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Medicaid Expansion and Social Determinants of Health
Healthcare policies play a critical role in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), which can contribute to health disparities among different populations. Choose a current healthcare policy or initiative aimed at addressing SDOH (e.g., Medicaid expansion, community health programs, or housing initiatives) and discuss its potential to reduce health disparities. (CSLO #1)
Consider the following:
- How does the chosen policy address key SDOH factors (e.g., income, education, housing, access to healthcare)?
- What are the strengths and limitations of the policy in reducing health disparities?
- How can advanced practice nurses play a role in promoting or improving policies that address SDOH?
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Medicaid Expansion and Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDOH), including income, education, housing, and healthcare access, significantly influence health outcomes and drive disparities across populations. Medicaid Expansion, enacted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a critical healthcare policy designed to address these determinants by expanding coverage to low-income adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. This paper evaluates Medicaid Expansion’s potential to reduce health disparities, focusing on its impact on SDOH, its strengths and limitations, and the role of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in its promotion. Contextualized at Southern Wellness Care LLC, a hypothetical community health clinic in Georgia—a non-expansion state—the analysis draws on evidence from the Kaiser Family Foundation (2023) and Bailey et al. (2020) to provide actionable insights.
Addressing Key Social Determinants of Health
Medicaid Expansion directly targets several SDOH, notably income, access to healthcare, and, indirectly, housing stability. By covering medical expenses for low-income individuals, the policy enhances economic stability, reducing out-of-pocket healthcare costs that can consume 10–20% of household income for uninsured families (Kaiser Family Foundation [KFF], 2023). At Southern Wellness Care LLC, this could enable 30% of uninsured patients to redirect savings toward necessities like food and rent, mitigating financial stress linked to…