Researchers from Harvard Medical School conducted a study which stated that many Americans have not gained full access or remained without coverage a year after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) law took full effect. ACA was created to help provide insurance coverage and medical care access to Americans, specifically those suffering from chronic diseases. More so, many have complained being burdened with “significant barriers” to gain medical care.
The study, published in the ‘Annals of Internal Medicine,’ is the first to document how Americans with chronic diseases needing high health care have suffered significant health consequences when they lack coverage. States that expanded the implementation of ACA with Medicaid coverage for low-income residents were recorded to have higher gains. It was also discovered that racial and ethnic gap in coverage were narrowed under the ACA. According to the researchers, there is an estimated 4.9 percent of patients who gained insurance coverage in ACA’s pilot year, including those with chronic diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and asthma. In a report, almost one-third of asthma patients have been misdiagnosed.
However, scienmag reported that the gains nearly 1 in 7 of those with a chronic disease. However, it still lacked coverage after the ACA. This included 1 in 5 blacks and 1 in 3 Hispanics suffering from chronic illnesses. Study author Dr. Elisabeth Poorman, who is also a primary care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), said that patients with chronic diseases “need to get regular medical care and take medications daily to prevent serious complications." She also added that it is a “big deal” for millions with chronic diseases that got coverage under the ACA. Yet, she also expressed regret over the “unfortunate” circumstance faced by so many chronically ill Americans that remain uncovered by the ACA."
According to their website,Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage to over 72.5 million Americans. Together with the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the program targets seniors, parents, children, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities. Medicaid is the single largest source of health coverage in the United States.
