Primary Care & the Affordable Care Act
"The Affordable Care Act of 2010 has been arguably the largest reform to the American healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. One of its most important changes was in regard to primary care."
As a doctor, it is essential to understand a patient as more than just their symptoms. An often-overlooked side of medicine is public policy. A patient's ability to pay and access to health care are all aspects of their story. For my class "Health Care in America", I spent the quarter researching the effects of the Affordable Care Act on primary care.
The ACA made several changes to primary care, including:
• elimination of any copay for preventive care
• increased funding to Medicare & Medicaid for primary care services
• increased funding to the National Health Service Corps to provide more care to rural areas
In my research, I evaluated each of these changes for its impact on health care cost, access, and quality. The findings of my paper are summarized in the table below.
• elimination of any copay for preventive care
• increased funding to Medicare & Medicaid for primary care services
• increased funding to the National Health Service Corps to provide more care to rural areas
In my research, I evaluated each of these changes for its impact on health care cost, access, and quality. The findings of my paper are summarized in the table below.