The Affordable Care Act: Considerations for Leveraging the Power of Nursing

Abstract

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, 2010) remains law in the United States despite challenges and politically charged debate about its purpose in healthcare. Most agree the top three problematic areas in US healthcare are high cost, access, and equity (Kimberlin, 2022; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine [NASEM], 2021; Ritz, 2016; Kaiser Family Foundation [KFF], 2013). The ACA aims to address these issues in complex and varied ways. Nurses can capitalize on the purpose of the ACA to leverage their power to improve quality, create efficient delivery systems, and pioneer innovations in healthcare while advocating for equity for patients (Cleveland et al., 2019). The purpose of this article is to discuss how nurses are powerfully addressing issues of cost, quality, and equitable care, pioneering the future of patient centered care, and preparing the workforce to meet the challenges brought about by the financial, political, and structural challenges 12 years after the ACA.