Healthcare Reform and Its Impact on the Delivery System
EVANS DELA KWASHIE
MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE DELIVERY SYSTEM
PROFESSOR LINDA C. L LOMBARDI, PH.D.
16/12/2013
Health Care Reform and Its Impact on the Delivery of Services
If you are in the healthcare industry, you have probably heard some rumblings about the
Health Care Reform of 2010, coolly referred to as Affordable Care Act, or Obama care. The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was enacted by the United States Congress
and signed by President Barack Obama. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) became public law in
March 23, 2010. The health care reform was enacted with the goals of “increasing the quality
and affordability of health insurance, lowering the uninsured rate by expanding public and
private insurance coverage, and reducing the costs of healthcare for individuals and the
government” (Frost and Sullivan, 2011). The law is passed by US congress to provide universal
access to healthcare, control the rising costs of healthcare, regulate the private insurance
industry through online marketplace and improve the quality of healthcare. The purpose is to
“make healthcare choices more consumers friendly and easier to understand. It is intended to
make sweeping changes to healthcare in the United States” (White, 2013). The law also
“requires insurance companies to cover all applicants within new minimum standards and
offer the same rates regardless of pre-existing conditions or sex. Additional reforms aimed to
reduce costs and improve healthcare outcomes by shifting the system towards quality over
quantity through increased competition, regulation, and incentives to streamline the delivery of
healthcare” (Monheit, 2010 ). The Congressional Budget Office projected that “the ACA will
lower both future deficits and Medicare spending” however upheld “the law in promoting
strategies and solutions to encourage health care reform that lowers cost,
MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE DELIVERY SYSTEM
PROFESSOR LINDA C. L LOMBARDI, PH.D.
16/12/2013
Health Care Reform and Its Impact on the Delivery of Services
If you are in the healthcare industry, you have probably heard some rumblings about the
Health Care Reform of 2010, coolly referred to as Affordable Care Act, or Obama care. The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was enacted by the United States Congress
and signed by President Barack Obama. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) became public law in
March 23, 2010. The health care reform was enacted with the goals of “increasing the quality
and affordability of health insurance, lowering the uninsured rate by expanding public and
private insurance coverage, and reducing the costs of healthcare for individuals and the
government” (Frost and Sullivan, 2011). The law is passed by US congress to provide universal
access to healthcare, control the rising costs of healthcare, regulate the private insurance
industry through online marketplace and improve the quality of healthcare. The purpose is to
“make healthcare choices more consumers friendly and easier to understand. It is intended to
make sweeping changes to healthcare in the United States” (White, 2013). The law also
“requires insurance companies to cover all applicants within new minimum standards and
offer the same rates regardless of pre-existing conditions or sex. Additional reforms aimed to
reduce costs and improve healthcare outcomes by shifting the system towards quality over
quantity through increased competition, regulation, and incentives to streamline the delivery of
healthcare” (Monheit, 2010 ). The Congressional Budget Office projected that “the ACA will
lower both future deficits and Medicare spending” however upheld “the law in promoting
strategies and solutions to encourage health care reform that lowers cost,