Health Care Reform and Chronic Diseases
Anticipating the Health Consequences
- Neda Laiteerapong, MD;
- Elbert S. Huang, MD, MPH
- Author Affiliations: Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- CHRONIC DISEASE
- COSTS AND COST ANALYSIS
- DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE
- HEALTH CARE SYSTEM REFORM
- HEALTH POLICY
- INSURANCE COVERAGE
- MEDICALLY UNINSURED
Debate surrounding health care reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was contentious and focused mainly on disagreement about the costs of providing insurance to more Americans. Minimal discussion was devoted to how reform might change chronic disease outcomes, even though chronic diseases represent a major source of unsustainable growth in health care costs.1 Because of its numerous provisions, the PPACA has the potential to reshape the treatment and course of chronic diseases in America. The degree to which the PPACA brings about changes in chronic disease management will depend on whom the law affects, how specific provisions alter service delivery, and how recent discoveries in chronic disease prevention and treatment affect health outcomes.
Who Will Be Affected
The effect of the PPACA will differ for individuals according to their insurance status before reform. The majority of the 46.3 million uninsured persons are young or middle-aged adults.2 At least …
