Which policy aims to improve quality and lower costs?

• A. The Affordable Care Act increases costs for all services.
• B. It provides free universal healthcare.
• C. The Affordable Care Act aims to enhance the quality of healthcare while reducing overall costs for consumers.
• D. It removes preventive care from insurance plans.

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is how a policy can target both care quality and overall costs. The Affordable Care Act is designed to do just that: improve the quality of healthcare while reducing total costs for consumers. It pursues this through expanding coverage to reduce expensive, unpaid care, promoting preventive services so problems are caught early, and shifting payment toward value and outcomes rather than volume. These elements work together to raise care standards and efficiency, helping to bend the cost curve over time. The other statements don’t fit: the act did not create universal free healthcare, it does not aim to increase costs for all services, and it does not remove preventive care—in fact, it emphasizes preventive services.