D e n t i s t r y a n d t h e A f f o r d a b l e C a r e A c t
By Charles McElwee and Kathleen Bumpers , Government Relations Coordinators
It ’ s the controversial legislation that has changed the scope of government and dominated political discourse for nearly five years . Its long-term impact might yet still be gigantic , but its initial roll-out was largely defined by the technological turbulence associated with the online marketplaces . The Affordable Care Act ( ACA ), more commonly known as Obamacare , was created with stated claims of helping consumers access care and navigate the labyrinth of insurance companies , and to ultimately reduce health care costs . Whether all of that will happen remains to be seen , but early indications are that the long-term forecast is quite murky .
The federal government ’ s web site was not prepared to go live and it subsequently faced criticism for its mismanagement of an already complicated maze . By the end of March , it appeared that some of the website glitches have been resolved , and that millions were able to purchase insurance through the exchange . ( Editor ’ s note : As of April 15 , insurers informed the House Energy and Commerce committee that 2.45 million had paid their first month ’ s premium for coverage through the federal marketplace . It is not clear how many of these were previously uninsured .)
Compounding these glitches was the public ’ s realization that many who already had individual insurance plans would lose their coverage . The Obama administration has since delayed the cancellation of individual plans that don ’ t meet the thresholds established in the ACA . This is just one of many delays of deadlines that were mandated in the law .
The question remains , though , how does the ACA impact dentistry ? No doubt , the ACA will have a transformative impact on patients and health care professionals .
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