Final answer:
The expansion of services, increases in unemployment, and changes in insurance coverage, including those resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have had a significant impact on healthcare accessibility and availability. Prior to the ACA, rising healthcare costs and denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions left many Americans uninsured or underinsured. The ACA increased eligibility, guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and established regulations to ensure insurance funds are used for medical care.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expansion of services, increases in unemployment, and changes in insurance coverage, including those resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have had a significant impact on healthcare accessibility and availability.
Prior to the ACA, rising healthcare costs and the denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions left many Americans uninsured or underinsured. The ACA increased eligibility to programs like Medicaid, guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and established regulations to ensure that insurance funds are used for medical care. As a result, 29 million people in the United States gained health insurance under the ACA, which has improved healthcare accessibility and availability.
The ACA also introduced state-wide healthcare exchanges, creating risk pools to offer insurance to those who were not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid and could not get employer-provided health insurance. These risk pools contribute to a common fund that individuals in the pool can use to pay for medical expenses. While the final impact of the ACA is still being debated, it has undoubtedly made healthcare more accessible and available for many Americans.