Hunter Gray
Leavitt School of Health, Western Governors University
D223 Healthcare Policy and Economics
Liz Gwyn
, A. Analyze a public healthcare enacted law at the federal level by doing the following:
A1. Describe one federal public healthcare enacted law that affects the provision of patient
care and healthcare delivery.
One federal public healthcare law that affects the provision of patient care is the
Affordable Care Act (ACA), a law passed in 2010 with the primary goal of “universal health
insurance coverage by facilitating cooperation among employers, citizens, and the government”
and “to make healthcare more affordable while simultaneously increasing healthcare quality and
reducing unnecessary spending” (Isola and Reddivari, 2023). Also, the ACA strongly
encouraged the expansion of Medicare services and eligibility to those in the lower income
levels. This allows more individuals to be provided coverage for health insurance, leading to
more Americans having access to affordable healthcare.
A2: Explain how the legislation works (e.g., Will enforcement be necessary? Who is
responsible for administering the policy?)
The ACA mandates that all US citizens and residents have health insurance, does not
allow insurance companies to deny coverage for individuals under nineteen years old with
medical comorbidities, outlaws cost ceilings on essential health benefits, and enables individuals
to remain on their parent’s health insurance plans until they reach twenty-six years of age (Isola
and Reddivari, 2023). The ACA incentivizes “wellness programs” by offering discounts on
insurance costs to promote further patient care (Isola and Reddivari, 2023). According to Isola
and associates, “the Act promotes the creation of state health insurance ‘Exchanges’ that allow