Final answer:
In 1972, although the year does not indicate a specific act, efforts to address healthcare provider shortages included the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s and later reforms such as the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which aimed to provide affordable health insurance and to reduce healthcare costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1972, to deal with a shortage of healthcare providers, various measures were proposed and some enacted. While this specific year doesn't delineate a particular act, throughout the period, the American healthcare system saw several changes. Most notably, was the establishment of programs like Medicare and Medicaid during President Lyndon Johnson's administration in the 1960s, which greatly expanded healthcare coverage. Policies continued to evolve over the decades to address healthcare demands.
During the Clinton administration, for instance, there was an attempt at comprehensive healthcare reform which failed due to lack of support in Congress. Later, the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—also known as Obamacare—represented a significant overhaul with goals to provide all Americans with access to affordable health insurance and to reduce healthcare costs. Over the years, various methods to increase healthcare efficiency and provider availability have been employed, such as the consolidation of hospitals and the rise of urgent care facilities, telemedicine, and the use of artificial intelligence.