The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made a huge impact on healthcare delivery system and especially in regard to financial management of healthcare organizations and delivery of high quality healthcare services.
The timeline for implementation of the Affordable Care Act will continue through 2020.
Please review:
Affordable Health California. (2021). Timeline: Affordable Care Act. https://affordablehealthca.com/timeline-obamacare/
Locate 3–4 updates (past, present, or future) on the timeline that are related to healthcare finance. Discuss these changes or initiatives and include thoughts on how they have and will continue to impact healthcare finance.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its Impact on Healthcare Finance
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has brought significant changes to the healthcare industry, particularly in the realm of healthcare finance. The timeline for the ACA’s implementation spans from its initial introduction in 2008 to its continued impact through 2020. Let’s examine several updates from the timeline that have had and will continue to have a profound effect on healthcare finance.
January 2011: Florida Judge Rules Elements of the ACA Unconstitutional
In January 2011, a Florida judge ruled certain elements of the ACA unconstitutional. This ruling sparked debates and discussions regarding the legality and constitutionality of various provisions within the ACA. These legal battles had financial implications for healthcare organizations, as uncertainty surrounding the future of the ACA affected their financial planning and investments.
September 2011: Health Insurers Required to Publicly Disclose Rate Increases of 10% or More
In September 2011, health insurers were mandated to publicly disclose any rate increases of 10% or more. This initiative aimed to increase transparency in healthcare pricing and prevent exorbitant insurance rate hikes. By making rate increases more transparent, consumers could make informed decisions and hold insurers accountable. This change in regulation had a direct impact on healthcare finance, as it forced insurers to justify their pricing strategies and potentially adjust their financial models.
January 2014: Affordable Care Act Takes Full Effect
In January 2014, the bulk of the Affordable Care Act’s provisions went into effect. This marked a significant milestone in healthcare finance, as several key changes occurred:
The establishment of Health Benefit Exchanges allowed individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance coverage. This shift in the insurance marketplace impacted the financial landscape for insurers, providers, and consumers alike.
Prohibition of denial of coverage for adults with pre-existing conditions changed the risk profile for insurance companies. This change required insurers to adapt their financial models and pricing strategies to accommodate a potentially higher-risk pool of insured individuals.
Tax credits were introduced for small businesses providing coverage, as well as for individuals and families with lower incomes. These tax credits aimed to make healthcare coverage more affordable, but they also had implications for government spending and revenue.
January 2020: Medicare Part D Donut Hole Phased Out
In January 2020, the Medicare Part D coverage gap, commonly known as the “donut hole,” was phased out under the ACA. The donut hole was a gap in prescription drug coverage where beneficiaries had to pay higher out-of-pocket costs. The closure of this coverage gap provided financial relief for Medicare beneficiaries, as they no longer faced significant expenses for prescription medications once they reached a certain threshold.
These updates from the ACA timeline demonstrate the wide-ranging impact of healthcare finance reforms implemented by the legislation. From legal challenges to increased transparency in pricing, these changes have shaped the financial landscape of the healthcare industry. As we move forward, it is crucial for healthcare organizations to adapt their financial strategies and models to navigate this evolving landscape and ensure financial sustainability while delivering high-quality care.
