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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%. Addressing Health Disparities Through Medicaid Expansion Through the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, millions of Americans gained better access to healthcare, including historically underserved populations who previously lacked proper care and displayed poorer outcomes. The six determinants of health known as SDOH shape health results through birth conditions and life stages from adulthood to employment and aging years to create an 80 to 90 percent influence compared to healthcare interventions, which impact only 10 to 20 percent. Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains a significant U.S. healthcare policy initiative that aims to resolve SDOH and health equity issues. The policy transformed healthcare opportunities for millions of Americans, especially benefiting those without previous healthcare access who faced subsequent health problems. Medicaid Expansion and Social Determinants of Health The fundamental structure of Medicaid expansion addresses various health determinants impacting Americans. The Medicaid system prior to the ACA limited coverage to expectant mothers with children under six, people with disabilities, and those who earned minimal incomes (Lin et al., 2021). The ACA reform eliminated previous coverage boundaries and standardized Medicaid enrollment through income-based eligibility criteria, granting access to adults below 138% of the Federal Poverty Line (Baten et al., 2024). The new policy framework addressed diverse social determinants of health issues. Access to Healthcare Healthcare access emerges as the fundamental outcome of Medicaid coverage expansion for medical services. Medical insurance rates continuously decreased after Medicaid expansion thanks to its focused benefits structure for particular populations. As noted in the literature, “from 2012 to 2018, uninsured rates decreased by 10.75%, 6.42%, and 1.11% for <138%, 138-400%, and >400% FPL, respectively.” Studies prove Medicaid expansion brought the best benefits to those earning the least money since they needed insurance coverage the most (Baten et al., 2024). Better healthcare accessibility leads to improved chronic condition management outcomes and greater use of preventive measures while decreasing emergency department visits that could have been prevented. Housing, Education and Employment Stability The Medicaid expansion created stable finances, allowing beneficiaries to maintain their housing through reduced healthcare expenses. Studies have established that Medicaid expansion has reduced residential displacement and increased housing stability among participating beneficiaries (Baten et al., 2024). Better healthcare access from Medicaid expansion allows individuals to reallocate their funds to secure stable housing. Research shows that expanding Medicaid access leads to decreased school dropout rates, according to Lin et al. (2021). This policy gives beneficiaries career flexibility with independent healthcare benefits that allow them to enroll in training or educational programs. Strengths and Limitations in Reducing Health Disparities Strengths Health outcomes between different income groups became more equal after Medicaid programs expanded across wider populations. The policy addresses low-income communities because, throughout history, these groups received the worst healthcare access. According to Snowden et al. (2022), the Medicaid expansion shows evidence of eliminating insurance inequalities based on social class and directly assists vulnerable populations. Read More …