On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, setting in motion a historic and, for many, a long-awaited radical change to the current American health care system. Section 2951 of the PPACA addresses provision and funding of maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting programs. The purpose of this article is to acquaint the reader with the legislative odyssey of home visitation services to at-risk prenatal and postpartum women and children as delineated in the PPACA and to discuss the nursing practice and research implications of this landmark legislation. Few question the need for more rigorous methodology in all phases of home visitation research. Public health nursing may provide the comprehensive approach to evaluating effective home visitation programs.
Questions to consider:
- What is the primary goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA)?
- What areas does the PPACA address?
- What benefits does home visitation have for families? What limitations in home visitation existed before the passage of PPACA and what areas will be improved because of the passage of the PPACA?