Patient Protections in the Affordable Care Act

Abstract

The full title of HR 3590 is the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (PPACA), an often-forgotten fact since the legislation is usually referred to as “Obamacare” or simply the “Affordable Care Act” (ACA). There are a number of reasons that the words “Patient Protection” were used in naming the landmark legislation, not the least of which is that a principal goal of the law is to enhance the rights of patients, particularly those overlooked or minimized by the traditional health complex. But have these patient protections been effective? Based on public polling alone, it would certainly appear that the ACA’s patient protection provisions have been successful; but for a more complete understanding, it is worth visiting where the country started, where we stand today, and the work that still needs to be done to position patients to feel like they are in control of their healthcare with all the other healthcare stakeholders, particularly payers and providers.