When it comes to childcare costs that mom and dad are paying for, it looks like the Affordable Care Act has reduced some of those costs. The cost of being a parent is astronomically high, and a lot of parents take on that financial toll with little help from any governing body. While everyone knows that children can be expensive, it is hard to realize just how expensive until you start the journey and you see the costs start to add up. With households having both parents needing to work, this means that childcare is essential. With children prone to illnesses, healthcare is important and it is even better if it is preventative.
According to Medical Express, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has not only increased preventative healthcare for children, but it has reduced costs for parents who have to pay out-of-pocket. This was shown evident through a new study by Boston University School of Public Health, and the full study can be viewed here.
The study looked at the statuses since the ACA was passed in 2010 up until 2018. In 2010, the amount of health check-ups that came with out-of-pocket costs was 54.2%, but in 2018, they were 14.5%. This is an extraordinary difference.
The study lead, author Dr. Paul Shafer, said that this is exceptional, and that it shows just how helpful the ACA has been, though he does say that there is still a lot of work to be done. He said that they also found that 1 in 7 families were still being charged something for their children’s well visits.
This is a problem because if a family knows that they are going to incur costs, they may be reluctant to take their child for these well-checks. Well-checks for a child can be extremely beneficial for a child’s health and wellbeing, because the aim is to make sure that a child is healthy and that any issues can be caught right away and dealt with accordingly.
The study looked at national health insurance claims data from 2006 to 2018 for children between the ages of 0 and 17 to complete their studies. They also found that the trend was slowly improving before the ACA became law. The number of children who were going to the doctor at least once a year, without having a well-check, was dropping.
They also found an increase in children going to their medical provider for services such as vaccines and other preventative methods. The aim of the medical world has always been the health of every single person, and this is good news when it comes to medical treatment for children.
Sources: Medical Express, Boston University School of Public Health