Does the Accountable Care Act Aim to Promote Quality, Health, and Control Costs or Has It Missed the Mark? ;Comment on “Health System Reform in the United States”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

School of Health and Human Services, University of Baltimore, Baltimore, USA

Abstract

McDonough’s perspective on healthcare reform in the US provides a clear, coherent analysis of the mix of access and delivery reforms in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aka Obamacare. As noted by McDonough, this major reform bill is designed to expand access for health coverage that includes both prevention and treatment benefits among uninsured Americans. Additionally, this legislation includes several financial strategies (e.g. incentives and penalties) to improve care coordination and quality in the hospital and outpatient settings while also reducing healthcare spending and costs. This commentary is intended to discuss this mix of access and delivery reform in terms of its potential to achieve the Triple Aim: population health, quality, and costs. Final remarks will include the role of the US federal government to reform the American private health industry together with that of an informed consumer.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 01 February 2014
  • Revise Date: 19 February 2014
  • Accept Date: 17 February 2014
  • First Publish Date: 17 February 2014

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