The Affordable Care Act: Who is Really Covered?
Location
Session 2 (Room 1300)
Session Format
Oral Presentation
Your Campus
Statesboro Campus- Henderson Library, April 20th
Academic Unit
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Research Area Topic:
Humanities & Social Sciences - Psychology, Sociology & Political Science
Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors
April M. Schueths, Ph.D., LCSW Professor of Sociology Internship Coordinator, Sociology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Georgia Southern University P.O. Box 8051
Statesboro, GA 30460
Phone: (912) 478-2368
Google Scholar Profile
Abstract
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the ACA expanded the eligibility for the Medicaid program to individuals and families with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty line (FPL) and allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26. Twenty million Americans have been insured since the ACA, and the law has improved the accessibility of health insurance for young adults, African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income individuals, despite historically being the largest group to lack insurance (Blumenthal et al. 2015). In Georgia, about 482,350 residents have gained insurance through the ACA as of February 2021; however, Georgia, along with eleven other states, has not yet expanded Medicaid. In November 2019, Georgia did unveil an 1115 waiver proposal that called for partial Medicaid expansion, which would have been effective in July 2021. This expansion would cover adults aged 19-64 with income up to 100%, as opposed to the 138% of the poverty level, as long as they were working, or participating in other “community engagement” activities at least 80 hours per month. (medicaid.ga.gov)
This policy analysis follows Patton and Sawicki’s Quick Analysis Model (Patton & Sawiki, 1993) and the Six-Step Model of Policy Analysis (McNutt & Hoefer, 2021) to examine the impact of failing to expand Medicaid on low-income Georgians. Preliminary findings suggest that although the percentage of uninsured people in Georgia decreased it is estimated that nearly 1.4 million Georgians remain uninsured. Inclusive policy recommendations will be provided in my presentation.
References:
Blumenthal, D., Abrams, M., & Nuzum, R. (2015). The Affordable Care Act at 5 Years. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(25), 2451–2458. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmhpr1503614
McIntyre, A., & Song, Z. (2019). The US Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLoS medicine, 16(2), e1002752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002752
McNutt, J. G., & Hoefer, R. (2020). Social welfare policy: Responding to a changing world. Oxford
University Press.
Patton, C. V., & Sawicki, D. S. (1993). Basic methods of policy analysis and planning.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2021). About the Affordable Care Act.
Program Description
Access to affordable healthcare has been a growing concern. Minority populations in the United States are over-represented in the numbers of those who are uninsured and do not have access to health care. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the policy and to examine the impact of Georgia failing to expand Medicaid.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Presentation Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Start Date
4-20-2022 1:00 PM
End Date
4-20-2022 2:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Reed, Kiana, "The Affordable Care Act: Who is Really Covered?" (2022). GS4 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium. 57.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2022/2022/57
The Affordable Care Act: Who is Really Covered?
Session 2 (Room 1300)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the ACA expanded the eligibility for the Medicaid program to individuals and families with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty line (FPL) and allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26. Twenty million Americans have been insured since the ACA, and the law has improved the accessibility of health insurance for young adults, African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income individuals, despite historically being the largest group to lack insurance (Blumenthal et al. 2015). In Georgia, about 482,350 residents have gained insurance through the ACA as of February 2021; however, Georgia, along with eleven other states, has not yet expanded Medicaid. In November 2019, Georgia did unveil an 1115 waiver proposal that called for partial Medicaid expansion, which would have been effective in July 2021. This expansion would cover adults aged 19-64 with income up to 100%, as opposed to the 138% of the poverty level, as long as they were working, or participating in other “community engagement” activities at least 80 hours per month. (medicaid.ga.gov)
This policy analysis follows Patton and Sawicki’s Quick Analysis Model (Patton & Sawiki, 1993) and the Six-Step Model of Policy Analysis (McNutt & Hoefer, 2021) to examine the impact of failing to expand Medicaid on low-income Georgians. Preliminary findings suggest that although the percentage of uninsured people in Georgia decreased it is estimated that nearly 1.4 million Georgians remain uninsured. Inclusive policy recommendations will be provided in my presentation.
References:
Blumenthal, D., Abrams, M., & Nuzum, R. (2015). The Affordable Care Act at 5 Years. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(25), 2451–2458. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmhpr1503614
McIntyre, A., & Song, Z. (2019). The US Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLoS medicine, 16(2), e1002752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002752
McNutt, J. G., & Hoefer, R. (2020). Social welfare policy: Responding to a changing world. Oxford
University Press.
Patton, C. V., & Sawicki, D. S. (1993). Basic methods of policy analysis and planning.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2021). About the Affordable Care Act.
