...Health Care: Cost, Access and Quality-What does the Future Hold? Health care is a big debate in the United States today. With the implementation of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act of 2010, health care is at the forefront of people’s minds. The PPACA of 2010 has been met with much opposition, but is the best step toward a National Program, which is needed to ensure a healthier nation. The lack of health care that exists now has caused a decline in the nation’s overall health and an increase in its overall health costs. The PPACA of 2010 has placed an increased focus on health care costs, accessibility to health care and the quality of health care that is provided. Healthcare costs have been on the rise for decades and continues to grow. There are many factors that contribute to this. People that are privately insured and have to pay little to no out of pocket for care, are over using the system. Since there is not much regulation on the market, care is driven by need as opposed to demand. With the growth of technology also comes an increase in cost. While new technology is important to the treatment and diagnosing of illness and disease, it is expensive to develop and test. The nation’s baby boomers are reaching the elderly age and that combined with increased life expectancy, the cost of providing these people with care is for more than the cost of the general population, nearly three times as high (Singh, D. & Shi, L. 2013). And lastly the model of...
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...Running head: ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE PAPER ASSIGNMENT Access to Quality Healthcare Paper Rudolphe Lubin University of Phoenix Lori Lewellen MBAJOGZL57 April 27, 2009 Quality Healthcare Introduction It will be evident to realize that financial, educational, and socio – demographic implications can bring serious impact on access to quality healthcare in the organization. Labor shortage will stay an important component that can affect as well the access to quality care. Socio – demographic changes linked with chronic illnesses can have an effect on the aging population, which may reduce the quality of life, increase costs for healthcare and rise resource allocation. In point of fact, both labor shortage and socio – demographic changes are exactingly dominant in the admittance to quality care in the United States. Besides, the demand for registered nurses and changes in science is already exceeding supply in U.S. nation, including more implications associated with other ethical dilemmas. Healthcare Labor Shortage People have to realize that progresses in medical technology, increasing expenses and market forces provide to the financial decline of many rural healthcare organizations. In reality, small rural healthcare suppliers, particularly hospitals, cannot meet the costs of the equipment and practitioners needed to treat the range of modern syndrome and injury...
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...telecommunications concepts that would have improved your last visit. Provide specific examples to support your response. It is not unreasonable for a patient to expect particular services from their healthcare providers. What happens when you are traveling and have to make a trip to the emergency room, will your doctor at home get the information from that visit? Health information recorded in paper format makes these tasks very hard, if not impossible. Luckily, there is a growing movement to transform that, using information management and information technology. The use of this type of equipment allows for "high-quality, safe, and competent care. Society today is constantly changing. Society changes jobs, location of residence, and doctors often. While society speaks of a medical structure American medicine is disorganized: it lacks standards, measures, and the ability to exchange information that constitutes a true structure. The medical industry has taken to every kind of clinical technology; from digital thermometers to CT scanners. However, the implementation of information management and information technology in the medical industry falls behind the rest of our economy. Health informatics is best described as the position where information science, medicine, and healthcare all meet. It encompasses the resources, devices, and methods required to enhance the development, storage, retrieval, and the use of information in health and biomedicine. Health informatics incorporates...
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...services at affordable cost with its existing workforce crisis in the healthcare system? Number of uninsured Americans has significantly increased, mainly due to aging population and income change. The prevalent issue of America’s healthcare system is insurance coverage, access to healthcare. Americans believe this issue should be prioritized, and it is the direct responsibility of federal government to ensure medical care for those citizens that lack insurance. This essay include history of United States healthcare system, its evolution and how healthcare providers can contain costs of healthcare and provide quality and access to healthcare for everyone. From the beginning of 2014 Affordable Care Act by Obama government is trying to solve the enduring issue of American healthcare system. It is a step in the right direction but this reform is facing lots of resistance from Republican Party, that this reform will put country in debt stress. Many Americans are concerned with quality and access to healthcare with the influx in number of insured entering the healthcare system which is already facing the workforce crisis. United States Health care History Healthcare in United States is enduring issue and it is very sensitive subjects for Americans. United states from the beginning choose a market approach to medical care. Medical care is as a market commodity, that you could buy or sale rather than as a social good available for all. In America healthcare is treated as private...
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...Healthcare technology in the U.S. is considered to be among the most sophisticated in the world. It not only leads the world in the production of medical technologies it is the medical technology’s largest consumer. Our first class medical institutions serve as the foundation for very sophisticated technology, advanced care, and innovation. In 2012 the U.S. market value for healthcare technology exceeded 110 billion which represents about 38% of the entire healthcare technology industry. Healthcare technology in the U.S. also represents a significant number of employment opportunities. In 2010 the healthcare industry employed approximately 14% of the workforce and generates approximately $1.75 trillion of revenue. Employment projections for the next 10 years are expected to grow more than 40% (SelectUSA, 2013). To many Americans that is a good news story. However, there is a side of the story that is not all good. The same technology that we produce and use, that contributes to an increase in life expectancy, is leading to increased demand on the healthcare system, primarily from the growing population of senior citizens. This leads to a shrinking supply of healthcare resources to treat the very people who need it. This creates a situation where many people go untreated. Insurance companies, both public and private, are required to solicit bids to get the required healthcare resources to treat their customers. Given that many in our society can afford to pay a good price...
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...The American Healthcare System and Access to Mental Health Services Abstract Within the American Healthcare system there are three key components. The key components include access, cost, and quality. Access to healthcare is the ability to obtain healthcare services in a timely manner when one needs it. Cost refers to many things in healthcare. It depends upon the individual, national, or provider’s perspective of costs. Quality is the desired healthcare outcomes of an individual or the healthcare outcomes of the population. Access to mental health services is a major issue in the United States. Children are greatly affected by this and often fall through the cracks in the system. Less than half of all children receive the mental health services they need. The Affordable Care Act initiated by President Obama is setting strides to improve the availability of mental health services within communities. This law requires that all health insurance providers cover mental health services. Congress has also increased funding to improve access of child mental health services. Improvements with access include, but are not limited to, integrating primary care physicians with mental health providers and the expansion of child mental health services. These improvements will educate primary care physicians on the available mental health services in their surrounding communities, allowing them to refer their patients as needed while providing a continuum of care. The expansion...
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...Analysis: The Affordable Care Act and Nursing Problem Identification Healthcare costs are soaring in the United States today. More people than ever before are uninsured or underinsured. In 2006-07, there were 46 million people uninsured (Gulley, Rasch, & Chan, 2011), and 9 million children also did not have health insurance (Coddington & Sands, 2008). A change in how healthcare is managed and financed is greatly needed to avoid worsening of this situation. Background The cost of healthcare and the number of uninsured individuals has become a critical issue today. Healthcare spending in the U. S. has grown faster than the economy, by about two to three percent per year since the end of World War II (Brown, 2009, p. 1). If nothing changes, Medicare will cost as much as the sum of all federal income taxes in about 75 years (Brown, 2009, p. 2). Healthcare premiums have become so unaffordable, that many families do without. The lack of insurance has a direct effect on poor health outcomes, increasing morbidity and mortality, which also contributes to increased healthcare costs (Coddington & Sands, 2008, p. 1). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare, was signed into law on March 23, 2010, and the Supreme Court made a final decision to uphold the law on June 28, 2012 (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services). The PPACA is an attempt at healthcare reform by expanding public coverage programs and strengthening protection...
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...The problem with the current healthcare system. There are many problems with the current healthcare system in the United States (U.S.). Most of these problems stem from the fact that it is not really a system in the proper sense of the word. The healthcare system is really a patchwork of entities with their own goals and priorities. The “system” is unequal in access, costs of services, and quality. One of the major problems with the healthcare system is that healthcare services are seen as a product under the market justice theory. Healthcare services are really not comparable to most products because they are a necessity for all people at some point in their lives. One thing that makes accessibility a difficult issue is that insurance is required for most to be able to achieve access. Insurance in turn requires a job that offers coverage that is worthwhile and affordable, however, many jobs do not offer worthwhile, affordable, or any coverage at all. This is also a problem when a person becomes unemployed. Another problem that inhibits access is the high cost of services for many people. While accessibility may not be an issue for some there is also the issue of inequality of the costs of services. Unlike many other countries where the prices of services are more transparent or equal in the U.S. many factors determine the cost of one particular service to an individual such as where the patient lives or what their insurance covers. This leads to the problem of those...
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...delivery in America is simply cost. The exorbitant cost of healthcare is the deciding factor in whether and when people get necessary medical care, what doctors they see, and what treatments are available to them. Unfortunately, due to rising costs and the number of insured many people in the US are forgoing basic healthcare services The most important issue affecting the future of health care delivery in America is simply cost. The exorbitant cost of healthcare is the deciding factor in whether and when people get necessary medical care, what doctors they see, and what treatments are available to them. Unfortunately, due to rising costs and the number of insured many people in the US are forgoing basic healthcare services. It has always been a dream of mine to one day open up a medical clinic in the US that specializes in serving the medical needs of individuals who do not have access nor can afford basic quality to healthcare; however one of the major obstacles that I will have to face is cost. As of 2008 nearly 50 million people the US lack basic health care coverage. The vast majority of these individuals are adults between the ages of about 18 to 64, and most of these individuals are from working families working from low to moderate income. TIn America, healthcare is treated as either a commodity or a right. And how our treats it now is as if healthcare where a commodity. And the reason I say this is because, if basic healthcare was treated as a right, then...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Marcus Island healthcare system is characterized as socialized medicine where all residents have access to primary care, pharmaceuticals and diagnostic testing. While residents have access to care, they are responsible for a small portion of the payment at the time of service, and in some cases, those who are willing to pay a premium are afforded better access to services. While patients themselves believe their healthcare is either adequate or good, there are several aspects of the Marcus Island healthcare system that suggest care could be better. Specially, Marcus Island’s health care system has been running increasing budget deficits for the past five years. The health care system lacks access to comprehensive services including preventive care and screenings, mental health, dental service, and specialty care. Long wait times for appointments are an issue, as well as continuity of care between providers. Furthermore, there is no system in place to track quality of care indicators. An overhaul of the health care system is needed, including improvements in budgeting and increasing access to the full range of comprehensive health services. In addition, implementation of an electronic health records system would allow for greater continuity of care, improved efficiencies in services, and tracking of quality indicators. DEMOGRAPHICS Demographics: Marcus Island has thirty million residents; the population is growing. Family size is generally...
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...Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege An Argument over National Healthcare in the United States Bobbi Pippins Soc 120 Instructor: Sheila Fry March 23, 2012 Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege An Argument over National Healthcare in the United States There will always be a debate over what is considered fair healthcare in America. As long as there is no national healthcare system that is equal for everyone, there will be arguments over whether it is a right or a privilege. Research will show that healthcare is a basic right for every human being in the world, and that by having a national healthcare system in America, this right can be enforced. America has, for many years, had the view of an ethical egoist, where something is good or right only if it helps to achieve the desired goal of the politicians. While using the utilitarianism view, or that which produces the best results for the greatest number, may well be the view that this nation should embrace. Healthcare should be a basic human right for everybody in the world. While national healthcare for everyone might be complicated to get started, if everyone had equal access to healthcare there would be more preventative care and therefore less costs due to chronic illnesses, diseases such as cancer, would be caught in the early stages of progression which would, in turn, allow for more treatment options and more chances of...
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...HC1: The rising cost of healthcare is one of the greatest challenges facing the United States that will continue in the coming generations. Reducing the cost and improving the quality should be a top national priority, but despite the many attempts to reshape healthcare market place and improve delivery in the past years, current trends have proved otherwise. There is no doubt that America has benefited from the Affordable Care Act, which reduced health care spending and insured more than 90 percent of the population, but unfortunately, this slowdown has ended and healthcare spending has recently risen above inflation and wage growth (Rother, 2016). Recent statistics has shown that the U.S spent $1.3 million to 2.5 million between 1999 and 2009 o healthcare (Auerbach, 2011). HC2: The continuous increase in healthcare cost affects the...
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...2015 Cyndie Miculan Healthcare Reform and Utilization The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has prompted considerable debate. While some believe that the Act will eventually serve as a foundation for the destruction of the healthcare system, others believe that the Act does not provide enough coverage to truly reform the system. In an effort to better understand the implications of reform to the healthcare system the current investigation considers how the PPACA has impacted access to care, how these issues may change care utilization, the concept of universal healthcare, the stakeholders involved in universal healthcare, and the roles emerging in the healthcare industry as a result of reform. Issues of Concern Reform and Access to Care The passage of the PPACA has been viewed by many as a boon to expanding patient access to care. In addition to the fact that the legislation ended the ban on pre-existing conditions—requiring healthcare companies to offer coverage regardless of the patient’s health—the legislation also mandated that all citizens have health insurance. Even though the individual insurance mandate has been highly contested it has provided a means for delivering healthcare coverage to more individuals than at any time in recent history. However, providing near-universal healthcare coverage has had some caveats. In particular, there is growing concern that the large number of patients entering the healthcare system—a projected 32...
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...challenges of cost, access, and quality of care; it can be argued that the use of health information devices has positive impact on the delivery of healthcare. Since “the future of healthcare technology is now” (Glandon, Smaltz, & Slovensky, 2014, p. 27), developments in the production of healthcare information devices have been on the increase, popular, and widely used by patients and providers. Some of these devices, which include smart phones, computers, smart glasses like Google glasses, activities trackers, and wearable devices, have impacted and transformed the delivery of healthcare in ways that include cost of healthcare, access to healthcare, and quality of the care delivered. Introduction It is a common knowledge that developments in technology is continually changing, is responsible for globalization, helps with effective evaluation of business and decision-making, and enables the growth of information technology. Similarly, the areas of information technology and healthcare delivery are also presently active, developing, and constantly changing. As a result, the management of health information technology is currently enabling versatility in the delivery of healthcare, helping with the process of making it precise, tailored, effective, and efficient as it goes through enormous transformations. New innovations and dynamic changes in health information technology will play important roles in the future transformation of healthcare delivery, therefore...
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...Government Obligation to Health Access No, the American Government does not have an obligation to provide its citizens with health access. Reformers do not emphasize “individual responsibility “ instead the burden of the underinsured is to be shifted to others as their responsibility. When the American Government creates policies, sometimes it becomes the responsibility of the people (working class) by increasing taxes or raising the cost of living in some aspects to reconcile. Our country provides rights for the people but nowhere does it say “free”. It should be everyone responsibility to provide for themselves despite of circumstances. If there is a will, there is a way. I believe the only obligation of the government with health access is to create the environment for moral actions, to ensure that every citizen has the ability to get healthcare. Government Regulating Health Behavior The government’s role in regulating healthy and unhealthy behavior is making a moral decision for the people to be administered efficient health care. Some other approaches should be consumer protection policies, policies on insurance companies, and policies expanding public benefits. Government should not organize the healthcare system to demonstrate unethical behavior. The behavior demonstrated has not been for the people but against them in so many ways. Some of the ways are increasing the cost of healthcare cost as time progress. Due to the increase of healthcare it has cause over-use of...
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