How The ACA Dented The Cost Curve

Numerous provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were designed to make health care more affordable, yet the act's cumulative effects on health care costs are still debated. A key question is whether or not the ACA reduced the annual rate at which total national health care spending increase...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health affairs (Millwood, Va.) Va.), 2020-03, Vol.39 (3), p.403-412G
Main Authors: Buntin, Melinda Beeuwkes, Graves, John A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beneficiaries
Cost control
Growth rate
Health care
Health care expenditures
Health care industry
Health care policy
Health insurance
Health services
Indirect effects
Insurance coverage
Medicaid
Medicare
Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act 2010-US
Payment systems
Per capita
Prices
Productivity
Prospective payment systems
Provisions
Trends
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:Numerous provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were designed to make health care more affordable, yet the act's cumulative effects on health care costs are still debated. A key question is whether or not the ACA reduced the annual rate at which total national health care spending increased and brought per capita spending growth rates down. We review the direct and indirect effects of the ACA on spending across segments of the health insurance market. We highlight areas where the ACA has affected spending, but we emphasize that the ACA's long-run impact on spending will depend on sustaining the adjustments made to provider payment systems and expanding the emphasis on value across payers throughout the ACA's second decade and beyond.
ISSN:0278-2715
1544-5208
DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01478