...Investor owned healthcare plans are profit driven which means the best care will go to the ones who can afford it and the less fortunate will suffer the cost-effective service. In Farmers Article, he states “In the name of cost effectiveness, we cut back health benefits to the poor, who are more likely to be sick than those who are not poor .” Our healthcare has become a profit driven business and not driven by the need for, or equality of that care. “…where you find no struggle, you find no justice” (Farmer, 1997). We, as nurses, must find the struggle, the struggle being healthcare reform, and social justice. The affordable healthcare act was an attempt to reduce the health care disparities, but needs much work still. We must take an...
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...1) What social gaps exist in the United States when it comes to dental care? Approximately two-thirds of Americans seek regular care from a dentist. However, many of the remaining individuals and families face challenges. The social gap in the United States Dentistry is the remaining one-third of Americans who are not receiving the dental care they need. 2) Who is or is not receiving dental care? Americans that are not receiving proper dental care includes those with racial and ethnic minorities, those with chronic diseases, the elderly, and families that struggle economically. Sometimes people struggle to getting to a dental office, or prioritizing dental care among other needs of living. They may be struggling with financial barriers....
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...There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not health care in the United States is a right or a privilege but what should had never been in question, is the right that American Indians and Alaska Natives carry because they are the only true citizens of the United States who were born with a legal right to health care. Although this sentence carries truth from the very beginning in the making of what the United States is today, American Indians and Alaska natives are still labeled under the term as a “Vulnerable Population”. Funding: The term Vulnerable Population defined as, populations or groups whose needs are not fully addressed by traditional service providers. In short, the federal government was given an obligation to provide health care services to members of federally recognized tribes that were developed from a special relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes that was established in 1787. The federal government would exchange health care services for land and resources. Another exchange that the federal government failed to keep with American Indians was to provide quality education and health care to Indian people and tribes. The federal trust responsibility, has been defined in the U.S. Constitution, treaties, statutes, and in Supreme Court decisions and in efforts to fulfill the federal obligation, the Indian Health Service (IHS) was established within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 1955. Clearly it has failed...
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...Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act) Passage of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 by Congress, followed by it’s signing by President Obama on March 30, 2010, completes a massive overhaul of the nation’s health insurance and health delivery systems. The Reconciliation Act amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which President Obama signed on March 23. Combined, the two new laws include more than $400 billion in revenue raisers and new taxes on employers and individuals. The social and political struggles of the American population served as a key contributor to the push for the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 to be formed and written into law. These struggles include but are not limited to an increasing unemployment rate of the nation which essentially meant that the average American was becoming less and less able to provide for himself and his family, therefore making the prospect of getting health insurance or paying for higher education a weightier endeavor. Also the number of Americans without healthcare was on an exponential rise and more and more people were unable to get healthcare, and take care of themselves, a condition that is detrimental to the GDP of the nation. The Affordable Care Act has shaped social, economic and political consciousness since its inception in 2010. More companies are open to providing their employees with health insurance options as the Affordable Care Act has increased subsidies...
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...Economic Terms and Health Care History Amber Rainwater HCS/440 Economics: The History of Health Care February 26, 2012 Health Care History Throughout the history of the United States, the economics of the health care system has experienced many changes. There are many factors to consider that has been the drive behind many of the changes within the health care system. Medical and surgical technologies are some factors that relate to the changes in health care. Besides these factors, allocating sources to fund health care services has always been the most critical factor. One might consider the economic term supply and demand when looking at the history of health care economics and the primary funding source. Health care funding has always been a challenge and will continue to be a barrier due to the lack of resources within our nation. The primary source for funding medical services has faced many changes throughout U.S. history. The need to utilize medical services has increased, which led to the implementation of health care insurance. This came into effect due to the growing demand for health care services at a lower outer pocket expense. The challenge of funding medical services has always been a struggle. It was President Harry Truman that first approach Congress to enact a national insurance program back in 1945 After many failed attempts, President Johnson finally signed into law the Medicare and Medicaid program on July 30, 1965. Medicare is a government...
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...As a chiropractor, Brian Torchin knows the struggles of finding work in the health care industry. These struggles lead to the creation of HCRC staffing. Brian Torchin is the leader of HCRC, which is a staffing firm that helps health care professional find meaningful employment. HCRC's mission is to provide quality, talented health care professionals with jobs in hospitals across the country. Torchin has spent many years building and developing job opportunities for professionals across the country. In doing this, Torchin has built long-term relationships with his clients. He remembers the struggles he endured, starting out in the health care industry and strives to help others get their start. So, what are the advantages of work with HCRC...
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...Health Care Utilization Paper Wendy Witt HCS/235 8/13/2012 Delores Usea Healthcare Utilization Paper For many individuals acquiring and using a regular source of medical care is often influenced by many factors. Perceived and evaluated need, and potential access are connected with both predisposing (immutable) and enabling (mutable) factors. Predisposing factors determining the use of health services include demographics, age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, occupation, location, health and cultural beliefs. Immutable factors cannot be changes. Immutable factors are connected with mutable beliefs regarding health values, beliefs, and knowledge. Mutable factors are enabling factors that can be changed. Enabling factors consist of personal and community factors. For example, a personal factor would be an individual s income changed, or the individual gained health insurance or lost health insurance. Community factors include health services resources, health facilities, and transportation. Location has an effect on John’s ability to utilize health care because John recently has moved to a rural community and the nearest physician is 40 minutes away. Providing a healthcare facility within John’s community he would be able to utilize healthcare on a regular basis will help John to live a healthier longer life. Factors that may affect John’s utilization of health care include transportation. Transportation has a large impact on the ability for individuals who are...
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...countries ("Introduction To The Uninsured: Current Controversies"). These results probably have much to do with the fact that as of 2008, 15 percent of the U.S. population is not covered by any means of health care insurance ("Introduction To The Uninsured: Current Controversies"). Not having health insurance because of the fact of how costly it is can be a contributing factor to people putting off and doing without health insurance, even on the occasion...
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...United States Department of Health and Human Services: As our country struggles through tough times there is no doubt we, as a whole nation, have had to make some compromises. One of the biggest, broadest issues our country has been facing is the recent budget cuts in numerous different categories including mental health care. Mental health care has gotten the short end of the stick in the last few years, and it has become a spiraling problem in the United States. Between 2009 and 2011 the United States witnessed some of the largest state budget cuts in history, and we are still suffering from the consequences of doing so. Where does a majority of homelessness, suicide, substance abuse and jail overcrowding stem from? If you take a closer look it will become very clear that cutting the funding for mental health research and treatment has left these mentally ill patients with very few options suitable enough for their varying conditions. Due to the lack of appropriate facilities needed to properly diagnose and treat mentally ill patients, jails are becoming overcrowded and homelessness is at an all-time high. The importance of mental health care is being put on the back burner while, instead, it needs to be a priority and that is why President Obama’s proposition to increase funding to aid the mentally ill in 2014 is extremely necessary. As states cut mental health care funding, prisons are becoming an asylum. There is a very common misconception among the general public...
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...living arrangements, health care needs, as well as relationships between family members and peers. For many individuals this is the time where they should be able to sit back and relax after years of working and living a stressful life. However they can still face some challenges. Some individuals find it difficult to retire after working for most of their life. Some do not like the idea of going from a good paying job to drastically different pay receiving social security. Sometimes the social security they receive is not enough to cover all their necessities to they end up going back to work part time. However some seniors are lucky enough to have a pension or a 401K from their employer to help them in addition to their social security. Retirement can also destroy a person’s self-worth, people who pride themselves on being able to provide for them and their family and find security in having a job now have to struggle with finding some other way to occupy their time. There are some benefits to retirement though. Individuals are now able to participate in hobbies that were not possible due to their profession. Some do struggle with finding an activity to occupy their time but most already know what they want to do like travel the world, play golf, read, or even just spend time with their family. Their health also plays a part in an individual’s retirement. With good health they are able to enjoy their retirement and do all that they want. Between good health and good financial...
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...Health care professional, patients, families, and policy makers all struggle to understand how health is affected by behavior, economic and social structure and provided the knowledge to improve the health status of individuals and populations. Our health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure. Many behaviors and lifestyle patterns affect our health, such as: exposure to violence, vehicular accidents, alcohol, drugs, and infectious agents (Williams/Torrens). According to our textbook (Williams/Torrens), alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use creates several of problems that affect our health and society. Alcohol consumption and illicit drug use are examples of personal decision making and patterns of behavior that have tremendous adverse effects on health and on the economy. Alcohol abuse can lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, various cancers, intestinal disorders, and brain function deterioration (Williams/Torrens). Cigarette consumption is another behavior that is associated with numerous illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and oral cancer. Government involvement has reduced consumption and reduced illnesses associated with the use of tobacco and piper smoking (Williams/Torrens). Our social structure as a whole must realize the factors that we can utilize to protect our own health and disease in the population. Other behaviors that adversely affect health are tremendous. There have been various complications of dietary...
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...Diversity in Nursing In this paper, I will summarize what I have learned about diversity in nursing and the effect that diversity has on the nursing community as well as the impact it has on the public related to health disparities. Diversity comes in many forms such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, culture, and ethnicity. The purpose of this paper is to discover the importance of diversity in the nursing profession. Importance of Diversity in the Workplace The lack of diversity in the healthcare setting could be linked to health disparities. Health disparities are gaps in the quality of health and health care that mirror differences in socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic background and education level (Minority Health, n.d.). Baldwin states, “A lack of minority health care providers has a trickle down effect on the health care of ethnic and racial minorities (2003).” These groups are already at risk for increased morbidity and mortality rates. They have less access to proper health care and are a greater risk for declining health due to the small number of minority health care providers (Baldwin, 2003). Efforts have been made to recruit and retain minorities into the nursing profession however they have not been very successful. According to Huston, recruiting underrepresented groups has been difficult for many reasons. One of which could be that minorities receive inadequate preparatory education leading to poor reading, writing and critical thinking...
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...AFFORDABLE CARE ACT Tammy R. Carr Grand Canyon University: HCA-675 April 2, 2014 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March of 2010. This law provides equal access to medical care, lowered health care costs and eliminates denial of coverage of pre-existing conditions to the millions of the uninsured and insured Americans that were without and denied health care coverage. Patients who were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions can now look forward to relief and great improvement because their illness is covered in the new policy, and care is now provided for them at next to minimal cost (Stehly, 2014). The PPACA is set up to provide and ensure equal access to medical services to all Americans that are signed up for the insurance. One aspect of the PPACA that seems to be a great asset to the health care reform is that it will allow for extended coverage to children that remain under the care of their parents’ insurance until the age of 26 (University, 2014). This provision is a gap closure for those who are still in college and may be looking for employment. The PPACA will be a godsend to many families that have been denied medical insurance or medical coverage due to poverty, not being able to financially afford services for the whole family or pre-existing medical conditions. Those services can be limited only being in the form of free general medical care that...
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...For decades, our health care organization mainly focused on the cost and reimbursement aspects of health care. For this purpose, the Affordable Care Act was implemented on March 23, 2010, to expand health insurance coverage, improve the quality of health care and lower costs for everyone overall. As a result, this has helped our health care system change by not rewarding providers for the quantity of care but the quality of care. Quality health care can be described by receiving health care services that are medically necessary, accurate documentation, and utilizing the right tests/procedures at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, the ACA has created provisions to incentivize quality of care and manage how the care is being delivered. A few...
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...healthcare providers are providing care for American Indian or Native American populations, there can be frustrations not only for the healthcare providers because they do not fully understand how to give proper care to the population, but also frustration amongst the AI population because they are unable to get the care that they need for their community to be safe and healthy. This has been a trend throughout the two parties’ relationship. One example of this was in the book Rationalizing Epidemics where David Jones discussed how the U.S. government forced the American Indian population to transition from their tradition nomadic way of living to the Americanized settled lifestyle. This is what ultimately began the health struggles of...
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