Response to Lucy Loo
******* please respond to the discussion below add citations and references 🙂 *********
There are elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that are essential to community and public health. So far, it has been a saving grace for previously uninsured youths, low-income persons, and the elderly. “By the spring of 2016, the overall US uninsurance rate had fallen to 8.9%, the lowest level since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data in 1972. According to The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), (the nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services), the national uninsured rate among nonelderly adults fell by nearly seven percentage points with the rollout of coverage, from an average of 21.6% during the 2011 to 2013 period to 14.7% in 2015” (Glied & Jackson, 2017). Insurance has been more widely accessible while attempting to lower healthcare expenses. In addition to this influence, it has been vital in reducing exploiting, that can be initiated by insurance providers through strict regulation and subsidies (Glied & Jackson, 2017). The nurse plays a role in implementing this law. Nurses are responsible for being advocates for positive health behaviors and reinforcing health changes. By backing the ACA, nurses ensure that healthcare seekers are directed to the resources provided by this law. Support can take the form of enrolling the uninsured in programs or actively informing the public about the benefits they will receive from this legislation to help, them in improving their quality of life.
References:
Glied, S., & Jackson, A. (2017). The Future of the Affordable Care Act and Insurance Coverage. American journal of public health, 107(4), 538–540. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303665
