...in reporting and regulatory relationships. They deliver solutions that improve the health and well-being of individuals. UnitedHealth Group strives to communicate their objectives and goals clearly and create ways to measure their progress towards these set goals. Utilizing scientific business methods to drive and sustain improvements and lower costs is what the company uses to meet and exceed the expectations of customers, shareholders and surrounding community. In 1974, Charter Med Incorporated was founded by a group of physicians and healthcare professionals that wanted to expand health coverage options for consumers. In 1977, United Healthcare Corporation was created to reorganize the company and became the parent company of Charter Med Inc. United Healthcare introduced such healthcare innovations as pharmacy/drug formularies, hospital admissions pre-certification processes, physician office software to manage and control costs, mental health/chemical dependency intermediaries (behavioral health) and insurance wrap as one feature on top of traditional HMO products. (http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/About/History.aspx#!prettyPhoto) UnitedHealth Group's commitment to help people live healthier lives and to innovative thinking is an integral part of the company’s heritage. UnitedHealth Group traces its roots back to Dr. Paul Ellwood, the health policy guru who coined the term “health maintenance organization” in the 1960s and helped entrepreneur Richard Burke found the...
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...It is common knowledge to most United States citizens that the disease prevention and healthcare in the country are greatly wanting in both accessibility and affordability. While immunizations and screenings are now commonplace in Western biomedical practices, I argue that they do not actively improve public health, nor do they lower the costs of treatments for those that need them. Additionally, even if the United States had Universal Healthcare, which undeniably has many benefits, health inequalities will continue due to limited physicians, resources, and socio-economic differences in patients. A patient with access to the best doctors, hospitals, and treatments will still repeatedly become sick if they return to the environment that caused...
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...most diverse health care company in the United States; leader in providing innovative health benefits and services worldwide to help people live healthier lives. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) serves the markets two ways: for health benefits through UnitedHealthcare, which was created in 1977 and is the largest health care provider in the United States; and through Optum, the growing markets for health services. UNH stands firmly on its’ mission to completely commit to the evolving needs of health care by continuously enhancing the health system through their cutting edge approaches, products and services. With their core capabilities in clinical care resources, information and technology UNH builds a stronger, higher quality health system that is sustainable for the long term. (UnitedHealth Group) STREGNTHS UnitedHealth Group named ‘World’s Most Admired Company in the Insurance and Managed Care’ sector, was ranked No. 22 in 2012 (ranked No. 17 in 2013) by Fortune’s 2012 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list. With their highly adaptable business model and rated No. 1 in innovation, they are operating in all 50 states and 20 countries worldwide and servicing more than 85 million individuals overall (Fortune 500, 2013). UNH delivers a unique influence in creating a modern health care system, by providing clinical insight to optimize care resource, advanced data and information, and enabling technology. Having UNH offering a more affordable, simpler and easier health care for people...
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...Mental Health Services is defined as “assessment, diagnosis, treatment or counseling in a professional relationship to assist an individual or group in alleviating mental or emotional illness, symptoms, conditions or disorders” (bcm.edu) Mental health services didn’t start out the way it is now. It’s evolved into something much more than what it used to be. During Colonial America, society believed that insanity and mental health disorders was caused by a full moon at the time of a baby’s birth. Those without family were placed in prisons and were chained to walls. The first hospitals built in 1773 were designed to keep those with mental illness away from society and not treat them. The mistreatment of the mentally ill in prisons during the 19th century inspired the increase of creation of institutions to treat them. The society’s focus on these patients led to state legislative committee in 1827 to look into institution conditions. The construction of a 120 bed hospital...
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...Walter Olejarski Ms. Marshall SYG 2000-02M 15 March 2012 Healthcare in the United States: A Flawed Society People in the United States pay too much for the healthcare benefits they receive, and some have a poor quality of life. Advancements in technology and medical science allow people to live longer, but at times living longer has an adverse effect on the elderly. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “all men are created equal,” yet in today’s healthcare system, all citizens are not treated as equal. Moreover, quality healthcare is provided only to those who can afford it. Due to sociocultural differences and socioeconomic changes in the United States, health disparities are at an all-time high. Rising healthcare costs and the under-regulated health insurance industry directly correlate to poor health, and true healers are few and far between. In our society, those who can afford it stay healthy, and the remaining population is forced to live without proper medical care. Many problems exist with regard to healthcare in the US including poverty, crime, ethics, and policy, but the most overwhelming is cost. President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, called Obama-Care by some, is a start, but our society has a long way to go in bringing affordable healthcare to all Americans. Functionalists would view the healthcare system as if nothing is wrong, calling it a trend in society and finding some rationale to justify their position...
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...Explain how health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure. When approaching behavior as a possible factor that affects one’s health, they must look at all aspects of their behavior, the good, the bad, and the ugly. What a person views as a good form of behavior may not be viewed the same by someone in the medical profession. Behaviors that are presumed as risk factors for one’s health consist of reckless driving, alcohol abuse, tobacco use, unbalanced nutritional diet, and a lack of exercise. When a person changes just one of these bad habits or unapproved behaviors, they expand their life expectancy by an average of five to ten years. While watching the Doctors on NBC, they showed that a person who smokes can lengthen their life by ten years and improve their health by lowering their risk of lung cancer and coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker after one year of quitting. The economic factor of a person’s health is vastly simulated based on the depression and the economic hardship of the United States as a whole. Researchers found that the economic factor of a person’s health is directly linked to their behavior. During an economic “boom”, people tend to not take care of themselves. They drink excessively, have a higher caloric intake, and don’t exercise or visit their doctor as much due to work-related commitments. People work more and spend less time treating their bodies as the temples they ought to. A well-to-do economy...
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...Health Services Organization Management HSA500 | Health Care Issues in the United States | James Driscoll | Sophia D. Smith 1/23/2011 | 1. Explain how health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure. Health is affected by many different situations in life. The main one is a person’s behavior, a person could choose to be an healthy individual and exercise, eat properly and treat their body as a temple or they could do just the opposite. They could abuse their body and eat unhealthy foods that will later on in life give them so many problems, or engage in risky activities. This can cause sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, strokes or even cancer. It’s that person’s choice if he or she wants to live long and healthy lives or suffer the consequences of making bad decisions. Depending on the behaviors they make in life has a lot to do with the economy they are in. Economy is not just where that person is at the present state but has a lot to do with their past and how they were brought up. If in their past life they ate a lot of unhealthy foods growing up then that’s pretty much all they know and it’s hard to try new things when your accustom to one way of living. Being able to think outside of the box has a lot to do with a person’s health. If they are able to shy away from what they have grown up with then they are now able to fully understand. It is so much easier to make unhealthy decisions when they are the ones that are shown all...
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...Poor health literacy is a “silent epidemic” that challenges the functioning of the healthcare system. Low health literacy levels are associated with higher risks of hospitalization, inability to manage health conditions, poor health outcomes, and inability to seek proper treatment and understand options available (Palumbo, 2015). Those with inadequate health literacy are more likely to be poor and uninsured (Levy & Janke, 2016). According to a study done by Pati et al. (2010) concerning maternal health literacy, children whose mothers had poor health literacy were much less likely to participate in welfare programs they were eligible for. 12.7% of people in the United States are living in poverty (Semega, Fontenot, & Kollar, 2017), yet those...
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...The most important aspect of public health is focusing on the health of the general population, rather than an individual patient. Most people are unaware of what public health educators do for their job. The goals of public health is to help prevent illnesses, deaths, disease, and injuries at a population level (Jacbosen, 2014). What public health means to me is that it is the start of everything. They are the ones who find out about the disease and research on how to cure or prevent it. Public health also helps to promote health behaviors, identifiying hazardous parts of a community, and providing health education to those who do not have access to health services. The history of public health in the United States started with the work of...
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...Name: Elise Perkins Phone: 773-241-**** E-mail: *********@rocketmail.com Health Status and Health Care Services in the United Kingdom with comparison to the United States HSM310 Introduction to Health Services Management Course Project Date submitted: 11/29/2015 Table of Contents Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Population and Health Status………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 3 Demographic characteristics of population Mortality, Infant mortality data, causes of death Other data of health status Related information (such as on quality if life); analysis Availability of Health Services………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Basic organization/general description of services institutions, providers of care Issues related to access Utilization of services (data, if available) Other related information/analysis Expenditures………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 How are health services paid for; any roles for the government here Data on total expenditures Other related information/analysis Macroenvironmental influences on the health care system……………………………………………… 6 Political Socioeconomic Cultural Technological/Other relevant influences Summary comments…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Problems Opportunities Other related comments regarding this country's health care services Comparison to the United States: what works better, what is not working as well Concluding comments: Lessons...
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...Health Care Issues in the United States HSA 500 Health Services Organization Management January 22, 2012 1. Explain how health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure. Health is affected by economic and social problems that are facing the United States today. Health insurance and medical care is still rising and impacting several Americans. However, the United States is becoming the worst health care systems in the world. The United States does not spend money effectively when it comes to healthcare. Health is affected by the social and economics in individual’s daily lives. The social and economic is built on commingled efforts for an individual and cultural and social standards. However, people tend to be the healthiest and keeping the faith and trusting their families and people in their communities with their health. Public health behaviors are the most important components of welfare and public health. Behavioral determinants are the most leading causes of death such as, stroke, cancer, chronic diseases and dietary behaviors. Elevating and comprehending health behavior are vital to public health. Social structure and economic can influence behaviors and choices that improve health that will offer a variety of choices to improve health. 2. Describe the three stages of medical technology development. The three stages of medical technology development are diffusion, adoption, and utilization of the product development, approval, and distribution...
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...Health Care Expenditures in the United States Dekenia Lockhart HCS 440 April 23, 2012 Steve Linerode Health Care Expenditures in the United States Introduction The topic of healthcare spending in the United States (U.S.) is a controversial one, and most often, the populations’ opinions doesn't always agree with those of policymakers. Getting health care spending under control is vital for the economic health of the government and the people of the United States. What makes healthcare expenditures so disgraceful is the large amount of money the government spends on healthcare each year versus the number of people without health care. The amount of money the U.S. government spends on health care each year doubles that of any other nation. Despite the large amount of government spending, a large percentage of Americans have no healthcare coverage. This shows inefficiency in the system that needs immediate attention. The purpose of this paper is to explain healthcare expenditures suggest changes for the future that are necessary for Americans to receive reasonably priced health care. Current level of national healthcare expenditures The current level of national healthcare spending is at an all time high and expected to steadily climb. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) explain that National Health Expenditures (NHE) “rose 4.0% to $2.5 trillion in 2009, or $8,086 per person, and accounted for 17.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)” (The...
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...The overall wealth of a nation is within their health. Health is an integral portion of any country. In the United States the system of health care, as well as its delivery is far disparate compared to those of other countries. Unique in every single aspect, the United States is unmatched. Access to health care in the United States is complex. The overall political climate of the United States; including the interest groups, laws and regulations, and the president and Congress are all key factors in access to health care. Now the question remains; what makes a nation? People, are ultimately the backbone of a country. Because of them a country has an economy, culture, defense, education and government. It is the government’s responsibility to...
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...Assignment #1 – Health Care Issues in the United States July 17, 2011 Because the United States spends the most on a health care system, one would think that most people in the U.S. would be healthy. This is not the case. Surprisingly, the United States does not have a particularly high life expectancy rate. Within this paper I will discuss heath issues in the United States including how heath effects behavior, economics, and social structure. I will also include key stages of medical technology development and population demographics. Explain how health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure. Statistical data and reports show social behavior, economic status, and social structure are important determinants of health. According to Williams and Torrens, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and illicit drug use are all examples of personal decision making and patterns of behavior that have a tremendous adverse effect on personal health and on the nation’s economy (Williams & Torrens, 2010) p.46. Individuals develop and live in social systems. People influence and are influenced by their families, social networks, the organizations in which they participate, their communities, and their society. Interventions to improve health or to influence health-related behavior can occur at any one or several of those levels. Several behaviors that exert a strong influence on health are tobacco use, alcohol abuse, physical activity, diet, and sexual practices.One example...
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...Health Care Reform For The United States COM 220 4/18/2010 Natasha Brown Health care reform for the United States Even though it will cost taxpayers a small amount more, Americans have the right to free health care. There are forty seven million Americans are without health insurance and the bill will stop insurance companies from denying Americans from coverage. What the government is trying to pass is a new health insurance reform legislation that will give coverage to many Americans who desperately need it. The benefits for the people would be that everyone would have coverage. This legislation would also hold insurance companies accountable and keep soaring insurance premiums down. This would also reduce the deficit and better the economy over time as well as reducing the cost that businesses have. What is Health care reform? Health care reform is a legislation that President Obama has signed into law to improve the United States by offering basic health care to every American. “The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit ” (Obama, 2009, Statement of President Barack Obama on House Passage of...
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