The goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to improve the health of Americans. A major objective of the legislation is to increase access to health care by reducing financial barriers by making affordable insurance universally available.
Expanding Medicaid to include childless adults with family incomes at or below 138% Federal Poverty Level was included in the original legislation but was made optional by the Supreme Court. To date Florida’s legislature refuses to participate in Medicaid expansion.
The ACA has been in place long enough that data are now available to show ACA, including Medicaid expansion, results in increased numbers of insured, greater use of health care and improved health. (Antonisse) Available data suggest the failure to accept Medicaid expansion leads to a loss of state and individual benefits as described below.
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