Assignment Task:
While nursing research helps to start policies or programs, program or policy evaluations provide a knowledgeable assessment of efficiency and effectiveness and grounds for distributing resources for all programs and policies (Short, 2021, p. 178). For this discussion, I will discuss the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), implemented in 2010, fundamentally aimed to transform the United States healthcare landscape by enhancing access, quality, and care affordability. Claxton et al. (2014) state, "A key measure of success of the ACA is whether the number of uninsured Americans drops. While that outcome seems like a relatively straightforward metric, it will, in fact, be surprisingly difficult to evaluate". A decade after its implementation, evaluations reveal a complex interplay between these goals. According to Ercia (2021), while the ACA successfully expanded insurance coverage and improved access for surgical patients through mechanisms like employer-based insurance reforms and online marketplaces, challenges that hindered its overall efficacy persisted. The evaluation highlights that despite notable improvements in patient coverage, the ACA's impact on reducing costs has been less definitive. Further examination by Frean (2021) underscores the mixed outcomes of the ACA on Federally Qualified Health Centers. The study indicated that uninsured individuals were more likely. Need Assignment Help?