Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Healthcare in the USA
Health insurance dilemma in america
Health insurance in the united states paper
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Healthcare in the USA
In a general sense the role of healthcare financing deals with the way insurance expenses are paid for. Financing is important because it the mechanism that is needed to pay for health insurance premiums. Having health insurance in the US is the primary way individuals and families acquire healthcare; and health insurance is also the primary way providers receive payments. “Providers…rely on the patients’ insurance status to be assured that they will receive payments for the services they deliver.” (Shi & Singh 2015:197) So in essence healthcare financing is a very important part of access for consumers and payment for providers. Financing has a very important impact on who receives health insurance. The impact can be seen through the demand
For decades, one of the many externalities that the government is trying to solve is the rising costs of healthcare. "Rising healthcare costs have hurt American competitiveness, forced too many families into bankruptcy to get their families the care they need, and driven up our nation's long-term deficit" ("Deficit-Reducing Healthcare Reform," 2014). The United States national government plays a major role in organizing, overseeing, financing, and more so than ever delivering health care (Jaffe, 2009). Though the government does not provide healthcare directly, it serves as a financing agent for publicly funded healthcare programs through the taxation of citizens. The total share of the national publicly funded health spending by various governments amounts to 4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, GDP (Jaffe, 2009). By 2019, government spending on Medicare and Medicaid is expected to rise to 6 percent and 12 percent by 2050 (Jaffe, 2009). The percentages, documented from the Health Policy Brief (2009) by Jaffe, are from Medicare and Medicaid alone. The rapid rates are not due to increase of enrollment but growth in per capita costs for providing healthcare, especially via Medicare.
Healthcare has now become one of the top social as well as economic problems facing America today. The rising cost of medical and health insurance impacts the livelihood of all Americans in one way or another. The inability to pay for medical care is no longer a problem just affecting the uninsured but now is becoming an increased problem for those who have insurance as well. Health care can now been seen as a current concern. One issue that we face today is the actual amount of healthcare that is affordable. Each year millions of people go without any source of reliable coverage.
From the hospital perspective mandating the health insurance will reduce the problem of Free riders into the Hospital and if a person who is insured visits the hospital for the treatment the cost of his medical treatment will not be totally absorbed by the hospital if the person is unable to pay for the treatment and the amount will be shared between the hospital and the insurance company.
The development of value based healthcare reimbursement systems between healthcare payers and healthcare providers is evolving from the need to provide patients with beneficial healthcare technologies under conditions of significant economic uncertainty. The concept examined centralizes on shifting the focus of the healthcare system from volume to value. Value is measured by outcomes achieved based on a full cycle of care not volume of services rendered based on each service performed.
Healthcare is the maintenance or restoration of health by treatment from trained and licensed professionals (Webster). The American people faced many issues with the way the healthcare system is split up. There are four basic healthcare models the United States usescurrently. First, PBS describes that the Beveridge model, covered/ran by the government, through tax payments. This is the only model used in Great Britain but in America it only covers veterans and soldiers, in Great Britain everyone in the country has coverage by it . Another system model the US takes up is the Bismarck model,it helps people to buy their own health insurance through their employer (Healthcare Economist). Three main countries that use this model are Japan, Switzerland, and Germany whose ex-leader, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, created the Bismarck method of health care. Which not only covers 90% of their country but allowsthe rich 10% opt out (Reid&Palfreman). An Americans third model option takes of the ideas of both Beveridge and Bismarck and its name is the National Health Insurance (NHI), which Taiwan operates with. The NHI allows private providers to become a choice even though citizens. These four systems have been used for decades and President Obama has put a bill together to propose a change in America'shealthcare. The Affordable Care Act [Obamacare], will give coverage through employers, help people find their own insurance, or government coverage through Medicare for the elderly, and Medicaid for a 1/3 of others (KFF). Medicaid is offered for those with low income, but only states with governors and legislators who approve for this one actually benefit the KFF (Kaiser family foundation) explained. Those who don't have or want health insuranc...
Although it is understood there are some benefits to having healthcare, like having access to health care they may not have had before, there were no regulations put in place on insurance companies. When people began being forced to have insurance, the insurance company’s raised their premiums, making it harder to afford. Individuals started seeing higher out of pocket expenses because of higher deductibles and copays, before the insurance plan pays anything. So the average citizen may over the course of a year pay thousands of dollars to their insurance between premiums and deductibles and never see the full benefit’s the police has to offer.
In the past several years the healthcare system has experienced new changes in its structure and technology. The macro trends in healthcare are healthcare reform and the regulations of technology in healthcare that the government has put in place. Healthcare systems in the past have had some real complications both in the provided care and computer technology
Formerly known as Medical Savings Accounts, President Bush changed the name to Health Savings Accounts, or HSA. In 2003, congress approved a bill for Health Savings accounts and was signed into law in January 2004. This creation of HSAs is part of the largest expansion of the government intervening in medicine in 40 years (Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, 2013). Unlike the aforementioned health spending and reimbursement accounts, HSAs can be used for medical expenses for the employee as well as their spouse and dependents. Both the employer and/or employee can open a health saving account and the employer, employee or any third party can make contributions. As of 2013, the annual contribution limits for individuals is $3,250 for individuals and $6,450 for families (U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2013). HSA contributions are tax exempt and are used to pay for medical expenses to include, visits with the physician, hospital expenses, laboratory, radiologic and diagnostic services, prescription drugs, dental care, vision and hearing aides (Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, 2013). In contrast to FSAs and HRAs, unused funds from HRAs do roll over to the next year, funds are transferable if the employee changes jobs, and switches health care plans or retires. HRA funds can also be used for retirement income and members over age 65 are not penalized for withdrawing funds unless the funds are not used for qualifying expenses, which will result in withdrawals being taxed as income. All qualifying withdrawals are tax exempt and health savings account can accrue interest as well as invest in investment funds of which any financial gain is also tax exempt. With HSAs, health insurance premiums are r...
Levit, K. R., & Cowan, C. A. (1991). Business, households and governments: Health care costs, 1990. Health Care Financing Review, 13 (2), 83. Retrieved from: Ashford University Library
There are several health agencies that currently plays a role in the United States Health Care system. Some of the main ones are the National Center for Health Statistics, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The two agencies that I want to focus on are U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and The Joint Commission. These two agencies have two very distinct roles in the United States health care system. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focus is “to help more Americans achieve the security of quality, affordable health care for themselves and for their families.” (citation 1). The Joint Commission key role is “the nation’s
In general, risk financing is when a healthcare facility develops a plan to cover any possible losses affiliated with claims filed against the facility or any of its personnel. As a matter of fact, Carroll (2009), defined risk financing as “any of a number of programs implemented to pay for the costs associated with property and casualty claims and associated expenses, including insurance, self-insurance, and captive insurance companies (p. 613)”. Healthcare providers also have the ability to secure malpractice insurance outside of what their facility may offer. Granted, this will provide them with another layer of financial protection. Risk financing is an integral part of any healthcare facility’s risk management program. Consequently, a healthcare facility
A long time ago, there was no need for health insurance in America, as doctors had many clients because their services were not so expensive and in some cases in rural areas, people could pay by giving other items. Doctors were not as knowledgeable as they are nowadays in caring for the sick, therefore this didn't have much effect then on the patients, as they were treated for the basic illnesses. As progress was made in medicine gradually with new medical technologies which could only be used in the hospitals, doctors started charging more, which was unaffordable for most people, with time, all this started to change as the industrialization of the American economy caused families and people to start relying on services from doctors and the hospitals for treatment. In 1929, a system was created in Dallas, Texas (1) which charged everyone the same. This insurance was to ease the healthcare problem and create a happy scenario for both the doctors and patient, which employers added health to employment packages to boost labor due to shortage after the Second World War.
Government vs Individual effort The discussion upon rather the government should be held responsible for the decision of our lives or rather it be a personal choice is a discussion that is a debated upon in order to lower the cost of medical spending. When the government intervenes and pay’s the expenses of medical care, money is spent and is sometimes wasted due to the patient dying and only living a few hours later due to care attempting to sustain patients lives’ longer. Medicare paid 50 billions of dollars on patients last days of life, however, only 20%-30% of care had no meaningful impact (Court, Andy). Many patients of 18%-20% of patients spend their last days in intensive care unit sometimes lasting only a few days, weeks, or even a 6 month period of time.
The healthcare industry of the Bahamas is divided into two sectors, public and private health care. There are five hospitals, which includes two private hospitals and three public hospitals, and numerous public community clinics along with the many private facilities through which medical services are rendered (Doctors Hospital, 2009). The Princess Margaret Hospital, which is the main public facility, according to Smith (2010) in 1905 was people’s last choice when seeking medical attention. Smith described the then hospital as being partitioned into four areas, “for the sick, indigent, lepers and insane” (Smith, 2010). Smith (2010) further expressed that the medical services were free and those that were financially stable paid for treatment to be carried out at their homes. Today, 108 years later, much has changed within health care arena. Presently, there is an increase in the number of persons resorting to the public hospitals and public clinics for medical attention. For those that are in good financially standings they make use of private hospitals or/and other private medical facilities. While some people may use the public medical facilities by choice there are others whom, because of their income or lack of income, have no other alternative but to fall at the hands of the public services. Too, for many years the Bahamas has had the problem of immigrants from Haiti crossing the Bahamian borders illegally and this therefore results in an increase in the funds allocated for the health care industry. According to McCartney (2010) the Haitian nationals accounted for 11.5% of the Bahamas population, hence adding to the government health care budget (McCartney, 2013). The reality is that the Bahamas is far from winning...
People need to have a choice on their hospital care. If hospitals did not let the patients know what treatment they were taking they could lose lots of patients. Patients would also not be living if the treatment didn’t work on them. If you should be in a place where you are sick you can not talk for your self then there should be someone that would follow your will. It could be very dangerous for patients that couldn’t talk. Patients need to be in a place were they can rely on someone that will follow their will or know what is best for them. They also have the right to refuse or not take a treatment that they don’t think is right for them.If people did not have the right to choose their health care plan this would not be a safe or great environment.People should have the right to decide their health care plan.