Control Measures Voluntary Health Insurance Medicaid

If you are not a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary, then you will either get your health insurance through your employer or buy it yourself through the Health Insurance Marketplace. This type of insurance is referred to as voluntary health insurance.

The way in which health insurance is available for purchase changed drastically with the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. The ACA was “designed to ensure that all Americans have access to quality health care that is affordable and that will ultimately reduce healthcare costs” (Harrington, 2016, p. 93). The ACA transformed healthcare and the health insurance industry in many ways, some of which will be explained in your readings this week.

In this Discussion, you examine different voluntary health insurance plans, including the ACA, and the way in which they use cost-control measures. You will also discuss how participation in these plans impacts healthcare providers. Consider the scenario in this week’s Introduction as you prepare your Discussion.

Review this week’s Learning Resources.
Find at least one current, reputable online source (e.g., .org, .edu, .gov, or .mil) that discusses the cost-control measures used by the plan you selected and the impact it may have on providers.
Choose one of the following voluntary health insurance plans:
- Coverage through the ACA
- Health maintenance organization (HMO)
- Preferred provider organization (PPO)
- Point of service plan (POS)
- Exclusive provider organization (EPO)