Louisville
Begins
Implementation
of the
Affordable
Care Act
LaQuandra Nesbitt, MD, MPH
O
n October 1, 2013 enrollment
began under the Affordable
Care Act.
While much media attention has been
paid to the problem-plagued rollout of the
federal health exchange Healthcare.gov
and the significantly more successful start
up of the state health exchange kynect.
ky.gov, the fact remains that a successful
implementation of the Affordable Care Act in our region will
heavily depend on local efforts here in Louisville.
Here in Louisville there are more than 101,000 uninsured.
An estimated 54,000 are eligible to be enrolled in private
Qualified Health Plans and 47,000 are eligible to be insured
under expanded Medicaid coverage.
We need to do all we can to enroll as many of our fellow
citizens as possible, but we must also reach out to the newly
insured to help them find a medical home and to educate
them on the appropriate use of the healthcare system. More
than 100,000 potential new patients will also impact the ability
of the local system to deliver care. We must ensure that our
medical workforce has adequate capacity.
The Louisville Metro Board of Health has convened a steering committee, chaired by Mr. William “Bill” Altman, JD,
comprised of stakeholders involved in health care delivery in
Louisville. This is a very inclusive wide-ranging team consisting of all area hospitals/heal