From The Left
by Allen Jo
     With all the confusing politics and jargon, it is hard to decide whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is beneficial or not. Questions arise such as would the ACA increase my premium and hurt the economy, or would the ACA take away my freedoms? In reality, the ACA will do none of that instead; the act will expand the private health center, lower premiums, and expand coverage to millions of Americans.

     U.S. Healthcare includes both the public and private sector. The U.S. as a whole spends approximately 17% of its GDP on health care. For each dollar spent on health care in the U.S., 31% goes to hospital care, 21% goes to physician/clinical services, 10% to pharmaceuticals, 7% to administrative costs, 7% to investment, 6% to nursing homes, 6% to other professional services such as physical therapists and optometrists, 4% to dental, and 8% on other. In 2009, the U.S. spent $2.5 trillion on health care, or $8,047 per person.

Want a better understanding of the future of medical education?
Collectively known as getMEDucated, this site is designed
to provide premedical students with concise and easily accessible
information concerning the continuing evolution of medical education
in America. By discussing influential historical changes that have
transformed medical education and the careers of medical
professionals, by examining current programs, and by investigating
potential future alterations, the goal of this website is to provide
students with a better understanding of the field which they hope to
study. Premedical students do not have a readily available resource of
this kind specifically geared toward their understanding. These web
pages provide such a resource and encourage the development of a
broader understanding of what it means to pursue a medical education.
For more info, go to: www.getmeducated.weebly.com

     The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, represents the largest overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system ever. Since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents have attempted to influence or reform the health care and insurance systems. On March 23, 2010, President Obama succeeded where previous presidents had failed.^[1] With the enactment of the ACA, 32 million of the currently 46.3 million uninsured Americans will become insured, leaving 23 million nonelderly adults uninsured by 2021.^[2] The 15.4% of the population which is uninsured results in 45,000 unnecessary deaths per year.^[3] The ACA aims to decrease this number while increasing healthcare quality and decrease costs. This is accomplished by increasing insurance through exchanges and Medicaid, increasing the number of healthcare professionals, not only doctors, but also Physician’s Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and LPNs, and shifting the focus from quantity (of tests, patients, surgeries, etc.) to quality and patient outcomes.
     But how will this massive overhaul affect you, a pre-medical student studying at UVA? The effects of the law are incredibly widespread, affecting almost everyone in the healthcare field, from insurance executives to nurses, from physician’s assistants to hospice workers. The ACA has already begun to influence aspiring doctors.

As Undergraduates