Statement of the Problem
It was believed that after the enactment of the ACA, the act would consolidate and improve the health care sector in the United States. The passing of the law was meant to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the American health care system by offering universal coverage and reducing the costs of medical care. It was also supposed to facilitate an equitable and just treatment of patients, as well as preserve the Medicare health coverage. It was also meant to encourage health and prevention initiatives, as well as the development of modern health care schemes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).
Response
Most of the uninsured individuals in the US are guaranteed affordable, and quality medical care insurance through the health insurance exchanges. The objective of this initiative is to empower the patients through access to reliable health care in the shortest time possible, so as to avoid unnecessary delays. It is estimated that about 8,000 to 9,000 APRNs are currently undergoing training in various learning institutions on an annual basis. This is in an effort to quench the rapidly increasing demand for nurses (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012).
The ACA has provided for an electronic medical database to be established for providers. The new laws and guidelines are structured in a manner in which it can rationalize the current management and documentation regulations. This will enable health care practitioners such as nurses, to dedicate most of their time to the care of patients rather than utilizing most of their time on record management. The ACA also incorporates guidelines that prohibit the insurance providers from establishing ceilings on patient benefits. They are also required by law to use a minimum amount of funds on the insured patients’ health care expenses each year. Patients will have the right to lodge an appeal in case their claims are not honored. Additionally, patients can select the insurance provider that they prefer. The implication of these stipulations to the nursing profession is that nursing jobs will be expanded (Hoyt & Proehl, 2012).
The ACA also has various stipulations, which seek to preserve Medicare coverage. The ACA has reviewed the Medicare drug prescription program. The Act allows for annual visits to the practitioner, which will be financed by the health insurer. In relation to this development APRN and other nurses are ready to receive these patients. The ACA has also instituted the development and innovation of new health care models such as medical homes. The ACA stipulates that these new models will ensure that patients receive uninterrupted and reliable healthcare. Additionally, it stipulates that health care providers such as nurses who maintain high standards and quality delivery of health care services shall be rewarded based on the standards they have established (Hoyt & Proehl, 2012).
The theory of Contractarianism propounded by John Rawls, best illustrates the approach that should be taken to improve the delivery of health care in the US. Rawls believes that just policies should be fair. All citizens should enjoy their liberty and that economic inequalities should be advantageous to the social minorities (Jeske & Fumerton, 2010). Health care services should be universal for all citizens irrespective of their social backgrounds. This is what the ACA seeks to achieve. Nurses have a vital role to play if the ACA objectives are to be attained. Based on this theory, nurses can become proactive by expanding their work force, launching nurse-managed health institutions, providing mentorship for student learning programs, and creating awareness among patients in relation to the new ACA guidelines (Hoyt & Proehl, 2012).
The nursing association has reacted to the ACA by planning to train 16,000 nurses within a period of 5 years. The nursing fraternity requires the highly trained and educated nursing staff either in practice or academia to assist in the attainment of this goal. The ACA act provides for the establishment of nurse-managed clinics, which will be used for training nurse practitioners. These nurses will then serve in underserved communities. It also allows for the construction of new health facilities. It also advocates for the renovation and expansion of the current health facilities across the US. Under the new models, there is a proposal by the NHSC to extend their coverage to encompass APRNs. These are nurses wishing to repay their education loans through community service. These nurses will be assigned to vulnerable populations residing in underserved regions as part of the repayment of their educational loans (McNamara, 2010).
Some of the obligation of nurses include not only providing information to their patients about diseases, but also in relation to health care reforms proposed by the ACA. Nurses need to clarify the changes proposed by the ACA. According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (2012), the number of nurses in the US is estimated to be 155,000. The envisioned result of the ACA is the provision of universal medical care. This is to be achieved through affordable insurance premiums. A lot of emphasis is also placed on the quality of healthcare. Some of the strategies that can be used to attain this position include continuous training of more health care practitioners such as nurses, and the provision of subsidies and incentives to health care practitioners so as to rationalize health care coordination.
References
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. (2012). About us.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2012). 2011 Annual Report. Web.
Hoyt, K., & Proehl, J. (2012). Affordable Care Act: Implications for APRNs. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, 34(4), 287-289.
Jeske, D., & Fumerton, R. A. (2010). Readings in political philosophy: Theory and applications. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview.
McNamara, M. (2010). Media Briefs. American Nurse, 42(4), 18.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012).The health care law & you.