The Affordable Care Act After COVID: The Strategic Role of Offshore Labor

The Affordable Care Act proved to be a landmark move in the history of the American healthcare industry. The dynamics and specifics of the legislation have changed significantly over the years, yet it remains a major driving force in the healthcare industry.

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With the rise of COVID in 2020, the American Rescue Plan was implemented, and with it came significant subsidies for the Affordable Care Act to bolster the healthcare system against the pandemic. Those subsidies ended in 2025, and now many healthcare organizations are left holding the bag.

American healthcare organizations, faced with this new problem, will have to change to keep pace, and a major change is integrating offshore employees.

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The Affordable Care Act: COVID and Post COVID

Expanded ACA Tax Credits During COVID

COVID strained the entire healthcare system in ways no one was ever expecting. The healthcare system buckled and strained, and the federal government enacted several policies to help keep it afloat. Among the efforts undertaken, subsidies under the Affordable Care Act were expanded. Lower- and middle-income households that were previously ineligible or barely qualified for ACA tax credits could obtain plans with more expansive coverage without substantially increasing their out-of-pocket expenses.

Expiration of Tax Credits and Impact on Patients

While the tax credits significantly increased health insurance use and availability, the change was temporary from the outset, and the tax credits expired in 2025. When the tax credits ended, families were faced with several choices. They could either switch to a cheaper plan with higher deductibles, delay paying premiums, or drop their insurance.

Challenges for Healthcare Organizations

This left the healthcare industry in a tough spot. Thanks to the tax credits, more people had insurance, more people used healthcare services, and providers got paid more reliably. When these subsidies expired, the pressure was back on. Patients delaying care or dropping plans created challenges in service delivery and financial stability for healthcare organizations.

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COVID exposed weaknesses in the U.S. healthcare system and highlighted how temporary ACA subsidies helped sustain coverage. Their expiration created financial and operational pressures for patients and providers alike.

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Offshore Labor Solutions

Cost Reduction and Workflow Optimization

In the face of this perfect storm, the best step for any healthcare organization is to reduce expenses and streamline workflows.

A natural reflex for any healthcare organization in these circumstances is to let go of employees, especially non-clinical workers.

While non-clinical workers aren’t necessarily prioritized in a healthcare organization, they are absolutely vital, especially in times of stress. A large, well-managed office staff is vital for an efficient operation, especially in tough times.

Non-Clinical Offshore Roles

Medical billing, medical coding, insurance verification, note-taking and entry, patient communication, and general assistance all become more important when compensation becomes more difficult to obtain, and patients become more challenging to work with.

If healthcare organizations really want to make more out of less with their workers, then integrating offshore teams is the perfect move (integrate link to other healthcare article).

Far from being a niche trend, as of 2024, roughly 68% of healthcare organizations reported outsourcing at least one non-clinical function (2), and the global healthcare outsourcing market was valued at over 350 billion dollars (1).

Offshore labor and offshore healthcare workers offer a wide range of solutions and employees for non-clinical roles, and they can do so for significantly less than their domestic counterparts.

Offshore medical assistants can help prepare and organize medical charts remotely. They can update electronic health records, manage patient communications, support telehealth appointments, and coordinate internal documentation and follow-ups.

Offshore medical scribes and note takers can remotely document patient encounters in real time, enter notes into electronic health record systems, update histories and visit summaries, support documentation, and ensure records align with billing and coding requirements.

Offshore medical billing specialists can help manage claims submissions, insurance verification, payment posting, denial management and appeals, accounts receivable follow-ups, and payer communications.

Offshore medical coding specialists are trained in turning clinical documentation into many different medical coding systems, including ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS.

Broader Offshore Applications

Offshore healthcare virtual assistants can manage appointment scheduling and calendar coordination, patient reminders and follow-ups, insurance eligibility verification, data entry and records management, and manage inbound administrative communications.

Far from being limited to healthcare roles, offshore labor can help businesses manage tech support, accounting, bookkeeping, financial planning, data entry, data analysis, and even marketing and outreach, and they can do it for significantly less than their domestic counterparts (include link to pay parity analysis).

Offshore healthcare workers are already a vital part of the healthcare industry in the United States and a highly effective solution in our challenging times.

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Offshore labor provides a cost-effective solution for healthcare organizations, allowing them to maintain operations efficiently while supporting clinicians and improving patient care.

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Offshore Healthcare Workers Aren’t Just About the Business

Supporting Clinicians

It’s tempting to view offshore healthcare workers as just a simple business decision. Still, they are more than capable of changing a healthcare organization for the better, not just its financial bottom line, but also for their patients.

As costs go up and compensation gets more and more difficult, clinicians tend to lose focus on what matters most – the patient.

Reducing Administrative Burdens

Office tasks like communicating with insurance companies, scheduling follow-ups, managing medical coding, and keeping track of notes can bog down a clinician in what doesn’t matter.

Offshore medical scribes and medical coders can ensure that doctors have all the information they need to provide the best possible care. Offshore virtual assistants can help schedule follow-ups to ensure patients and clinicians get the best results, and billing specialists can manage compensation as efficiently as possible.

Offshore labor teams can also help manage accounting, data entry and analysis, tech support, and outreach support.

Enhancing Patient Experience

As more patients choose to delay care thanks to the end of Affordable Care Act subsidies, and cases become more and more challenging, doctors and nurses are going to have to stay more focused than ever, and office tasks shouldn’t cloud the dynamics of a complex case.

Offshore labor enables clinicians to keep their eyes on what matters most – the patient.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What types of healthcare roles can be offshore? Non-clinical roles like medical billing, coding, scribing, appointment scheduling, patient follow-ups, insurance verification, and administrative tasks can all be performed offshore efficiently.
2. Are offshore healthcare workers cost-effective? Yes. Offshore workers generally cost significantly less than domestic employees while maintaining high-quality output, helping healthcare organizations reduce expenses and streamline operations.
3. How do offshore teams impact patient care? By managing administrative and operational tasks, offshore teams allow clinicians to focus on patients, ensuring better outcomes and reducing delays in care.
4. Is integrating offshore labor difficult for healthcare organizations? With proper planning and management, offshore integration is straightforward. Many healthcare organizations already outsource non-clinical tasks to maintain efficiency and reduce costs.
5. Can offshore teams support beyond healthcare tasks? Yes. They can handle accounting, data analysis, tech support, marketing, and other administrative functions, making them versatile assets for organizations.