Signature Assignment
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Signature Assignment: Affordable Care Act
HCS/545
January 2017
Signature Assignment
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Signature Assignment: Affordable Care Act
Health laws, regulations and policies have an overwhelming influence on healthcare.
Health laws, regulations, and policies are federal and state governed and aims to improve public
health through establishing and developing innovative programs, resources, and tools in
healthcare. One federal health policy in particular which has had a significant impact on
healthcare organizational policies is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA is a healthcare
reform aims to increase access to care for all while making healthcare more affordable for all.
This signature paper will analyze the relationship between law and policy in healthcare,
differentiate legislative versus institutional policies in healthcare, and analyze the influence of
politics on healthcare regulations, laws, and policies. The paper will also analyze the role and
impact of government and non-government regulatory agencies on healthcare policy. Finally, the
paper will evaluate the impact of legislative policy on resource allocation in the healthcare
industry and analyze the roles of organizational stakeholders and interest groups involved in
healthcare laws and regulations.
Relationship between Affordable Care Act in Healthcare
The topic of much debate, the ACA became law in March 2010, and is said to promote
healthcare as a right not immunity granted (Rak & Coffin, 2013). One main goal of the ACA is to
offer affordable healthcare coverage for all Americans, and in return reduce the nation’s
healthcare spending. Yet, the law provides firm rules and regulations for health insurers which
places stress on healthcare providers (Rak & Coffin, 2013). The ACA has impacted millions of
Americans by offering affordable care to all regardless of age, preexisting health condition, or
any type of discrimination. The law also yields mandatory requirements for an employer to
Signature Assignment
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provide insurance; all resulting in increased and improved access to care nationally. Another
pivotal expedient of the ACA involves increasing preventive medicine and doing away with
copayments and deductibles associate with preventive care (Rak & Coffin, 2013).
Legislative and Institutional Policies
The federal government is made up of three branches to guarantee no individual or group
has too much power. These branches of government include: the legislative branch which makes
laws and includes Congress, the executive branch which carries out laws and includes the
President, Vice President and Cabinet, and the judicial branch which evaluates laws and includes
the Supreme Court and other courts.
The ACA is a public health policy, and all public health
policies come from local, state, or federal government (Abood, 2007). Originating at the
executive level of the federal government, the ACA outlines the fundamental requirements for
state government, local government, and the health industry as a whole to comply with. The
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