Many people throughout the United States face significant barriers that limit their access to health care. As policy makers and others consider ways to address challenges related to access to care, one key area of focus involves those who lack insurance or have inadequate coverage through insurance. To prepare for this Application: Review the information on insurance in this week’s (and previous weeks’) Learning Resources, including the media segments and Chapter 4 (pp. 50-58) and Chapter 9 of Essentials of Health Policy and Law. Consider how access to insurance differs from access to care. Think of an example that exemplifies this distinction. Review the descriptions of the federal health care reform legislation of 2010 presented in various readings. What provisions for expanding insurance coverage were outlined in this plan? Finally, if access to care is increased through health reform efforts, what unanticipated consequences might arise? Write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you address the following: How does access to insurance differ from access to care? Provide one specific example from your personal or professional life, or from current events to support your response, and explain why this distinction is important. How does the federal health care reform legislation of 2010 address access to insurance? What do you see as the ultimate goal of expanding insurance coverage? If access to medical care is increased through health care reform, what unanticipated consequences might arise? Your written assignment must follow APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. Refer to the Pocket Guide to APA Style to ensure your in-text citations and reference list are correct.
