Health care is a rapidly developing field, and its progress defines the need to readjust the legislation accordingly. From this perspective, the adoption of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) is intended to improve the situation in this area and address the issues resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The latter’s objectives were to reduce the number of uninsured citizens, make medical services affordable, and expand access to them (“The future of U.S. health care: Replace or revise the Affordable Care Act?” n.d.). Meanwhile, ACHA was passed in 2017, and its provisions will significantly affect the advancements and expansions of ACA (“The future of U.S. health care: Replace or revise the Affordable Care Act?” n.d.). Therefore, it is vital to consider its effects and distinguish the positive and negative consequences of its adoption.
The principal changes to be introduced by ACHA are related to specific conflicting issues as opposed to the objectives of ACA. Thus, one of the differences between these two initiatives is the definition of health benefits they consider. ACA included ten types of them, and ACHA is aimed to propose its own set of provisions in this respect (“The future of U.S. health care: Replace or revise the Affordable Care Act?” n.d.). In this way, they will consequently lead to a shift in the number of citizens eligible for specific subsidies.
The second area of influence is the financial aspect of the matter, and it presents an explicit difference between ACHA and ACA outcomes. The revision of current legal regulations in health care under ACHA implies the reconsideration of medical financing (“The future of U.S. health care: Replace or revise the Affordable Care Act?” n.d.). The researchers claim that the proposed scheme of Medicaid expansion evokes concerns about its high costs, and ACHA will modify it by introducing a block grant and a per capita programs (“The future of U.S. health care: Replace or revise the Affordable Care Act?” n.d.). Hence, this aspect of the matter will be most affected by the recent Act.
The adoption of the American Health Care Act is a reasonable step towards the establishment of a balance between the government’s and its citizens’ needs. Nevertheless, it will not only have positive effects in terms of reducing costs and the revision of conditions for eligibility for the existing health care programs but also negatively affect some other aspects. According to the report of RAND Corporation, the adverse consequences of ACHA will include a decrease in health insurance enrollment and mostly worsen the situation for older and poorer individuals (Eibner et al., 2017). Therefore, the risks are related to a potential reversal of the principal advancements of ACA in the long run.
To summarize, the adoption of the American Health Care Act is a measure corresponding to the current needs of the country. During the crisis caused by the pandemic, the reduction of financing in the field will help solve economic problems while complicating the situation in health care which is a priority as well. The balance between these two considerations has not been reached yet, and the concerns of the population are related to the uncertainty of which initiative is more suitable to the present circumstances. In other words, an increase in the number of uninsured citizens adds to complicated funding distribution as opposed to the advancements of the Affordable Care Act and is critical in terms of the long-term outcome.
References
Eibner, C., Liu, J. L., & Nowak, S. A. (2017). The effects of the American Health Care Act on health insurance coverage and federal spending in 2020 and 2026. RAND Corporation.
The future of U.S. health care: Replace or revise the Affordable Care Act? (n.d.). RAND Health Care.