Obamacare Facts

Obamacare Facts

Some Obamacare Facts you may not be aware of.

Obamacare is the name used for the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act of 2010. The act may have already affected you in ways you may not have known. Here are some facts about this comprehensive yet complicated piece of legislation.

1. The true goal of the ACA is that it lowers costs for Medicare and Medicaid.

The Federal government spends more on healthcare than any of the other budget items. This spending is comprised of Medicare and Medicaid benefits as well as the Department of Human Services which is the department that manages these programs. It’s more than the cost of Social Security or the Defense. This is a problem that will only get worse as it is projected that the spending for Medicare and Medicaid benefits programs alone will almost double. This will leave little for Social Security and Defense, interests on the national debt and the rest of the US government.

2. ACA is changing how healthcare is delivered.

The ACA has mandated that doctors, pharmacists, and hospitals work together in different ways than they have before.

1. Medical records must all be recorded electronically and not on paper so it allows all the doctors to share diagnoses and the treatments.
2. Hospitals are paid based on how well you get as opposed to how many tests and procedures you receive.
3. Accountable Care Organizations are being formed by healthcare providers to coordinate care the patients care between doctors and specialists.

You may have thought this was already being done but it’s not. Miscommunication between doctors in 2010 was the largest cause of unanticipated deaths and the ACA and healthcare industry acknowledges that integrated care is the way for the future and are make this shift to integrated care.

3. ACA has improved healthcare as well as your insurance plans.

Improvements Included:

• Plans must provide 10 essential health benefits
• Plans may not exclude people with pre existing conditions
• Companies may not drop people who get sick
• Parents can add children to their plans up to age 26
• Lifetime limits have been eliminated
• Annual limits have been eliminated.