WEEK 5 DQ 1

The history of the Social Security Act, as listed by the Social Security Administration, provides an interesting foundation/principle regarding the establishment of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other pertinent information relating to mankind and its perception on economic issues.

I encourage you to read the information to gain an understanding of this foundation/principle. It is very interesting and educational!

History of the Social Security Administration:
U.S. Social Security Administration. (n.d.). Historical Background and Development of Social Security. Retrieved from http://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html

What are the effects of government-sponsored health care programs for special populations—children, mentally challenged, older adults, patients with specific diseases, and so forth—on health care costs and health care access?

What are the effects of government-sponsored health care programs for special populations—children, mentally challenged, older adults, patients with specific diseases, and so forth—on health care costs and health care access? There are six major goverment health care programs 1) Medicare 2) Medicaid 3) the State Children's Health Insurance Program(SCHID), 4) the Department of Defense TRICARE and TRICARE for Life programs (DOD TRICARE) 5) the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Program, 6) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) program-provide health care services to about one-third of Americans. The federal government has a responsibility to ensure that there is more than $500 billion invested annually in these programs, and is used wisely to reduce the barden of illness, injury, and disability to improve the health and functioning of the population. It is imperative that the federal government exercise strong leadership in addressing serious shortcomings in the safety and quality of health care in the United States