Patient Protection and Affordable Care Program Evaluation (Obamacare)
Introduction
Healthcare program/policy evaluation entails systematic collection and
analysis of important information in order to make prudent judgment about the
scope, characteristics, activities, and outcomes of the program or policy (Sheingold
& Bir, 2019). Nurses are involved in the evaluation of healthcare programs by
documenting the quality, impact, and cost of the program/policy and the
effectiveness in attaining the desired outcomes (Sheingold & Bir, 2019).
Healthcare program evaluation encourages accountability and transparency in
resource utilization and encourages community participation in the implementation
and review process (Grembowski, 2015). The paper will evaluate Obamacare
program evaluation outcomes.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Program is a federal health program
that was established in 2010 by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 which is
commonly known as the Obamacare. The program required all citizens to obtain
health insurance and implemented health insurance exchanges. The program offers
tax credits to businesses that offer health insurance coverage to their employees
and subsidies for individuals to purchase their own insurance in the market
(Glassman, Giedion & Smith, P. 2017). Another objective and expected outcome is
the expansion of Medicaid to enroll childless adults earning up to 138 percent of
the existing poverty level. In addition, the program prohibits insurance companies
from denying individuals health insurance coverage on the basis of pre-existing
conditions (Grembowski, 2015). The major outcomes of the programs are increase
in the percentage of health cover coverage in the country and enhancement of the
quality of care experienced by the patient due to increase in the health insurance
benefits (Sheingold & Bir, 2019).
The success of the program was measured by the number of people with
health insurance and the perceptions of the patients. The other measures of success
include the costs of healthcare, the insurance benefits, and utilization of the
healthcare services by the public. Obamacare is credited for its success since the
annual increase in health insurance premiums remained lower from 7.5 percent in
2011 to about 4.5 percent in 2011 (Glassman, Giedion & Smith, P. 2017). The
number of uninsured individuals declined dramatically to a low of 8.6 percent in
2017 signaling a high acceptance of the program by the population (Glassman,
Giedion & Smith, P. 2017). The ease to access medicine improved due to decline
in costs of prescription drugs. The program increased the number of screenings and
preventive services. In the recent past, the program delivered more than 100
million Corona Virus vaccinations within 100 days which is a major milestone.
Obamacare statistics indicate that 8 million people signed for coverage while
11.4 million people enrolled in state marketplaces (Glassman, Giedion & Smith, P.
2017). The statistics indicate a high rate of insurance coverage by the individual
patients due to the many benefits offered by the program.
The program has led to many impacts on the quality of healthcare and
nursing in the country. The program increased the health insurance coverage rate in
the country and controlled the premiums charged by insurance companies in the
market. The program added benefits enjoyed by patients such as free screenings
and eradicated discrimination in access of care (Sheingold & Bir, 2019).
The program evaluation was conducted in 2017 to determine the impact on
the quality of healthcare (Glassman, Giedion & Smith, P. 2017). The evaluation is
done on routine basis to determine the impact on government funding costs,
insurance companies’ profits, and impact on quality of healthcare. The evaluation
demonstrated a general improvement in ease of access and quality of nursing care.
The program evaluation utilized data from multiple sources such as the US
population demographic data and health status of total number of patients visiting
health facilities in the country. The evaluation incorporated data from health
insurance vendors (Grembowski, 2015). Another important data source was the
medical history of patients to determine the number of patients with pre-existing
conditions who are covered by the program.
The evaluation identified unintended consequences that include the public
disapproval of the program by the political critics and insurance companies
(Grembow