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3 Ways the Affordable Care Act Improved Healthcare in the US

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, is comprised of 38 high-income countries that work together to stimulate trade and economic progress.

The United States is a member, as are England, Canada, Germany, Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland, to name but a few.

3 Ways the Affordable Care Act Improved Healthcare in the US

Part of the job of the OECD is to track indicators like agriculture​, education, and healthcare.

So it was disturbing when this organization found that while Americans spent twice as much on healthcare as any other of the member nations, they also had the lowest life expectancy and the highest rate of avoidable deaths.

The Affordable Care Act, ACA or “Obama care” was created, in part, to address these disturbing trends. Here are three ways that the ACA is already improving healthcare in the U.S.

1. Rural Access to Healthcare Has Increased

When you live in the country, finding a doctor, much less an insurance plan, can be difficult and time-consuming. Now you can find Obama care plans online.

In addition to access to health insurance, the ACA greatly expanded Medicaid services. Nearly a quarter of all rural residents and half of all children in rural areas rely on Medicaid for adequate healthcare.

By raising the income limit on Medicaid to anyone under 138% of the federal poverty income level, more people are eligible than ever before.

When you consider that the federal poverty line for a family of three currently stands at $21,960, you can understand why families at this level still require assistance paying for healthcare. 

2. Focus on Preventing and Treating Obesity Has Increased

The number one reason the U.S. is leading other countries in preventable deaths is because of the epidemic of obesity in this country.

The ACA has made obesity screening and counseling a free service under all private and government insurance programs and 23 states require plans to cover bariatric surgery for the morbidly obese.

Beyond these services, the ACA includes food labeling requirements that were enacted by the FDA in 2018.

This includes clear calorie labeling at restaurants and on foods from vending machines. For vending machines, guests must be able to see the calorie count before they make purchases.

3. The Disabled Have More Protection

Finally, the ACA has expanded protections for the disabled in the United States. If you ever looked at your lifetime or annual caps on an insurance policy and thought “no problem.

There’s no way to hit that!” For the disabled or chronically ill, hitting those limits wasn’t only possible it was likely, leaving them uninsured and uninsurable after hitting those caps.

That was for those who could even get insurance in the first place, without being denied for pre-existing conditions.

The ACA did away with annual and lifetime caps, ensuring people with long-term care needs, or even those who need very expensive treatments, continue to receive the care they need. 

The results won’t be seen for several years, but it’s clear that the Affordable Care Act is more than affordable health insurance, it’s a way to make Americans healthier across the board.

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