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**Please ensure that the Reply includes more than 200 words with scholarly articles, and the plagiarism level must remain below 20%.** **Reply # 1** **Current Healthcare Policy or Initiative Aimed at Addressing SDOH and the Potential to Reduce Health Disparities** Medicaid expansion is one of the pr…
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**Please ensure that the Reply includes more than 200 words with scholarly articles, and the plagiarism level must remain below 20%.**
**Reply # 1**
**Current Healthcare Policy or Initiative Aimed at Addressing SDOH and the Potential to Reduce Health Disparities**
Medicaid expansion is one of the principal terms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This essential healthcare policy help to reduce health dispropotion and address several social determinants of health (SDOH). This program expands access to health care to millions of low-income adults or low socioeconomic level, the mayority of whom were uninsured before, by expanding Medicaid eligibility to those earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
Medicaid expansion addresses several important SDOH drivers directly. Medicaid expansion promotes equality by reducing out-of-pocket medical spending when it is greater than a low threshold, and this lessens the financial burden on low-income populations (Whitman et al., 2022). In fact, patients taking advantage of expanded Medicaid are less likely to experience devastating healthcare costs that can drive eviction or homelessness, resulting in greater housing stability. In particular, the policy provides better access to health services (Harker & Sharer, 2024), especially low socioeconomic levels of communities, by amplifying the insurance coverage and stimulating the introduction of health services in these areas.
The good part of Medicaid expansion for reducing health inequities are well-documented, such us research on lower uninsured rates, helping to improve the health outcomes, and reducing in racial/ethnic disparities in access to care (Lin et al., 2021). Expansion has been associated with large decreases in mortality among low-income adults in states that adopted it (Harker & Sharer, 2024). It also help to improve the continuity of care and decreases the visits to the emergency room, which is quite often a last resort for the uninsured. However, limitations exist. There is a coverage gap because not all states have expanded Medicaid. In addition, Medicaid reimbursement rates are still low, which can prevent providers from accepting Medicaid patients, meaning that coverage may not translate to access.
Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are vital in advocating for and improving policies such as Medicaid expansion. They can also assist by performing and sharing research that demonstrates the ability of Medicaid expansion to reduce disparities. Furthermore, through culturally appropriate care and community-based interventions, APNs can also contribute to closing the gap between policy and practice.
**Conclusion**
Medicaid expansion is an effective tool in meeting social determinants of health needs, specifically healthcare access among high-risk populations. It helps establish better health equity by removing barriers to access and reducing costs. However, successful implementation requires more than simply adopting a policy. Continued advocacy and healthcare workers' involvement are imperative. These professionals lead the way in clinical, community, and policy settings so that the expansion of benefits accrues to those most in need.
**References**
Harker, L., & Sharer, B. (2024). _Medicaid expansion: Frequently asked questions_. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/medicaid-expansion-frequently-asked-questions-0
Lin, Y., Monnette, A., & Shi, L. (2021). Effects of medicaid expansion on poverty disparities in health insurance coverage. _International Journal for Equity in Health_, _20_(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01486-3
Whitman, A., De Lew, N., Chappel, A., Aysola, V., Zuckerman, R., & Sommers, B. (2022). _Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Examples of Successful Evidence-Based Strategies and Current Federal Efforts_. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/e2b650cd64cf84aae8ff0fae7474af82/SDOH-Evidence-Review.pdf
– a year ago