Health Care for All: An Overview of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion in the USA

Abstract

One of the most significant health care reforms since the implementation of Medicare and Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted into law in 2010, was met with widespread criticism. The expansion of Medicaid eligibility was a specific focus of these critiques as sceptics believed the long-term effects would be primarily negative for both the physical and fiscal health of the population. This article provides a brief history of the ACA along with the role of political and public opinion. This is followed with an analysis of initial criticisms and concerns surrounding the eligibility and expansion—with a brief discussion of the constitutionality of the law. Finally, while the long-term effects of the ACA upon health care access and service in the USA are yet to be seen, preliminary results indicate positive effects, contrary to the negatives originally assumed. The article concludes with a summary of current health care reform and a prospective on the future of health care reform in the USA.