Answer the questions in Bold - Essay Example

Health Care Financing and Access Considerations Here Here Here Here Health Care Financing and Access Considerations The United States health care system has been a prominent topic of debate for many years, but the rhetoric has heated up again recently due to the so-called "Obamacare" situation. Health care access in the US is fundamentally different from most other developed countries, because Americans are not covered by a national insurance plan. Instead, the public must rely on companies and government programs to obtain their coverage from a third-party.

Most Americans turn to their place of employment for health insurance, but this system is not minatory and remains unregulated in the vast majority of states. Resultantly, employees cannot be guaranteed a basic level of coverage from their employer. Three government programs are in place to assist high-risk members of the population with access to health care (Home, 2013). Medicare is a federal program for people over 65 (sometimes younger with approved disabilities) and provides short-term care insurance.

However, most drugs and long-term service costs are not affected by this system. Medicaid, which is both federally and state funded, supports the portion of the population with the lowest amount of resources. This program tends to apply to a wider range of services than Medicare, though regulations vary from state to state. SCHIP is another large plan, and provides insurance for children of families with low income, but not low enough to qualify for Medicaid. Some smaller state-specific programs also extend coverage to specific subpopulations.

Despite the presence of the above mentioned programs, a large portion of the US population remains without coverage (Americas Health Insurance Plans, 2013). Those who make too much for Medicaid, and are too young for Medicare, may find themselves exposed to the immense burden of health care costs. Drug expenses are especially cumbersome, as many employer programs (and otherwise) tend to focus on the delivery of hospital services. The restricted availability of insurance results in a great imbalance in health care utilization between various segments of the population (Young & DeVoe, 2012).

The most services are accessible to (and are accessed by) the wealthiest members of society, due to the increased likelihood of quality employer coverage, as well as the ability to purchase insurance at a premium (an unreachable luxury for much of the middle class). The oldest and poorest people in the US have some coverage due to government programs, but cannot always take advantage of these opportunities due to other barriers to access, like transportation. Those who do not fall into these categories (nor have sufficient company insurance) face serious financial strain in the case of illness or injury, and may not seek care at all in order to avoid costs.

The imbalance in health care insurance coverage throughout the nation can be summed up accordingly: coverage (and therefore service) is distributed based on wealth, rather than health. The richest members of the US population can obtain the best services the most often, even if they do not require them. As is the case with any controversy that has economic ramifications, the government has been resistant to make changes due to the perceived threat to the concept of a free market. Or, more realistically, the inaction is due to the potential impact that health care equalization would have on the status of the rich and powerful.

The true likely lies somewhere between these two theories. In order for health care delivery to become evenly distributed among those who need it, the US government will need to reform policies to make at least some exceptions for those who are most neglected by the current financially-grounded system. Nonpartisan case studies of countries with successful universal health programs (Canada, much of Europe, almost everywhere else) will be needed to assess the potential impact of such changes on the US economy, and plans can be made accordingly to ease the concerns of the financially gifted.

ReferencesAmericas Health Insurance Plans - AHIP. (n.d.). Americas Health Insurance Plans - AHIP. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://ahip.org/Home | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . (n.d.). Home | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://cms.gov/ Young, R. A., & DeVoe, J. E. (2012). Who will have health insurance in the future? An updated projection. The Annals of Family Medicine, 10(2), 156-162.