Final answer:
An APS is an Attending Physician Statement, a document used by insurance underwriters to evaluate a person's pre-existing conditions. The ACA has helped insure more people, including provisions for pre-existing conditions, but healthcare cost and coverage gaps still contribute to the uninsured and underinsured.
Step-by-step explanation:
An APS is an Attending Physician Statement. It is a document requested by an insurance underwriter that contains detailed information about a person's medical history, including any pre-existing conditions.The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, has played a significant role in addressing issues of people being uninsured or underinsured due to reasons like the high cost of healthcare, exclusion from employer-provided insurance, and previous exclusions for pre-existing conditions. While the ACA has significantly improved access to health insurance by increasing Medicaid eligibility and regulating the insurance market, affordability and access to comprehensive insurance coverage remain challenging.
The ACA's regulations ensure that premiums are used primarily for medical care and coverage for pre-existing conditions cannot be denied. Despite this, a portion of the population remains uninsured partly due to the costs associated with health insurance and gaps in employer coverage.