Introduction
As healthcare managers, our primary goal is to ensure that all patients, regardless of their money, get good care they can afford. But too many people in our community don’t get the medical care they need because they don’t have health insurance or their coverage isn’t good enough. To help solve this critical problem, I think we should apply to become Medicaid providers. The Affordable Care Act’s goals align with Medicaid growth, which will allow us to help more people who don’t have insurance or don’t have enough insurance.
What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a program run by both the federal government and the states. It helps millions of low-income Americans pay for their medical bills. While following federal rules, each state runs its own Medicaid program. Medicaid expansion was crucial to the Affordable Care Act to cover more people with health insurance. Under the expansion, states can use Medicaid to protect people who comprise 133% of the government poverty line (Paradise & Garfield, 2013).
Benefits of Medicaid Expansion
Many studies have shown that expanding Medicaid makes it easier for people to get care and better health results without raising the state’s total healthcare cost. If we become a Medicaid provider, we will get paid more to help low-income people. With this critical support, we can keep giving excellent services to people who need them the most. It is thought that thousands more people in our service area would be able to get health insurance if Medicaid were expanded. With insurance, more people will be able to get regular and preventive care, which will help find diseases earlier and cut down on unnecessary trips to the emergency room (Paradise & Garfield, 2013).
Medicaid is an essential refuge for vulnerable groups, especially low-income people and families who may have trouble getting necessary medical care because they can’t afford it. Medicaid is a safety net beyond just looking at income because it helps people in this group. Age, disability, and family structure are some of the things that make someone eligible. This ensures that people with many problems can get the necessary medical care. This all-around method is critical to meeting the many needs of vulnerable groups and making the healthcare system fairer and more open to everyone.
Relation to ACA Goals
Through changes like Medicaid growth, health insurance marketplace payments, and the individual mandate, the Affordable Care Act tried to lower the number of people who did not have health insurance. By agreeing to be covered by Medicaid, we immediately support the primary goal of national healthcare reform: to make coverage more accessible and cheaper for more people. Several studies have shown that expanding Medicaid after the ACA led to significant drops in the number of people who didn’t have health insurance, better self-reported health, and no harmful effects on state budgets (Rosenbaum, 2019).
The Medicaid system’s focus on preventive care is critical to changing healthcare delivery. By emphasizing preventative steps, Medicaid makes emergency services less busy and improves health results. A study by Paradise and Garfield (2013) is one example of how Medicaid significantly affects getting care, how well people do with their health and the general level of care. The real-world evidence clears up some myths about Medicaid’s success and supports its role in encouraging preventive healthcare behaviours that help people and the healthcare system.
Medicaid is designed to be affordable and protect people’s finances, which is a significant benefit for people who sign up. Covering a wide range of services, the program keeps recipients’ out-of-pocket costs low and makes sure that money doesn’t get in the way of getting the care they need. A sliding fee scale is a strategy that fits with the goals of the Cheap Care Act, especially when it comes to making health care more inexpensive for people with lower incomes. This dedication to financial mobility shows how Medicaid helps reduce differences in healthcare access and makes medical care more affordable overall.
Medicaid covers a wide range of services, which supports a whole-person approach to health care for people who don’t have insurance or enough insurance. Medicaid ensures that people having trouble paying for things don’t have to give up essential parts of their health by covering things like hospital stays, prescription drugs, and mental health services. This wide range of coverage takes care of patient’s current health issues and improves their overall health over time. This aligns with the main goals of a patient-centred and complete healthcare system. Medicaid’s many perks and features work together to make healthcare more available, effective, and open to everyone, especially those who are weak.
Relation to the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed into law in 2010, has completely changed how healthcare is provided, and Medicaid growth is a vital part of its primary goal (Rosenbaum, 2019). Pushing for Medicaid to be included fits perfectly with the main objectives of the ACA, which are primarily about improving healthcare benefits for more people. Medicaid expansion is one of the main ideas behind the Affordable Care Act. Its goal is to make getting Medicaid benefits easier for more people and families. This increase fills a significant hole in the healthcare system by actively working to lower the number of people who don’t have health insurance. This is vital to the ACA’s goal of providing equal access to medical care for all.
Also, Medicaid and the ACA are similar in more ways than just expanding coverage. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid promise to put preventive services first, stressing how vital early action is and moving away from relying on emergency care. This joint focus aims to improve health results by encouraging vigilant healthcare practices. Also, Medicaid’s financial benefits for low-income people work well with the ACA’s primary goal of making healthcare cheap for everyone (Paradise & Garfield, 2013). Along with making it easier for people with lower incomes to get health care, Medicaid and the ACA work together to remove economic barriers to entry. This makes the healthcare system more open and available for everyone.
Recommendation
As a result, I highly urge our board to agree with our plan to become a Medicaid provider. Becoming a Medicaid centre fits our goal of helping everyone in the community, no matter how much money they have. This significant grant will help us keep giving people who aren’t getting enough care and screenings that could save their lives access to them. The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid increase has improved health care and results across the country. For the sake of our patients and the community, I firmly ask the board to allow us to apply for Medicaid recognition and payment.
References
Paradise, J., & Garfield, R. (2013). What is Medicaid’s impact on access to care, health outcomes, and quality of care? Setting the record straight on the evidence.
Rosenbaum, S. (2019). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice. Public Health Reports, 126(1), 130–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335491112600118
Virginia Department of Social Services. (n.d.). Home. Www.dss.virginia.gov. https://www.dss.virginia.gov/
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