Pros And Cons Of The Affordable Care Act

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The Affordable Care Act There has been a longstanding debate in the United States surrounding the idea that healthcare is a right. One of the first to articulate the argument was President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1944 Congressional address. Hoping to advance his second Bill of Rights, which included a broad vision of the government’s role of making American lives more secure through expanded governmental programs, Roosevelt’s proposed rights included the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health (Sade, 2012). While no laws in the United States have addressed healthcare as a right, the Affordable Care Act is the closest attempt. The lofty goals of the Affordable Care Act include decreasing the…show more content…
Perhaps one of the most debated reasons for this issue is the divide between the moral obligations to provide healthcare with the harsh reality of the availability of economic resources. Healthcare, like any other business, is driven by financial profitability and sustainability. While providing healthcare coverage to all may seem charitable, the inherent trade-offs that exist in healthcare mean that it will be done at the expense of quality or costs, if not both. According to Morone and Ehlke (2013), the ACA aimed to restructure American health insurance to coincide with the solidarity principle; however its implementation is at conflict with the principle of fairness. Although people may agree that the constraints on access, such as financial or geographical, should play a minor role in determining if healthcare services are provided to people who need them, the inequality and access issues in healthcare have subsequently resulted in the rationing of healthcare services. Those who can afford to pay for healthcare coverage or services have access to care, while the poor and disadvantaged do…show more content…
Through the ACA expansion of insured and mandated coverage of essential health benefits and preventative services, theoretically the rationing of healthcare services is reduced. Improving healthcare services is dependent upon ensuring that people have a usual and ongoing source of care (HealthyPeople.gov, 2015). However, shortages in the healthcare workforce place significant limits on the availability of services and the ability to provide quality care to the newly insured. The trade-off of increasing access to healthcare coverage results in increased costs and a strain on an already overburdened and stressed healthcare system. The provisions of the ACA do not address the healthcare shortage, nor do they guarantee people will have access to quality

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