Affordable Care Act Revisited: Good News – New Orleans, LA

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Affordable Care Act Revisited: Good News – New Orleans, LA

There seems to be good news for the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA). New research conducted by professors at Harvard’s School of Public Health shows evidence that a similar program can help reduce mortality rates. The research, first published by Annals of Internal Medicine journal, looks at health data from the state of Massachusetts and draws some interesting conclusions. Let’s take a look at the findings and how they compare at a national level.

Affordable Care Act

 

First, let’s go back to April of 2006 when the Massachusetts legislature passed a law requiring its residents to enroll in a health care plan or face legal penalties. It was the first time a state would offer universal health care for all its residents, and as Uwe E. Reinhardt, a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University put it, “Massachusetts [was] the first state in America to reach full adulthood”. So why is Massachusetts health system so important?

Firstly, The Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known as Obamacare) was modeled after Massachusetts’ plan, as it was seen as a breakthrough model that accounted for everyone. It was also an example of remarkable bipartisanship, as both sides of the aisle got on board, getting signed by then Republican Governor Mitt Romney.

Secondly, eight years have gone since the bill passed and researchers have enough information to test it. As it turns out, the system has proven to reduce mortality rates consistently. This could potentially mean that Obamacare will have the same effect at a larger scale.

The implications of this research are enormous, as the ACA was a divisive issue across the nation. Any research or hard facts that support its implementation will only shed light on the effectiveness of the program. Just this past March, complaints against the so-called Obamacare grew as the signup website encountered many glitches and errors. Regardless, enrollment numbers seem to be as projected according to the White House.

In the end, we might have to wait four more years to see what this fundamental change to our healthcare system does. Don’t forget to stay up to date with changes to insurance law and other news here at AWS.

AWS Insurance serves New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, and Southern Louisiana by providing protection for your home, business, or family with affordable plans in property insurance, liability insurance, life insurance, car insurance, and flood insurance from our Metairie, LA office. Our corporate clients can rest assured that our dedicated advisers at AWS Risk Management, LLC will help you implement workable solutions that achieve maximum asset protection with minimal cost of risk to your company.

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Melinda Martin

Account Executive

Melinda began her insurance career in 1985 with Alexander & Alexander where she received her Property & Casualty and Life & Health license. Since then she has worked at various agencies in the New Orleans area and in California as a senior account manager for Employee Benefit Plans.  While in California, she was also the Membership Director for the Burbank Chamber of Commerce. Melinda joined the AWS team in July of 2015.

Michael A. Seeling

Vice President

Graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a B.A. in Insurance Risk Management and is a graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School in New Orleans. He joined AWS in October of 2008 and has been awarded the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Certification (PPACA). Additionally, he is working towards his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), and Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC) designations. He is also a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), National Association of Insurance Financial Advisors (NAIFA), and is an active member of the Fore!Kids foundation.

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