prevent congenital diseases in babies and complications to pregnant mothers such as gestational hypertension (Chait & Glied, 2018). Pregnant mothers benefit from prenatal education on tobacco effects and enrolment into tobacco cessation programs offered in primary care facilities.
Additionally, the Affordable Care Act has influenced the implementation of a national breast cancer awareness program that targets young women. The federal government is currently funding breast cancer awareness programs across the nation to facilitate early detection of breast cancer in women through screening for effective treatment to reduce mortalities caused by breast cancer (Chait & Glied, 2018).