Problem Statement: Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has finally been fully implemented, millions of Americans will now have access to health care coverage and to health care services. As a country, we are now able to begin the transformation from a “sick care” system into one that centers on prevention and health promotion. People that were once denied coverage, those who did not have employee health benefits, or those who were too financially insecure to afford premiums are now able to seek care, and the medical and public health workforces must adapt to accommodate these increasing numbers by increasing their own. As of today, despite the growing national awareness of the importance of the public health system in sustaining a healthy population, the public health workforce is being crippled by substantial decreases in funding, reductions of resources and staff, inadequate training, and an inequitable distribution of health care practitioners in areas of the greatest need. According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), 44,000 governmental public health jobs at the state and local level were lost between 2008 and 2010. Numbers compiled by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) show that 41 percent of local health departments (LHD) experienced some level of reduction in workforce capacity. The NACCHO reports that all LHDs are experiencing a 13 percent diminished capacity in staff operations, with reductions in hours worked and mandated furloughs. Because of these budget cuts and workforce shortages, agencies must now do more with less. This not only puts a strain on agencies; it also detracts from worker recruitment and retention. Given the estimate provided by the Association o... ... middle of paper ... ...frastructu Greysen, S. R., Chen, C., & Mullan, F. (2011). A History of Medical Student Debt: Observations and Implications for the Future of Medical Education. Academic Medicine, 86(7), 840-845 810.1097/ACM.1090b1013e31821daf31803. Davidson, S. (2013). A New Era in U.S. Health Care: Critical Next Steps Under the Affordable Care Act: Stanford University Press. Fani Marvasti, F., & Stafford, R. S. (2012). From Sick Care to Health Care — Reengineering Prevention into the U.S. System. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(10), 889-891. doi: doi:10.1056/NEJMp1206230 Holtz-Eakin, D., & Ramlet, M. J. (2010). Analysis & commentary. Health care reform is likely to widen federal budget deficits, not reduce them. Health Aff (Millwood), 29(6), 1136-1141. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0446 McDonough, J. E. (2011). Inside National Health Reform: University of California Press.
On a global scale, the United States is a relatively wealthy country of advanced industrialization. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is among the costliest, spending close to 18% of gross domestic product (GDP) towards funding healthcare (2011). No universal healthcare coverage is currently available. United States healthcare is currently funded through private, federal, state, and local sources. Coverage is provided privately and through the government and military. Nearly 85% of the U.S. population is covered to some extent, leaving a population of close to 48 million without any type of health insurance. Cost is the primary reason for lack of insurance and individuals foregoing medical care and use of prescription medications.
Sommers, B. D., & Epstein, A. M. (2010). Medicaid expansion—the soft underbelly of health care reform. New England Journal of Medicine
One of the most controversial topics in the United States in recent years has been the route which should be undertaken in overhauling the healthcare system for the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. It is important to note that the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to make healthcare affordable; it provides low-cost, government-subsidized insurance options through the State Health Insurance Marketplace (Amadeo 1). Our current president, Barack Obama, made it one of his goals to bring healthcare to all Americans through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This plan, which has been termed “Obamacare”, has come under scrutiny from many Americans, but has also received a large amount of support in turn for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include a decrease in insurance discrimination on the basis of health or gender and affordable healthcare coverage for the millions of uninsured. The opposition to this act has cited increased costs and debt accumulation, a reduction in employer healthcare coverage options, as well as a penalization of those already using private healthcare insurance.
Ghosh, C. (2013). Affordable Care Act: Strategies to Tame the Future. Physician Executive, 39(6), 68-70.
Reese, Philip. Public Agenda Foundation. The Health Care Crisis: Containing Costs, Expanding Coverage. New York: McGraw, 2002.
The ability of the Affordable Care Act to mitigate the current pressure of the uninsured on our healthcare system is unknown. Yet, the prediction is that it will greatly reduce the effect on emergency room systems throughout the nation. This reduction will be greater in the south and southwest regions of the United States (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2013 p. 4). The potential is there, however, the willingness of the population is yet to be seen. What does the future hold? Only the future knows.
Medicare and Medicaid together "are the single biggest contributor to [the United States] long term [budget] deficit." This idea was expressed by President Obama during his 2011 state of the Union Speech. After saying this, the president said that health care costs need to be reduced, including these two services. Medicare and Medicaid are beneficial to those who receive their services, and the criteria for eligibility currently allow many to qualify for either program. This is most likely the cause of the major deficit that the president spoke of. However, downsizing or eliminating these programs to lessen the deficit will affect many people and their ability to receive healthcare.
Tate, Nick J.. ObamaCare Survival Guide: The Affordable Care Act and What It Means for You
Society has, throughout history, introduced several questions that we, as a people, have to answer. However, none of these answers can satisfy everyone and have some negative drawbacks. The editors of Searching for Great Ideas agree with that statement based what they said on page 30… Some current issues that can be examined are gender and sexual equality in society, the access to education, and health care. I feel that the world’s most important questions involve, in some way, health care. One such question that I feel has the uttermost importance is that our system of health insurance is linked to employment. Health insurance usually is provided by the employer, with some contribution from the employee; but more than ever, we have many people working part-time, or working through other non-traditional arrangements (like at home). Therefore, it limits many people from receiving health care insurance and proposes “do you think that all Americans should have health insurance?” I feel, like most people, that everyone should have the option to have health care insurance if they so choose. This also causes several subcategory questions to formulate from this question. As a future Dr., these will be issues that I will have to deal with on a daily basis. Even though I won’t have the authority to change some important health care legislation, I do have the power to comfort my patients through their tough times.
Since the 60s, government budgets have been influenced by the need to finance healthcare especially the cost of Medicare and Medicaid benefits. According to CMS’ National Health Expenditure Projections , total health care expenditures have grown by an average of 2.5 percentage points faster per year than the nation‘s Gross Domestic Product. For about 60 percent of workers who receive some form of health care coverage from their employers, the cost of their health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses have increased significantly faster than their own wages; and between 1999 and 2008, both average health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments for medications, and co-insura...
Peterson, Mark A. "It Was A Different Time: Obama And The Unique Opportunity For Health Care Reform." Journal Of Health Politics, Policy & Law 36.3 (2011): 429-436.Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Reforming the health care delivery system to progress the quality and value of care is indispensable to addressing the ever-increasing costs, poor quality, and increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance coverage. What is more, reforms should improve access to the right care at the right time in the right setting. They should keep people healthy and prevent common, preventable impediments of illnesses to the greatest extent possible. Thoughtfully assembled reforms would support greater access to health-improving care, in contrast to the current system, which encourages more tests, procedures, and treatments that are either
“Medicare and the New Health Care Law — What it Means for You.” (2010). Medicare Publications, http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11467.pdf
With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.
• Hibma, Pierce. “Real life example of medical school debt” KevinMD.com. 2013. Web. January 28, 2014.