According to a Deloitte report, by 2040, the cost the USA pays for its barriers to healthcare access could surpass $1 trillion. The report analyzes the impact across several “high-cost diseases”, including cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.
The most alarming cost is the number of lives at stake. Many people cannot afford to see a doctor; some do not have one even nearby. Addressing these and other top barriers to healthcare access has become mission-critical across the care continuum. However, the healthcare leaders and stakeholders understand that eliminating these gaps is not an easy task and they are relentlessly advocating for the same.
The Affordable Care Act expanded the eligibility for affordable healthcare coverage in two main ways: by creating health insurance marketplaces with federal financial assistance that reduces premiums and deductibles and by allowing states to expand Medicaid to adults with household incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Both coverage expansions occurred in 2014. And at the end of the enrollment, 21.4 million people selected an ACA marketplace for 2024, and 40 states expanded Medicaid coverage.
According to Dr. Dipak Nandi, MD, Board Certified Physician, Neuropsychiatrist, and a graduate of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, “The healthcare leaders are fighting relentlessly to mitigate the gaps in healthcare accessibility. With strict implementation of the policies and a collective approach, we can bridge these gaps.”
As per the federal government, healthcare is not a privilege, but a right. The authorities are working towards protecting and expanding Americans’ access to high-quality healthcare have made a positive difference in the well-being and wallets of individuals. The government is focused on creating healthier, safer, and more productive communities.
To obtain the same, we need to focus on enhancing the standard of living and well-being of the individuals within the communities. Inadequate healthcare coverage is one of the major barriers to healthcare accessibility. Also, the unequal distribution of insurance coverage and healthcare further contributes to the problems. Out-of-pocket costs may lead individuals to delay or forget needed care (such as doctor visits, dental care, and medications), and medical debt is a common challenge for both insured and uninsured individuals.
Thanks to the action taken by the administration, millions of seniors and people with chronic conditions are saving money on their drug costs.
For Medicaid and CHIP, the administration allows the states to extend the existing 12-month continuous eligibility for all children to 36 months. Also, it allows the states to provide continuous eligibility for children from birth until they turn the age of 6.
Studies have identified that having healthcare insurance is associated with improved access to healthcare services and better health monitoring.
Implementation of new health policies is not enough to remove every barrier to care. Limited availability of healthcare resources is another major issue in low health accessibility.
As Dr. Dipak Nandi, the eminent neuropsychiatrist, eloquently said, “Expanding access to healthcare services is an important step towards reducing health disparities. Affordable Healthcare Act is a solution, but factors like economic, social, and cultural barriers to health also must be considered.”
