ACA Is Showing Expected Results, Says Brookings' Patel

The Affordable Care Act had three main priorities: to improve access to health care, control the growing cost of health care spending and improve the quality of services delivered to Americans. Prior to the Affordable Care Act, our system was broken — family premiums for employer coverage doubled over ten years, and in 2009, health spending reached nearly 18 percent of the gross domestic product. Finally, the United States lagged behind other similar countries on infant mortality, obesity and hospital-acquired infections.

As a practicing physician and a policy researcher, I can say that improvements in all three key priority areas are really happening. One of my newest patients is a 52-year-old woman with progressively debilitating shortness of breath. She was working two part-time jobs as a waitress, and could not previously afford health insurance until the Affordable Care Act. I found out she had undiagnosed heart disease, which we were able to diagnose and treat. I am also making sure that she receives other important preventive services, such as breast cancer detection and immunizations. Her quality of life was improved dramatically in a matter of weeks, thanks in large part to the the health care law.

But it’s not just stories from doctors’ offices — we are seeing signs of success across the country.

Read the complete article on the Brookings website: http://brook.gs/12lU1LN