The Politics of Health Care Financial Reform - Essay Example

? Health Care Reform Financial Proposal A situational Analysis The of the American health care system is among the three top issues that the American public would want policymakers to address. Its importance increases as economic insecurity continues to grow. The most frequently cited problems are gaps in coverage, the quality of care that patients receive and the high cost of insurance. Over 45 million Americans do not have health insurance because of high coverage cost, availability of employer coverage, individual priorities and health market inefficiencies like access barriers in the individual market. The idea of too-little-too-late health care is usually as a result of lack of insurance and it has life-threatened health consequences. Notably too, is that many people have insurance but it is manifestly inadequate because it either lacks coverage for key services like prescriptions drugs or is accompanied by steep copayments and deductibles. For instance, the number of the underinsured has risen by an alarming rate of 60 percent since 2003. The high cost of health care has adversely affected not only individuals but also the economy. Consumers face burdensome out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare access, which adds another burden to illness. The high health care costs have continued to claim a larger share of the economy, now consisting of the gross domestic product, and still rising at a rate at least twice that of general inflation. There are also grave concerns on the quality of health care delivery and the management of risk in health care. A comprehensive study following about 7000 patients over a period of two years found that the received only 54 percent of the care significantly recommended for their conditions. The Institute of Medicine approximates about 100,000 deaths per year as a result of injuries to patients in hospital care. There are significant inequalities in effectiveness and quality of care delivered across different ethnic and racial groups. Compared to other developed countries like Germany, the United States lags behind in terms of information technologies, organizational design and other systems that can manage risk and improve quality. The politics of health care financial reform Questions that have raised a debate on health care reform in the United States are whether there is a fundamental right to health, on the quality of care achieved for the high sums of money spent, on who should have the access the care and on what circumstances, the role of federal government on in bringing in such a change, concerns over the unfunded liabilities and on the sustainability of health expenditures, which have been rising at a higher rate than the general inflation and the county’s economic growth. Medical debt causes most of the personal bankruptcy in the United States as compared to other countries in the developed world. Although the total health expenditure spent by the U.S is large, the actual use of health care services in the U.S, by most measures on health services use, is way below median among the world’s developed countries. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences states that the U.S is the “only wealthy, industrialized nation that doesn’t ensure that all its citizens have coverage”. Americans views have been divided along party lines when it comes to the role of government in the health economy and on issues of whether a new public health plan should be created and administered by the federal government. The party in favor of a universal health coverage argue that with the large number of uninsured Americans, directs and hidden costs are created and shared by all. Thus, by extending coverage to all, costs will be lowered and quality of health care improved. The opposing side, however, argues that laws that require people to have health insurance impinge on their personal freedom and suggest that alternative ways of reducing health care costs be considered. Both parties have also debated on whether people have a fundamental right to have health care access which needs to be protected by the government. Financial costs and quality of health care The two major issues of discussion in regard to health care are cost and quality. While it is relatively easy to compare costs, the reasons for such high costs and the measures of quality are subject to frequent debates. For instance, the United States pays twice as much yet it is behind other wealthy nations in health indicators like infant mortality rates and life expectancy. These indicators are useful international comparative statistics because they’re widely collected. For the period of 2006 to 2011, the United States life expectancy is expected to lag 38th in the world after most developed nations and G6 (France, Japan, Italy, Germany, U.K., U.S) and just after Chile (35th) and Cuba (37th). This is according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Health care quality across countries can be measure using two metrics namely, Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) and Disability-adjusted Life Year (DALY). By measure of YPLL, the U.S takes third to last position in the Organization for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD) for women (only ahead of Mexico and Hungary) and fifth to last for men, according to OECD date. In the second measure, again the U.S does not perform so well. Ассоrding tо Jonathan Gruber, health economists prefer these mоre "finely tuned" ѕtаtiѕtiсаl meаѕureѕ fоr country comparisons in рlасe оf the relаtively "crude" infаnt mоrtаlity аnd life exрeсtаnсy (2009). In the face of financial operating changes that would improve efficiency and provide for improved transparency, I would like to believe that the primary responsibility for ensuring access to health care should fall on the federal government. The private industry alone cannot be fully effective in the provision of coverage or controlling cost compared to the government. I would support imposition of higher taxes to extend coverage and everyone be required to purchase coverage. А СBЅ News/New York Time poll done in April 2009 noted that health care iѕ the one of the most important issues after the economy. 57 percent of the Americans were willing to pay higher taxes for universal health coverage, compare to 38 percent who are not. 54 percent of the respondents felt that it is more important to provide health insurance for all as compared to trying to keep health costs down (49 percent). Another feature that should be included in the health care reform is giving the American people the ability or choice to seek health care using public or private plans. This would ensure transparency and effectiveness in the delivery of health care services, since it would create an air of competition, with both care providers trying to do their best to get more people. A poll conducted in August 2009 by SurveyUSA noted that 77 percent of Americans feel that it is either “Quite Important” or “Extremely Important” to “give people a choice of both a public plan (administered by the federal government) and a private plan for their health insurance. References Gruber, J. (2009). Getting the facts straight on health care reform. The New England Journal of Medicine. Retrieved from http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=2473 Condon, S. (2009). 10 health care reform myths. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/05/politics/main5215880 Read More