This study aims (1) to examine the trends and patterns of colorectal cancer screening (CCS) of Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas by state and year (before and after Affordable Care Act [ACA] enactment) and (2) to investigate the contextual, organizational, and aggregated patient characteristics influencing variations in care received by patients of rural health clinics (RHCs). The following...

Although the intention of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to improve access to primary care for everyone, it also will increase the need for primary care practitioners. If Americans are going to achieve better health through preventive care and early intervention, there has to be a person properly trained and licensed to deliver and coordinate their care. This necessity for more “boots on the ...

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will increase coverage through the expansion of Medicaid and the creation of a Health Insurance Exchange with subsidies. RAND researchers analyzed the ACA's economic impact on the state of Arkansas and found that by 2016, about 400,000 people will be newly insured, net federal payments to the state will amount to $430 million annually, and the total gross domestic ...

With Supreme Court and election uncertainty now resolved over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers are recognizing the need for immediate action and reassessing the role they play in promoting and insuring the health of their population. Centered on a consistent need to have a workforce that is healthy, present and high-performing, employers face four possible strateg...

The US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to expand health care coverage, contain costs, and improve health care quality. Accessibility and affordability of innovative biopharmaceuticals are important to the success of the ACA. As it is substantially more difficult to manufacture them compared with small-molecule drugs, many of which have generic alternatives, biologics may i...

The United States has a unique system of health care delivery compared with other developed countries around the world. Almost all other developed countries have universal health insurance programs in which the government plays a dominant role. Almost all of the citizens in these countries are entitled to receive health care services that include routine and basic health care. In contrast, only...

ONE YEAR AFTER THE HISTORIC PASSAGE OF THE AFfordable Care Act (ACA), the individual mandate is subject to ongoing scrutiny both by the federal courts and Congress. This provision of the ACA would require most individuals to purchase health insurance, and recent attention has focused on the important legal issues associated with such a mandate. However, far less attention has been devoted to th...

This brief details changes in insurance coverage and access to care under the Affordable Care Act. About 20 million individuals gained coverage under the law and access to care improved. Despite these gains, more than 27 million individuals are still uninsured, and many others face barriers in accessing care. As a result of the 2016 elections, the future of the ACA is uncertain. As the next ...

I n truth, the United States is at the beginning of a long overdue and a much needed health care reform. We have seen the dismal statistics about our high cost health care system and some of the less than stellar outcomes (e.g., infant mortality) (Callahan, 2011; World Health Organization [WHO], 2011)). The purpose of this article is not to complain about the current health care system, but ins...

The objective of this study was to assess trends in health insurance coverage, health service utilization, and health care access among working-age adults with and without disabilities before and after full implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and to identify current disability-based disparities following full implementation of the ACA. The ACA was expected to have a disproportionat...