The year 2014. Year of the Affordable Care Act. As great as it seems for Americans, how is this new bill affecting American-owned businesses and organizations? What role does the ACA play in the health and human services industry?
First, the demand for the services of healthcare workers will increase. That much we can say about healthcare hiring in the wake of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In its 1,000-plus pages, the reform legislation’s broad-stroke system changes and neuron-numbing details will not only create jobs; the far-reaching plan will also change the career paths of many experienced or aspiring health professionals as the system lumbers toward universal coverage with an emphasis on primary care. But what clinical positions will healthcare organizations need to fill to meet the increased demand and when? Much won’t be known for a few years, as the new laws and many provisions make their staged entrances.
Still, the legislation’s major emphasis will have somewhat predictable effects on the healthcare labor economy. And what will be the magnitude of job creation? Perhaps, not as enormous as some of the headline healthcare reform numbers suggest. Because Medicare today covers virtually the entire population ages 65 and up, nearly all of the estimated 32 million people who will become covered under healthcare reform by 2014 are younger Americans who require fewer healthcare services. And “uninsured Americans already receive about 50 percent of the care they will receive when insured,” says Charles Roehrig, Director of the Altarum Center for Studying Health Spending, a research and consulting organization with clients in government and the private sector. So it turns out the total increase in provided healthcare will be about 3 percent, Roehrig says. And since younger patients use more ambulatory care, outpatient services will see the greatest increase in demand. Is your health and human services organization ready for this sudden change?
The healthcare field is one of the most demanding industries in the world. The pressures, demands, and always-advancing technologies play a huge role in any organization’s chance of success. One way to assure success is through using a knowledgeable staffing firm. The quality and assurance of your staff play a significant role in patient health, satisfaction, and well-being. We believe as a healthcare employer, one should always have a plan in place for effectively managing your office’s staffing needs at any given time.
After reading this blog, you are probably asking yourself how you can be prepared for the Affordable Care Act as an employer. Contact us today to get help from an experienced staffing agency. We have an amazing Job Search page that makes it easy to both share and find open positions. You can learn more about our staffing services here. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
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