Week 11 Discussion – Policy Analysis Summary

The policy analyzed was the Affordable Care Act (ACA), especially its impact on costs
and healthcare access across the United States. The key question is how the policy could be
amended to ensure healthcare resources are equitably distributed across all citizens without
disproportionately discriminating against others, including minority populations like African
Americans. Affordability is another major issue. Although the ACA has significantly improved
healthcare coverage nationally, evidence suggests that the US has the worst health outcomes
compared to other OECD-developed nations. One explanation is that the US has the most
expensive healthcare system globally, hindering low-income earners and impoverished families
from accessing primary and advanced healthcare services. For example, US citizens spent
approximately $6,624 per person on outpatient/inpatient care in 2018, compared to $2,718 on
overage spent by other nations per person the same year (Kurani & Cox, 2020).
Most experts believe that amending the ACA presents the best shot at achieving an
affordable and equitable healthcare system. There are two best solutions to increasing coverage
and improving healthcare access for all populations. The first proposal is to entirely remove the
400% FPL eligibility cap and improve premium tax credits. The second option is to partially
remove the 400% FPL eligibility cap and increase premium tax credits. Both policy alternatives
can guarantee improved access to healthcare services among low-income earners and
impoverished families – which form the majority. For the nursing practice, increased insurance
coverage would only mean improved patient access to higher quality services, reduced negative
patient outcomes like mortalities and rehospitalizations, better patient satisfaction, and higher
quality of life and life expectancy nationally.

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References

Kurani, N., & Cox, C. (2020). What drives health spending in the US compared to other
countries. Health System Tracker. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/what-
drives-health-spending-in-the-u-s-compared-to-other-countries