Provide background for the issues:  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a plan designed to provide health insurance to everyone.  This bill could have significant negative consequences on the medical field.  Health care can change significantly from how we know it today, and some effects could lower the level of care people receive.

Summarize the purpose of your project and how you will accomplish it: This paper will examine the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its effects on the medical field.  I will identify aspects of the bill that can be detrimental to the medical field and examine their effect on patient care.  I will also research data on the impacts of the first components of the bill that have been passed.

Include a “working title:” Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Can it Cause a Negative Impact on the Medical Field?

Indicate questions to be answered:

Key Question: What impact can the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have on the medical field and the medical care we are accustomed to?

Sub-Questions: Will hospitals suffer from overcrowding if more people have health insurance?  Will more health care professionals need to be hired? Will health care professionals receive the same wages?  Will expanded Medicaid eligibility encourage people to take advantage of medical services? Have any negative consequences been observed since the first components of the bill have passed?  Do other countries with a similar system suffer any consequences?