The objective of this paper is to demonstrate connections between the issues we’ve beendiscussing...

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The objective of this paper is to demonstrate connections between the issues we’ve beendiscussing over the semester by discussing a section of the Patient Protection and AffordableCare Act of 2010. Relate it to your work, profession or industry sector, and describeimplementation and connections to the broader stated purpose of the law.Some sections of the ACA are significant programs or changes that stand on their own. In otherplaces, several sections together make up a program or policy. And each title of the Act is alsoa theme on which its sections elaborate.For example, we’ve looked at the issues of access to care, insurance, and the health careworkforce. The coverage provisions of the ACA will add coverage for millions of people,increasing the demand for care. Another provision provides a major funding infusion to increasethe number of federally-funded community health centers. And there’s an entire title of the lawon the health care workforce. There are numerous other combinations and intersections ofissues from our work this semester that can be illustrated with the ACA. In this example, it’spossible the law doesn’t invest enough in workforce to meet projected demand, or it’s possible itinvests too much and there will be too many providers with too little to do.InstructionsFirst, pick one topic (section or title) of interest in the law. Then write your paper, covering thefollowing areas. Use the reference materials from Week 12 and other materials as needed fromyour research.• Describe the section, sections, or titles related to the topic. Explain the provisions indetail and discuss how they relate more broadly to the law’s stated purpose. Include adescription of how the topic will
	
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Overview 
 
The objective of this paper is to demonstrate connections between the issues we’ve been 
discussing over the semester by discussing a section of the Patient Protection and Affordable 
Care Act of XXXXXXXXXXRelate it to your work, profession or industry sector, and describe 
implementation and connections to the broader stated purpose of the law. 
 
Some sections of the ACA are significant programs or changes that stand on their own.  In other 
places, several sections together make up a program or policy.  And each title of the Act is also 
a theme on which its sections elaborate.  
 
For example, we’ve looked at the issues of access to care, insurance, and the health care 
workforce. The coverage provisions of the ACA will add coverage for millions of people, 
increasing the demand for care.  Another provision provides a major funding infusion to increase 
the number of federally-funded community health centers.  And there’s an entire title of the law 
on the health care workforce.  There are numerous other combinations and intersections of 
issues from our work this semester that can be illustrated with the ACA.  In this example, it’s 
possible the law doesn’t invest enough in workforce to meet projected demand, or it’s possible it 
invests too much and there will be too many providers with too little to do.   
 
Instructions 
First, pick one topic (section or title) of interest in the law.  Then write your paper, covering the 
following areas.  Use the reference materials from Week 12 and other materials as needed from 
your research. 
• Describe the section, sections, or titles related to the topic. Explain the provisions in 
detail and discuss how they relate more broadly to the law’s stated purpose.  Include a 
description of how the topic will address one or more of the key policy issues covered in 
the course (for example: access, costs, insurance coverage,...

David · Accepted Answer

Accountable Care Explained: An Experiment in State 
Health Policy 
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 http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2012/october/18/aco-accountable-
care-organization-states-medicaid.aspx?referrer=search 
 
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TOPICS: HEALTH REFORM, QUALITY, HEALTH COSTS, STATES, MEDICAID 
By Christine Vestal, Stateline 
OCT 18, 2012 
This story comes from our partner Stateline, the daily news service of the Pew Center on the States. 
The Affordable Care Act and state fiscal pressures have spawned an array of new Medicaid cost 
containment and quality improvement schemes. Among the most ambitious is a health care delivery 
system whose components are called accountable care organizations (ACOs). 
The phrase “accountable care organization” was coined in 2006 at Dartmouth University Medical School 
and then adopted by an advisory board to Medicare, the federal health plan for seniors. The idea — that 
health care providers could be enticed to join forces to provide better care at lower costs, while taking 
financial responsibility for the health outcomes of their patients — gained prominence during the 2009 
congressional debate that led to passage of the federal health law. 
Although the ACO concept enjoys strong bipartisan support and broad acceptance within the health care 
community, skeptics argue it relies too heavily on voluntary cooperation among health care professionals 
who are accustomed to working independently. Others suggest the idea is simply a new label for health 
maintenance organizations (HMOs), which lost some of their appeal in the 1990s because they were 
seen as putting profits before quality. 
The 2010 national health law creates ACO incentives for Medicare, but only addresses Medicaid in a 
modest way. It authorizes a demonstration project for creation of pediatric ACOs within Medicaid and the 
State Children’s Health Insurance programs, although funding is not yet available. The law does not 
specifically apply ACOs to the rest of the Medicaid population — pregnant women, seniors and people 
with disabilities, and millions of other poor adults (after the law’s slated expansion in 2014). 
The states, however, are moving ahead on their own. An increasing number are adapting the ACO model 
for Medicaid in hopes of providing less fragmented care at lower costs. Here's a primer on how 
accountable care organizations might work under the Medicaid program: 
What makes an organization an ACO? 
A standard definition for ACOs does not exist. Their parameters vary widely among the states that have 
developed ACO programs. But in general, accountable care organizations are partnerships of health care 
providers — including primary care doctors, specialists and sometimes hospitals — that agree to a set 
budget for serving all of the health and long term care needs of a defined group of patients. The 
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The objective of this paper is to demonstrate connections between the issues we’ve beendiscussing over the semester by discussing a section of the Patient Protection and AffordableCare Act of 2010....

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