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57%A Health Tracking Poll conducted in March 2013 bythe Kaiser Family Foundation found that 57 percentof people surveyed believe they do not have sufficientinformation about the ACA to understand howit will impact them.Understanding the ACAThe ACA became a law for many reasons.Looking at those reasons gives us a wayto understand what the Act includes andwhy it does what it does.While insuring the uninsured wasa hotly debated talking point in theACA debate, the rapidly rising cost ofhealthcare, along with the recessionAmericans faced, may have been thebiggest motivators and reason the lawwas passed this time. Healthcare in theUnited States accounts for almost 20percent of our gross domestic productaccording to Forbes magazine. As anation, we pay twice as much as otherdeveloped countries. But as high as thecost is, the fact that those costs aregrowing at a faster rate than inflation,the increase in national income andthe economy has caused the greatestalarm. 1 The basic provisions of the lawseek to address these economic andnational issues – lowering healthcarecosts and slowing its growth while improvinghealthcare outcomes.The Basic BillThe complete ACA takes up 2,700 pages.But knowing what’s in those pages canbe simplified by looking at the 10 Titlesof the law shown here and how they connectto these key objectives: increasinghealthcare access, reducing healthcarecost and improving healthcare outcomes.1. Quality, affordable healthcare forall Americans (access)2. The role of public programs(access, cost and quality)3. Improving the quality and efficiencyof healthcare (quality)4. Prevention of chronic disease andimproving public health (cost and quality)5. Healthcare workforce (access)6. Transparency and program integrity(cost and quality)7. Improving access to innovative medicaltherapies (access, cost and quality)8. Community Living Assistance Servicesand Support Act (CLASS ACT, abandonedOct. 2011)9. Revenue provisions (cost)10. Reauthorization of the Indian Health CareImprovement Act (access, cost and quality)The RolloutSince its signing, different aspects of theACA have gone into effect – most of whichhave impacted insurance companies andbenefited citizens. Each implementationrepresents a part of a careful rolloutleading up to the implementation of themajority of the law in January 2014. Thefollowing timeline shows how the Act hasunfolded over the last three years.To read the full law, visit www.healthcare.gov/law/full/index.html.ASD Healthcare 25