The affordable care act has related provisions in titles one to ten. Title one reflects on the quality and affordable health benefits for American citizens. The provisions of the title are rules and mandates of employers, insurance companies, and tax credits. Title two lays down the role of public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. The title discusses the changes in the health care workforce and the provision of new taxes.
According to Hofer, Abraham, and Moscovice (2011), the second provision improves disabled care through the expansion of home care services at flexible rates. Title three discusses the improvement of the quality and efficiency of health care. The provision protects Medicare through the increase of incentives to healthcare institutions. The rural communities are getting quality and efficient health services through the implementation of the provisions of title three (Harrington, 2010).
Title four actively encourages the prevention of diseases and the improvement of public health. According to Rosenbaum (2011), the provision uses the national health promotional strategies in chronic illness reduction and enhancement of innovation in the public health sector. Title five promotes education advancement among health care practitioners and related professionals. The provision provides loans and scholarships with an aim of workforce development. Title six encourages transparency and program integrity in health care. The sixth provision advocates the exposure of frauds and abuse of healthcare requirements (Harrington, 2010).
Title seven promotes health care competition through the improvement of innovative medical therapies. The effect of the competition is the availability of efficient and affordable medical products in the market. Title eight provides additional options for financing through different categories of health insurance plans. Title nine closes all the tax loopholes through broadening the tax base of Medicare. Title ten strengthens the quality of affordable care through the incorporation of amendments and the development of administrative standards (Rosenbaum, 2011).
The paper discusses the third provision that aims at improving the efficiency and quality of health care services. One of the sub-topics in the third provision is improving Medicare for care providers and patients. The financing of the Medicare improvements is through enrollment in a Medicare savings program. The savings program ensures taxpayers’ patients become the beneficiaries with minimal adjustments (Jencks, Huff, & Cuerdon, 2003).
The savings under the Medicare programs also motivates the health care providers, especially in the rural setting. Medicare is the main health coverage for people with disabilities and people above 65 years old. Medicare patients rely on family members to get comprehensive support in medical care access. The third affordable care act provision allows supplementation of the insurance from the Medicare savings, especially in times of emergency (Hofer et al., 2011).
Jencks et al. (2003) appreciate the low-income savings programs under Medicare that aim at cost-sharing the health care expenses for the Medicare beneficiaries. The financing access quality of care is facing challenges of low enrollment of the Medicare savings programs, hence the low number of beneficiaries of the funds. The significant changes in the Medicare saving program for the taxpayers’ patients are an expansion of limits on health disparities and a reduction in the cost of treating chronic illnesses. The Act limits inflation of the medical costs through a provision of low-income subsidy on taxpayers’ patients.
The affordable care act prioritizes quality performance and reporting of the Medicare improvements. The national government permits post-hospital care services to the taxpayers’ patients in line with the type of health care insurance plan. Financial sustainability is a major risk in the process of improving Medicare for patients and providers. Additionally, the financing access quality of care involves the implementation of the final goals of financial risk protection through social responsiveness (Baker, 2011).
In terms of care providers, the third provision has regulations that motivate doctors and other health care providers for offering quality care. The provision creates incentives for health care providers that allow them to work together purely voluntary. The Medicare savings program also plays a role in the soliciting of funds for the care providers from Federal government agencies and societies.
The health care providers have the mandate of maintaining constant funding to facilitate quality and efficient service provision. The Medicare savings program encourages health care providers in meeting the recommended performance standards through sharing in the savings program (Poghosyan, Lucero, Rauch, & Berkowitz, 2012). The care providers benefit from the Medicare savings program through the provision of electronic health records, physician quality reporting systems, and other incentive programs. The incentive programs ensure the health care providers remain relevant in the medical field through the acquisition of advanced knowledge of treatment and care procedures (Baker, 2011).
The beneficiaries of the Medicare savings program are few due to limited access to the finances. The private bodies in the United States have a role in financing quality care through taxes and other government policies. The funds support the elderly and low-income people. The provision allows the use of a certain percentage of the funds in payment of health care providers working in rural settings to offer quality care to the patients.
The health care providers in rural areas use some of the innovations in soliciting funds from the government and invest in medical research. Generation of funds for access to quality care involves a combination of tax regulations, restriction on the reduction of incentives, and budget ceilings (Poghosyan et al., 2012).
References
Baker, T. (2011). Health insurance, risk, and responsibility after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 1577-1622.
Harrington, S. E. (2010). US Health‐care Reform: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Journal of Risk and Insurance, 77(3), 703-708.
Hofer, A. N., Abraham, J., & Moscovice, I. (2011). Expansion of coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and primary care utilization. Milbank Quarterly, 89(1), 69-89.
Jencks, S. F., Huff, E. D., & Cuerdon, T. (2003). Change in the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries, 1998-1999 to 2000-2001. Jama, 289(3), 305-312.
Poghosyan, L., Lucero, R., Rauch, L., & Berkowitz, B. (2012). Nurse practitioner workforce: a substantial supply of primary care providers. Nursing Economics, 30(5), 268.
Rosenbaum, S. (2011). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: implications for public health policy and practice. Public Health Reports, 126(1), 130-135.
