Final answer:
The Hospital Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a necessary process mandated by the ACA for tax-exempt hospitals every three years to identify and address community health disparities. The current health assessments methods, while comprehensive, lack cultural tailoring, especially for minority groups such as African Americans. The passing of the ACA involved significant lobbying from different interest groups, with HCAN playing a substantial role in supporting the legislation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The hospital Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a requirement for tax-exempt hospitals as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), often known as Obamacare. A CHNA is an integral process that must be conducted every three years wherein hospitals work with community stakeholders to evaluate the health needs of the community they serve. The goal is to identify health disparities and develop strategies to improve health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations.
One significant limitation of current health assessments, such as The American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), is that they lack a holistic and culturally tailored approach for diverse groups, especially for people of color like African Americans. There is an imperative need to tailor health assessments and subsequent interventions to reduce health inequities and thus increase the overall quality of life for all community members.
In the context of passing the ACA, significant influence was exerted by various lobbyists representing insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, labor unions, and community groups. One notable group, Health Care for America Now (HCAN), spent substantial funds to help ensure the passage of the ACA, leading to reforms in the insurance industry and a mandate for individuals to obtain health insurance by 2014.