...Health Care Reform Summary Alfreda Bostick HCS/455 February 27, 2012 Marilyn Ketchum, CANP Health Care Reform Summary Health Care Reform is generally used for discussing major health policy creations or changes. This is saying the government policy affects health care delivery in any given place. Health care reform attempts to: * Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through a private or public insurance program. * Expands the options of health care providers for consumers to choose among * Improve the access to health care specialists * Improve the quality of health care * Give more care to citizens * Decrease the cost of health care (New Federal Health Claims & Appeals Laws & Regulations, 2010). This paper is going to examine the proposed health care reform by the Obama-Biden plan. It is going to highlight the major current problems in health policy. This paper is also going to show what role the health industry played in the health reform. Also, this paper is going to show that the profit driven HMOs are the problem and not the solution. Our health system has grave problems that require reform. These problems are examples of the unrelenting growth in the number of Americans uninsured over the past years. About one-third of the Americans are inadequately insure, either completely uninsured, or underinsured such that if a major illness like cancer, he or she would likely go bankrupt because of this disease and treatments...
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...Public Health Insurance ------------------------------------------------- The Impact on Low Income Individual Medicaid is the U.S.’s primary public health insurance program designed to provide health coverage for low-income children and families who lack access to private health insurance because of their limited finances, health status, or severe physical, mental health, intellectual, or developmental disabilities1. Currently, 1 in every 5 Americans uses Medicaid as their primary form of insurance. This means that as of 2015 over 65 million Americans, by guidelines of the department of health and human service, live on or below the federal poverty line 2. Although those numbers may seem large, former guidelines for Medicaid have left a large portion of the low-income population excluded from coverage and uninsured. Currently, adults under age 65, in nearly 25 states, no matter how low their income, are ineligible for Medicaid unless they are disabled or pregnant. As a solution to this problem the Supreme Court passed The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which would provide an expansion of Medicaid to millions of low-income, uninsured adults who were previously excluded. However the choice to expand remains a state option. While many states have chosen to move forward with the expansion, many have either opted out or lie in debate. One of the major arguments against the expansion of Medicaid lies in the debate of whether “Medicaid is worse than no coverage at all 3.” My paper will...
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...The Uninsured Persons Access to Healthcare March 8, 2015 The Uninsured Persons Access to Health Care Health insurance is a luxury. This is something that has become apparent listening to the ongoing debate about healthcare reform. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2013 there were 44.3 million uninsured people under age 65 in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how these 44.3 million are able to access healthcare and how there lack of access is detrimental to everyone. The Uninsured Two-thirds of people who are uninsured are between the ages of 18-65, have a job and more than half of these older adults have an increased risk of serious health problems. Being uninsured breaks all gender and ethnicity barriers and affects mainly the poor or near poor (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2014). Uninsured people have less access to preventative services and have more trouble finding a doctor or finding one that will take them as a new patient than those with public or private insurance (Gindi, Kirzinger & Cohen, 2012). When they do seek out medical attention many times it is in an emergency room and there illness may be in more advanced stages which means that there treatment will be more expensive. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) the average ER visit can cost around $1500, the subsequent bill for these visits can be difficult to pay when that is more than you make...
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...Running head: HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY PAPER Health Care Industry Paper Tanya James University Of Phoenix Online HCS/449 Capstone Group ID: BSDD148BE8 Karen Gibble Aug 04, 2012 Health Care Industry Paper The health care industry has been around for decades and has gradually started changing to improve the quality of care for patients, doctors and nurses. More specialty physicians, male nurses and hospitals have been built since 1900’s to now 2012. The first hospital in the United States was built in 1751 which we are in 2012 and has established a total of 5,754 hospitals. Within the changes and advances of the building and creating of health care industry a lot has changed. To begin with technology; how technology change the way the patients are cared for and the uninsured that is not being cared for because they do not have coverage. This paper will explain the changes in health care in the last ten years and also in the next ten years what to expect. How has health care changed in the last 10 years? In the last ten years health care has changed by new developments of technology being introduced. Health care insurance plans have also changed with the amount of uninsured that does not have coverage and the cost of premiums how it has increased and decreased within the last ten years. Health care organizations has been complying with the rules and regulations to keep up with changes of implementing the electronic medical records that the government has made it mandatory...
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...Health Care Research In looking at the definition of research, it is pretty much defined the same no matter what resource you are looking at. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) defines research as: 1) careful or diligent search; 2) studious inquiry or examination; investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws; 3) the collecting of information about a particular subject. Research may mean different things to different people but research to me means to participate in research and to search for information on a subject or a particular problem. Research is an important part of Ashford Academics. “Health care organizations have become extremely complex hence health care management has also taken on a complexity of its own. Health care managers must therefore be very versatile in management skills while being very knowledgeable in health care issues. One cannot expect to be fully prepared for a lifetime career of health care management by an academic program alone. Further growth and professional development are demanded in a highly dynamic environment such as health care” (Isaac, 1995). As a leader in health care, research is important because either it justifies a point being made or it allows you to interpret...
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...HEALTH INSURANCE POLICY PROCEDURE Name: Institution: Date: Introduction Many families are unable to afford the high cost of health insurance. These families are living without essential provision of good health. The American citizens when they visit hospital and are diagnosed with major illnesses, are hampered with a huge debt, they are left with worry and pain of figuring out how to pay it. This issue still remains part of a huge political debate in the government. The increasing insurance cost has even affected organizations and private sectors where lesser of these organizations are offering health insurance to their employees. It is the citizens who are left to suffer (WHO 2012). Problem Analysis 47 million Americans have no health insurance coverage, which would account for around 18,000 premature deaths per year (Robinson 2007). United States hast the highest spending in the world yet, among the 30 nations that make up Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), United States on most health indicators ranks near bottom (Robinson 2007). Health Provision is the primary goal for any hospital. This paper seeks to design a policy and procedure that can be implemented in hospital to address this issue. According to a federal report on health care quality released in July 2012, The 2011 State Snapshots report based on key health indicators such as cancer...
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...Economic Analysis 23 April 2013 Abstract In 2010, there were approximately 50 million uninsured Americans. In March 2010, President Obama signed into law a piece of legislation that reformed American’s healthcare industry. The legislation is coined as “Obamacare.” Supporters argue Obamacare provides coverage for our nation’s uninsured while boosting economy. Opponents argue Obamacare will increase healthcare costs and in turn, add to the deficit. The research supports the belief that improving the health status of the American citizens does result in economic expenditures for the United States. There is a relationship between affordable healthcare and the economy. The impact Obamacare has on the economy can be viewed through a simple math equation, a return on investment analysis. The return on investment analysis revealed a positive return on investment. The results suggest American has invested wisely. Investing in the healthcare of the American citizens will improve productivity, is cost effective, and reduces healthcare care costs. The Impact of Obamacare on the Economy In 2010, there were approximately 50 million uninsured Americans. This means that 16.9% of American’s population is uninsured. The numbers are overwhelming and reveal healthcare in American is not affordable. Many argue that the cost of healthcare has doubled in recent years (Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). Most Americans receive healthcare insurance through their employers...
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...Health Law and Regulations Federal regulations play a major role in the health care industry. Federal laws and regulations protect the American public from a number of health risks and administer programs for public welfare. Federal regulations also regulate the health insurance industry by implementing cost-containment measures. Through various regulatory bodies, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) protects and regulates public health at every level. HHS is the United States principal federal agency for protecting the health of Americans and providing essential human services. HHS administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined. Medicare program administered by HHS is nation’s largest health care insurance. HHS governs more than 300 programs administered by its 11 operating divisions (Department of Health & Human Services, 2011). In addition, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is also part of the HHS. Description of each 300 programs is beyond the scope of this paper. However, it is imperative to understand the role of each operating agency and how it affects the health care industry. Role of Federal Regulatory Agencies Each operating division consists of sub-divisions making health care system a complex maze. Main 11 operating agencies are: Administration for Children and Families (ACF) The ACF provides funding for family assistance, child support, and childcare. The state, county, and city governments provide these services (Department...
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...Medical Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Poverty, and the Uninsured∗ Kyle J. Caswell† and Brett O’Hara SEHSD Working Paper 2010-17‡ U.S. Census Bureau Washington, D.C. December 29, 2010 Abstract The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Panel on Poverty and Family Assistance argued that the current official U.S. poverty measure should be updated to capture changes in the population’s healthcare costs and needs; families with sufficiently high medical out-ofpocket (MOOP) expenditures may be ‘poor’ even though they are not counted as such. This research offers three distinct advances toward achieving the NAS recommendations as they concern MOOP spending. Firstly, this paper uses the newly collected MOOP expenditure data from the CPS ASEC, and analyzes its quality vis-` -vis alternative sources. Secondly, a poverty estimates that incorporate the MOOP spending data from the CPS ASEC are produced in such a way as to be consistent with the NAS recommendations. These direct estimates are an improvement over previous estimates, conditional on obtaining high-quality data, because modeling MOOP expenditures from other surveys is not needed. Third, this paper investigates how the distribution of MOOP expenditures, and the poverty estimates, change when it is assumed that the uninsured have the spending patterns of the insured. The main results are: 1) the new MOOP expenditure data is high quality; 2) incorporating observed MOOP expenditures increases the incidence of poverty across the population...
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...Health Care Necessity for a Universal Health Care System in America Health care reform has recently become top priority for policy makers, and health administrators. The current health care system faces many costly problems for the uninsured/underinsured, employment-based insurance coverage, and financially burdened health service providers. Although policy makers have made many attempts to raise the number of insured, through programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, the number of uninsured Americans continues to rise. Currently 45 million American have no health insurance and children make up approximately 10 million of that number reported by the U.S. Census Bureau (8-10). The politicians and largely the medical societies, appear to be unable to decide what society’s responsibility in health care should be to those who are unable to purchase basic coverage. Surveys conducted by institutions like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation have noted that the proportion of people named the uninsured as the single most important domestic issue. Additionally, the Woods and Kaiser Foundation study concludes 55% of the participants expressed willingness to pay some level of taxes to cover the uninsured (1-4). The majority thought that the uninsured should be offered a federal funded health care package. Universal health can enhance health and well-being by promoting access to high-quality care that is cost effective, efficient, safe,...
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...According to the Department of Health and Human Services (2015), despite alarmists, there is sufficient evidence to support the benefits of federal financial assistance on for the economy. With this fact in mind, Group 7 will focus our research on three programs that are critical to the indigent population of Florida. They are as follows. Government services, including Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Accessing Community Care through Eastside Social Services (ACCESS). These programs enable eligible low-income individuals and their families to seek medical assistance reducing uncompensated care and hospital costs. The primary source of funding for uncompensated care is government dollars. The government collects taxes to fund various public services. American taxpayers have every right and should be concern about how the money is being spent. Controlling tax expenditures poses a major concern especially when considering reducing deficit as well as reducing taxes for Americans. The federal government is by far the largest funder of uncompensated care. In 2013, the federal government provided $32.8 billion (61.5 percent) to help providers cover costs associated with caring for the uninsured. State and localities are the second largest, providing another $19.8 billion; the private sector is estimated to contribute $0.7 billion (Caswell, Coughlin, Holahan, & McGrath, 2014). Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies...
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...“Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions”.1 There is increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain predictors of the quality of health care received. Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that is experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Factors such as race or ethnicity, gender, education, or income, disability, geographic location such as rural or urban, or sexual orientation can define populations. The goal of the research paper is to present the magnitude and importance of racial...
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...The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina's Uninsured Population Wendy Patterson Walden University Policy & Advocacy for Population Health NURS 6050-13 Dr. Joan Moon June 30, 2015 The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on North Carolina's Uninsured Population In a speech delivered in the Rose Garden, President Obama stated, “Five years ago, after nearly a century of talk, decades of trying, a year of bipartisan debate -- we finally declared that in America, healthcare is not a privilege for a few, but a right for all” (US News, 2015). This paper will discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the population of North Carolina, the economic impact of providing care to patients from the provider’s point of view, how patients will be affected in relationship to cost, quality, and access to treatment, and what the ethical implications of ACA means for both the provider's and the patients. The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Population in North Carolina According to a fact sheet published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the ACA has the potential to extend coverage to many of the 47 million nonelderly uninsured people nationwide, including the 1.6 million uninsured in North Carolina (KFF, 2015). Although the ACA was signed into law declaring that it was a right for all to have health insurance, individual States had the option of whether to expand coverage for Medicaid recipients. “Being poor, unemployed, or homeless did not...
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...Grandcanyon university | Health Care Access Paper | Professor Barri Mallin | | Sheila Ford | 12/16/2012 | | The purpose of this paper is to inform you of a proposal that the Governor of Texas has proposed to the state, on how he feel about the health care reform. I will be talking about how the governor thinks by” issuing top-down mandates on a break-neck timetable is a surefire way to make things worse”. The health care reform legislation currently being considered not only poses a serious threat to patients and providers, but will also cost Texas taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. I will be explaining how the governor feels that President Obama’s plan will cause harm to the health care system,” by increasing taxes and escalate medical price inflation and add more than $285 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years”. “Gov. Perry: Federal Health Care Proposals to Cost Texans Tens of Billions of Dollars Tuesday, August 18, 2009 • Austin, Texas • Press Release Share” “Gov. Rick Perry today emphasized the importance of state developed health care reform rather than the costly, expansive, one-size-fits-all mandates being considered by the federal government. The governor spoke at a press conference announcing the results of a study about federal health care proposals conducted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF)”. “It’s clear Washington has no interest in allowing states to develop their own tailored solutions to problems that affect...
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...Questioning Assumptions about Health Care Systems Executive Summary The United States Health care system is the subject of much debate. At one extreme are those who argue that Americans have the best healthcare system in the world, pointing to the freely available medical technology and state-of-the-art facilities that have become so symbolic of our system. At the other extreme are those who accuse our system of being fragmented and inefficient, pointing to the fact that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other country in the world, yet still suffers from a substantial rate of uninsured, uneven quality, and administrative waste (Sultz, 2013). A review of U.S. healthcare expenses by the Institute of Medicine revealed that thirty cents of every dollar spent on medical care is wasted, adding up to $750 billion annually (http://www.iom.edu, 2012). The Institute of Medicine report identifies six major areas of medical waste: unnecessary services; inefficient delivery of care; excess administrative costs; inflated prices; prevention failures; and fraud (http://www.iom.edu, 2012). Americans spend twice as much on health care per capita than any other country in the world. In fact, according to a series of studies by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co, the US spends more on health care than the next ten biggest spenders combined: Japan, Germany, France, China, the U.K., Italy, Canada, Brazil, Spain, and Australia (http://www.mckinsey.com, 2008) Introduction ...
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