US Healthcare Industry in 2022 - Essay Example

? Healthcare in the Year 2022 Health care in any country is imperative for the growth and prosperity of a nation. In USA, healthcare care system has seen profound changes after the enactment of The United States National Health Care Act. There were constitutional changes in its components and working patterns. The system was marked with certain deficiencies too but if seen from a broader prospect the future of the healthcare system in USA will appear to be quite strong with high potential. It is expected that in the next ten years the nation will be able to overcome its weaknesses in the current health care system. The health care industry, which is the largest industry in the country after manufacturing, has seen changes in many areas. This included hospitals being implemented in areas like clinic hospitals, in places like shopping plazas, areas which would help the doctors in joining other network associations to access their patients and many more (Sultz and Young, xv). These trends will pave its way in USA for a promising future in the health care industry implementing new patterns. Topic of Discussion The following paper will present a hypothetical visualization of the healthcare industry in USA for the next decade, i.e. 2022. The paper will present differences between the past healthcare model and the future health care reformations in the USA. It will show the number of people insured under the bill before and after its enforcement. Further, the paper will draw a picture of how the health care industry in USA should be in the context of the heath care reform bill. Main Topics The main topics that will be discussed in this paper are the following: 1. The old health care model in the USA. 2. Features of the health care reform act of USA. 3. Proposed heath care model in USA for the year 2022. 1. The Old Health Care Model in the USA Poor Administration and High Cost of Medical Facilities Before the enforcement of the health care reform act in USA, many loopholes were present in the health care system. Life expectancy of the people in USA was less than that of other developed nations. The average spending for the medical facilities often exceeded their other costs. People went bankrupt because of the high amount in the medical bills. The health care administration cost in 1987 was shown to be between $96.8 billion and $120.4 billion in the country, which amounted to 19.3 to 24.1 percent of the total spending for health care (Woolhandler and Himmelstein). Administration quality was also deteriorating in the country rapidly. According to a survey by the US census bureau, around 46.3 million American citizens remained uninsured in 2008 (Moy, et. al). There were healthcare disparities regarding race/ethnicity, people’s socioeconomic position, and their insurance status (Shi, Lebrun and Tsai, 68). In 2006, it was found that 47 million people (15.8% of the population) were not medically insured, which meant that they were not covered by any private scheme or public health insurance program (Shi, Lebrun and Tsai, 69). Health Care Not Considered Fundamental Right Unlike most other developed countries, where healthcare is considered as a right and almost all its citizens are entitled to avail the most basic form of healthcare services, in the US there are a significant number of American people who live without any health insurance (Shi, Lebrun and Tsai, 68). Despite of being the richest nation, it has the highest number of people suffering from cancer. Heath care was not considered as a fundamental right in USA and it was believed a person needs to earn the medical benefits instead of claiming it without paying. With the passing of the health care reform act in 2010, there is hope of bringing in changes in this system which had lacked the modern sentiments and had undermined the fundamental rights of the citizens. These people were purists in their attitude towards the healthcare benefits of the country. 2. Features of the Health Care Reform Act of USA Positive Aspects of the Bill On 23 March 2010, the Affordable Care Act in USA was upheld by the federal court and was declared a law. This was propagated by the present president of USA, Barrack Obama. The law covered areas like providing insurance facilities to those people without such claims or with a pre existing medical condition, reducing the spending on medical care, making health care facilities affordable to all people, importing nurses from outside USA etc (Brush, Sochalski and Berger). The striking feature of the health care reform act is that it recognized health care to be a fundamental right for an average American. Health care has been separated from the insurance sector. The main government programs (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program [SCHIP]) helped to separate the functions of the insurance sector along with the healthcare delivery. It made the US government to provide the insurance and the private sectors to deliver the services. Deficiencies in the Bill There were certain inefficiencies which the Federal healthcare reform legislation was not able to address effectively. For example, the act provided for new vaccine schemes for the adolescents and the infants in USA. This had led to a substantial increase in the cost for vaccinating these children (Weiss et al.). This led many physicians to stop this facility in their clinics as it was often found to be before the affordability of the parents. Apart from this there were many private physicians who where discontented with the heath care bill. The health care reform had reduced the annual income level of the private physicians as they had lost their autonomy over the field (Sultz and Young, xv). In short, the health reform bill was found to be more market driven in its approach than being driven by its policies. 3. Proposed Heath Care Model in USA for the Year 2022 Better Administration For the year 2022, the health care industry could be visualized to be strong, devoid of its complexities. It would aim more on the betterment of the people than making money for the private hospital bodies. The federal government in the country had consented to the bill following many debates on it. It is assumed that there would be better administration in its healthcare facilities. Removing Loopholes in the System Though there are deficiencies, the government seems to be optimistic in its approaches to solve it. Firstly, by making the healthcare an act, it would facilitate many people to access the health care benefits. By making medical claims mandatory, it would reduce the problem seen in the old model where affluent people presumed this facility to be earned and not distributed out of charity. There is scarcity of nurses in the country presently and for its future the situation seems to be far more depressing. So the feature mentioned in the new health care bill for recruiting nurses outside USA would definitely solve this problem and at the same time form good bilateral relations with the foreign nations. There would be an increased number of people who would apply for the medical claims. The Expanded access to Medicaid would enable the poorest people to have medical benefits. Also insurance companies would have relaxations in their rules to cover the medical claims of all citizens. There be would be reduced cost of the medicines and other medical things. However, the discontentment in the private physicians for losing their authority and reducing income would have to be sorted out in a different manner. The government will have to make them understand the efficacy of the system and make them more compassionate and understanding in this regard. The government will also have to extend the Medicaid facility to the clinics to reduce the medical costs used in vaccinations instead of increasing it. This would help to facilitate better relations between the private and the public aided health sectors in USA in future. In order to implement the reforms that have been described above, the healthcare system of the country must involve other associations other than the medical sector. This would help to identify the external causes that can influence the healthcare experiences of the individuals. This would also call for providing the patients with complete support and materials to manage their health and several life threatening challenges that can arise with the health problems. For example, the partnerships between the US medical providers and their social service agencies could be systematized so as to involve the social workers for coordinating with the patient care. Another facility would be to ensure a stable housing condition in order to improve the quality of patient care suffering from chronic diseases (Shi and Tsai 36). Summary There have been many differences between the old model and the new model of health care in USA. While the old model made health care appear restricted and only for a few influential ones, the affordable health care act made it a fundamental right for the people in USA. Medical insurance claims were made mandatory. Autonomy of the health care was removed from the physicians and private bodies which had cause disturbances within the private and the public body. But still, the government is optimistic in its approaches of reducing these fallacies. The year 2022 seems to be promising in this regard by incorporating the new features of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The future health care system in USA would have provisions for equal care and facilities for both the rich and the poor in USA. Conclusion The USA health care industry generates the largest revenue for the country. As such, the country cannot afford to hinder or stop the growth of this sector. There were problems associated with the previous model. But the new health care act has shown many reforms in this regard. USA lags behind many countries in its health care system despite of being the richest nation. Any improvements made in this regards would thus help USA upgrade its position. Also, better workforce is needed to carry on the functions of an economy. As USA is the world most powerful nation it thus becomes imperative for the country to have a healthy working population. Works Cited Brush, Barbara L., Sochalski, Julie and Berger, Anne M. “Imported Care: Recruiting Foreign Nurses To U.S.” Health Care Facilities, 2012. Web. Aug 27 2012. Weiss Mitchell, Daniel W. Green, et al. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 23.1. 2011. Web. Aug 27 2012. Moy, Beverly et. al. American Society of Clinical Oncology Policy Statement: Opportunities in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to Reduce Cancer Care Disparities, 2011, Aug 27 2012. Shi, Leiyu, Lebrun, Lydie, A., and Tsai, Jenna. “Reforming U.S. Healthcare Delivery.” Harvard Healthpolicy Review, 9.1. 2008. Web. Aug 27 2012. Sultz, Harry A., and Young, Kristina M. Health Care USA: Understanding Its Organization and Delivery. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2006. Print. Woolhandler, Steffie and Himmelstein, David U. The Deteriorating Administrative Efficiency of the U.S. Health Care System. 1991. Web. Aug 27 2012. Read More