ABSTRACT
On a sunny Thursday morning, June 25, 2015, President Obama strode into the Rose Garden and declared a victory for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by stating that the act was working exactly the way it was supposed to work. He further reinforced that ACA has enabled young Americans up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents' health plans. It disallows the insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions. Above all, an expansion of Medicaid has also brought an additional 16 million Americans under health coverage in a span of less than 2 years. The ACA went into full effect on January 1, 2014, ushering in health insurance reforms and new health coverage options across the country. As the states expand Medicaid and provide new coverage options through the federal health insurance marketplace, they are busy streamlining application and enrollment processes for coverage programs. This article highlights the positive impact of the ACA on uninsured and the challenges that not-for-profit and public hospitals are facing as they navigate the new health care landscape.
