A current important issue in healthcare is the addition of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). This program is for families and individuals with limited resources and low income. This program ensures that individuals who fall under these categories are able to have medical and financial benefits (Martin, 2015). The Affordable Care Act is a program that has expanded the eligibility for more citizens to receive benefits under Medicaid. Citizens that fall under the poverty line now qualify for coverage in all states that have a Medicaid program. In the United States, Medicaid and ACA is the largest source of funding of medical services for people with low income (Martin, 2015). This act was predominately passed to help …show more content…
In addition, to protect the public resources that fund the Medicaid programs and maintain balance by paying claims and eliminating burdens on the providers while preventing and detecting fraud. Medicaid or ACA fraud can be conducted in a manner of ways, the most common seen are; Medicaid billed for services never done and equipment that was never used or was returned, d documents that were altered to receive higher payments, misrepresentation of dates, descriptions of furnished services, or the identity of the beneficiary, use of a person’s Medicaid card and ACA without the persons permission, and a company that uses false information to mislead someone into joining a Medicare plan (Collica-Cox, 2015). The addition of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped the CMS narrow down and shut down fraud. The government has new regulations of requirements for providers and what providers can participate under the ACA (Martin, 2015). There is additional screening for providers such as unscheduled visits, fingerprinting, background check, application fees, license checks, and most importantly they are now required face to face with patients before home health services. The government can suspend payments to providers under investigation. In addition, they can temporarily stop admission of new providers in the country when waste, fraud, and abuse are assumed
Charles, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was intended to correct the historical issues related to cost and access in the health care system in America (Pagel, Bates, Goldmann & Koller, 2017). The ACA was an attempt by the US government to ensure access to health insurance was available for more Americans. The historical role of the government in health care prior to the ACA had been that the government should only have a little involvement in the delivery and reimbursement of services with respect to having a role in policy making for the protection of the public’s health (Williams & Torrens, 2008). The role of government involvement has changed through the Medicare and Medicaid government programs. Today, these programs have the
Attempts to stop fraud were enhanced under Public Law 104-191, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The purpose was to improve the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act, the Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system. This public law encouraged the development of a health information system through standards and requirements for the electronic transmission of certain health information (aspe.hhs.go). The Act established a program to take action against fraud committed against public and private health plans. The legislation required the establishment of a national Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC), under the joint direction of the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) acting through the Department 's Inspector General (HHS.gov). The HCFAC program is designed to coordinate Federal, State and local law enforcement activities with respect to health care fraud and abuse. The Act requires HHS and Department of Justice (DOJ) detail in an Annual Report the amounts deposited and appropriated to the Medicare Trust Fund, and the source of such deposits. (HHS.gov) I will summarize the impact of these laws as it pertains to how they are impacting the healthcare delivery system. (HHS.gov)
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “health care fraud costs the country an estimated $80 billion dollars a year” ("Health Care Fraud," n.d., p. 1). Because health care costs continue to rise more rapidly than the rate of inflation the threat of health care fraud continues to rise. The Affordable Health Care Act has put new policies in place to identify and stop health care fraud. The FBI along with other government, insurance, and public agencies have joined together to combat fraud at every level. New rules in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting fraud before payments are made to medical providers could save billions of
Questions are constantly circulating around the new Affordable Care Act. Many do not know what it does and the government is trying to make it out to be a big savior to the medical field for doctors and patients alike. The Affordable Care Act has also been given the name Obamacare because of its ties to the President. He believes that increasing the amount of people on insurances of any kind that meets his “standards” will help health care become more available and more profitable. Unfortunately, these claims are not true as Obamacare is clearly going to negatively impact health care in all aspects. The problems start for patients who get on government healthcare programs, such as Medicaid, with the fact that the treatment plans are extremely
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a complex federal law that affects health system of the United States in every aspect. ACA goals is to improve quality of healthcare; increase access, and to stabilize and possibly reduce the cost of the healthcare services. ACA provisions include, but not limited to, expansion of Medicaid to all individuals less than 65 years of age whose income is 133% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) or below; created Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan a nonprofit, member-run health insurance companies in all 50 states; prohibits existing health insurers to deny coverage due to preexisting conditions; allows states to create a Basic Health Plan for individuals without health insurance and income range of 133-200% FPL; improves prevention services by requiring health plans to include basic preventive coverage without cost-sharing; improve access to health care by providing additional funds for community based health centers and other community based organizations(Knickman, Kover, 2015. Pp344-361). Every provision of ACA will bring significant change to every area of the healthcare and, as a result, changes in access, quality, and cost. These 3 components of the healthcare system are intertwined and change in one will cause the change in the others.
The cost of running a system supported by government resources is too costly, and it will not help the deficit. The organizations responsibility for the regulatory practices of the ACO with the best method to improve quality and greater collaboration of care providers that will reduce cost. Unavoidably, the infrastructure would result with consolidation, coordination in the sector of health care. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission
In the last four years, the United States has implemented a new reform in our medical system called the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Its goal is to reform the health care system, by providing Americans with a more affordable health insurance policy. It also tries to compress the growth of healthcare spending in the United States. The ACA offers Americans better health coverage because of the widespread reforms that are included. These reforms will expand our healthcare coverage, hold insurance companies liable, lower health care costs, guarantee more choice for patients, and improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans (Markette, 2011, p. 12). As the law has passed, there have been many people affected. For example, the craft supply
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) is a new health care legislation law passed by the American government in 2012 to reform the United States health care system. All the states will enact this legislation, however, selected will limit the provision provided to their citizens (Kaiser Commisson, 2013). According to Spares, (2011), the ACA opens the door for many 47 million nonelderly uninsured Americans who have never been eligible for affordable health care insurance including many of the 1.8 million uninsured Georgians. The ACA health care reform law’s goal is to decrease the number of uninsured community and increase health care regulations so that health care quality increases in a cost efficient way (Sparer, 2011). Part of the ACA’s provisions will be to increase wellness care for a healthier America to prevent costly chronic disease treatment (Knickman & Kovner, 2015).
In this paper you are going to learn all about the Accountable Care Organization (ACO). Also, how does it pertain to the healthcare system? We will also be learning about the reimbursement rates for Medicare patients. Who makes up the Accountable Care Organization? We will also take a look into the Affordable Care Act and how the ACO is a part of that.
Health care fraud and abuse is a significant contributor to high health care spending, resulting in the wasteful spending of health care dollars. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) estimates that 3 to 10 percent of health care dollars are lost to fraud and abuse (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010). Fraud is the intentional deception or misrepresentation that an individual knows to be false or does not believe to be true and makes, knowing that the deception could result in some unauthorized benefit to themselves or some other person (Ryan, 2006). Bloomberg reports health care expenditures are rising faster than the rate of inflation and spending in the US has nearly doubled in the last decade and one-half of health care
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is legislation signed into law by the Obama Administration in 2010 and is gradually becoming implemented over several years. As of 2014 the ACA is requiring nearly every American to have an approved level of health insurance or pay a penalty. The required insurance coverage includes nearly 34 million Americans who are currently or were previously uninsured and is subsidized mainly through Medicaid and Health Insurance Exchanges that will completely or partially pay for coverage. The ACA goes beyond requirements for the individual by including extensive requirements on the health insurance industry and several regulations on the practice of medicine.
Health care in the United States is driven by a patchwork of services and financing. Americans access health care services in a variety of ways — from private physicians’ offices, to public hospitals, to safety-net providers. This diverse network of health care providers is supported by an equally diverse set of funding streams. The United States spends almost twice as much on health care as any other country, topping $2 trillion each year. (WHO.INT 2000) However, even with overall spending amounting to more than $7,400 per person, millions of individuals cannot access the health care services they need.(Foundation 2009) So when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a the Affordable Care Act or ACA) was passed in the summer
Although Congress has used several anti-fraud measures to protect the federal government health care programs, the False Claims Act of 1986 has become the main weapon that government prosecutors use against perpetrators of health care fraud. Designed to prevent fraud and other abuses in federal government programs, the False Claims Act has been the primary statute the government has used in its fight against health care fraud. However, government prosecutors do not rely on one statute in their prosecution of alleged cases of health care fraud. Instead, they rely on a combination of statutes, but the False Claims Act has emerged as the main statutory weapon.
Collectively, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice work to reduce healthcare fraud and investigate dishonest providers and suppliers. The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team recouped almost 3 billion in fraud, this year alone. Also, aggressive strategies exist to eliminate Medicare prescription fraud. Patients abusing or selling painkillers received by visiting several doctors and obtaining multiple prescriptions costs Medicare millions annually. Fraud affects everyone, preventing it requires government officials and citizens diligently working together.
Insurance companies and the federal government should pool resources using a percentage of profits to finance a task force to arrestively fight fraud. The penalty for fraud should be more stringent which will cause perpetrators to think twice before formulating a plan to commit fraud. The Affordable Health Care Act is the beginning of many programs established to fight against fraud. Health care fraud is a growing problem and should be taken more seriously by citizens of the United States. Physicians, health care workers, and patients are responsible for