The Cost of the
Affordable
Care Act
in a washingTon posT
ediTorial, kaThleen
sebelius, secreTary
of The uniTed sTaTes
deparTmenT of
healTh and human
services, asserTed The
affordable care acT
will make The u.s. healTh
care sysTem sTronger
Than iT has ever been,
offering more ciTizens
access To The care They
need. however, as more
deadlines are imposed
on physicians, how
will These landmark
changes affecT
paTienT care?
oN
maRcH 23, 2010,
President Barack
Oba ma signed
the Affordable
Care Act into law, with specific government-regulated reforms to be met over a
four-year period. Following challenges
to the law���s constitutionality, the U.S.
Supreme Court upheld the Affordable
Care Act on June 28, 2012, with a 5���4
vote. This ruling meant health systems
and physicians could move forward in
ensuring their systems and practices fall
within the new guidelines. Nearly 32
million uninsured Americans will now
have access to health insurance, regardless of preexisting health conditions, and
2.6 million young adults as old as 26 can
be covered by their parents��� health plans.
As more patients are added to the
system, however, the need for physicians will also increase. In 2010,
the Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC) predicted there would
be a physician shortage even before the
Affordable Care Act was signed into law.
So, while the new law might equal more
access to care, it could mean longer lines
for patients and longer days for doctors.
According to new projections by the
AAMC Center for Workforce Studies,
the shortage could grow to 63,000
