ACA: Implement and Be Patient

By John Henson, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has its flaws, but it's the only "fix" that we have to our current dysfunctional and unsustainable health care delivery and payment systems. Therefore, it must be carried forward. One of the ACA's biggest problems is that it allows states to opt out of Medicaid expansion and the establishment of insurance exchanges. That loophole has resulted in a confusing hodgepodge of state-specific approaches that will make it more difficult for consumers to comprehend and participate in the plans—and ultimately more difficult for the uninsured to be covered.

I am optimistic that once the ACA is allowed to be fully implemented, it will result in an overall decrease in health insurance and care costs and will slowly help facilitate the system-wide transformation that is desperately needed. The U.S. health care delivery system must move away from the payment-for-services approach and move toward the payment-for-results model of medical care, with a heavy emphasis on preventative care. The big question is whether the American public—and its elected representatives—has the patience and foresight to allow the ACA time to achieve even partial success in our society fixated on short-term results.

Read more faculty commentary on the Affordable Care Act.

Published October 8, 2013