Policy Analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Essay

Policy Analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Essay Example The main purpose of the given work is to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of the new policy and provide recommendations for improvement. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Policy Analysis Problems in the national health care system have long been a matter of serious public concern in the United States. Overspending, low efficiency, and the lack of insurance coverage have become the main policy priorities in America. More often than not, politicians and policymakers use health care problems to speed up their political careers. President Obama was probably the first to systematically address the problem of health care from within. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act marks a new stage in the evolution of American health care. Its potential benefits for common American citizens cannot be overestimated. Nonetheless, the controversy surrounding the ACA continues to persist, and it is imperative that policymakers address the existing policy inconsistencies, to ensu re that the proposed changes benefit the American society. Literature Review Needless to say, health care reforms and problems with health care provision are popular objects of empirical analysis. Much has been written and said about the main problems faced by American citizens and medical professionals. A wealth of strategies and recommendations was developed to improve the quality and efficiency of health care in the United States of America. Nonetheless, most policies provide only short-term solutions to issues surrounding health care provision. In this context, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is believed to have the potential to change the situation to the better. Given the scope of medical care problems in the United States, it is no wonder that the ACA has immediately become the most popular object of policy analysis. Health care professionals and medical practitioners provide their ideas regarding the new policy and evaluate its inconsistencies. Based on their findings, the proposed legal provisions exemplify both a promise and peril of health care in the U.S., depending on the direction American policymakers choose to take in their striving to improve the quality of medical care in America. In their study, Davis et al (2010) evaluate the financial consequences and implications of the new act. The authors analyze how the new law affects the quality, organization, and delivery of health care, financial incentives of health care providers, and its capacity to provide the best health care and improve health care outcomes for everyone (Davis et al, 2010). This study is probably the most successful attempt to reconsider the ACA from a financial viewpoint. Davis et al (2010) state that, prior to enactment of the Act, Medicate expenditures were projected to grow at 6.8 percent every year through 2019; with the ACA, these rates of growth will reduce by 5.5 percent. The fact is that the ACA involves a reform of Medicare, which will enhance the val ue of health care provided and, simultaneously, reduce the rates of spending growth (Davis et al, 2010). Another problem addressed by the ACA is the rapid growth of health care premiums, which burden millions of American families. With the new policy, including a public health insurance plan, system savings could reach an estimated $3 billion between 2010 and 2020 (Davis et al, 2010). The policy will also relieve the burden of health care pr