Healthcare Plan for Obesity in the US - Essay Example

Health Care Plan 0 Health Problems The United s of America, even a powerful country, is not invincible when it comes to health problems. In fact, it is plagued by a number of them. This health care plan will focus on three significant health problems -- obesity, diabetes mellitus, and asthma. These concepts are interrelated. More importantly, the aforementioned health problems have figured in Center for Disease Control’s online publication regarding health assessments from the year 1997 to 2012. According to the National Health Interview Survey for the months of January to June of 2012 as recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012a), 28.7% adult Americans, men and women alike, are obese. An increase in adipose tissue is directly proportional to the “increase of risk for diabetes mellitus type II” (Barnett & Kumar, 2009, p. 4). Diabetes has a wide scope effect on organs; hence, predisposing morbidity and possible mortality (Lippincott, 2007, p. 5). Furthermore, as illustrated by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012b), the prevalence of diabetes in adults aged 18 and above increased to 9.2 % in 2012 as opposed to its 8.9% prevalence in 2011. Asthma, the third health problem to be addressed, displays its connection to the problem of obesity. It is a chronic lung disorder, which causes difficulty on a person’s inspiration and expiration of air (Murphy, 2011, p. 6). Also, Luder (as cited in Fantuzzi & Mazzone, 2007, p. 341) asserts that asthma has obesity as its antecedent; this means that the occurrence of asthma follows the incidence of obesity. In support of this statement, studies have yielded a direct relationship between a decrease in weight and improvement of health condition in asthmatic individuals (as cited in Fantuzzi & Mazzone, 2007, p. 341). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012c) demonstrated in its records that the highest prevalence of asthma among American adults, from 1997 to June 2012, is that of January to June 2012, with a percentage of 4.6%. 2.0 Proposed Solution Obesity is considered by the American Medical Association as a serious threat to public health (as cited in Kazaks & Stern, 2009, p. 43). It could cause potential harm and may even be a precursor of death itself (Kazaks & Stern, 2009, p. 41-42). Thus, this is a condition not to be underestimated and one which needs to be dealt with accordingly. The proposed solution shall revolve around the premise that physical inactivity and poor dietary choices predispose obesity in people (Rasmussen, 2000, p. 81). Thereby, this solution shall promote exercise as a part of daily regimen of obese individuals, as well as those who are overweight, as prevention against obesity. Initially an assessment would be done in each neighborhood in every state, with the help of local officials, to identify residents who are obese or overweight. Educational guides regarding simple exercise routines, which could be done despite hectic schedules, would be given to these individuals, as well as on choosing healthy yet affordable foods, in place of their unwise dietary choices. Unemployed individuals in the neighborhood would also be trained, along with social workers, regarding obesity so that these human resources could be harnessed in conducting health teachings. Another solution is that pharmacy staff would also be tapped to share useful information on anti-obesity medications through the use of pamphlets. Weight loss monitoring after a month is then conducted by those individuals responsible for the health teachings, and further reinforcement and modifications to the therapeutic anti-obesity measures prescribed would be done so as to yield a positive result on the next month of monitoring. Estimated Cost/Save. To garner an estimate on the cost of this program, California, being the largest state, has been used as an example. The state of California has a population of 36,457,549 (“State & County,” n.d.). Given that an estimate of 1 out of every 10 people in California is obese, this yields a total of 3,645,755 obese Californians. With this number of obese residents and an estimated ratio between the individuals assigned to this health program and the number of obese people as 100:10,000, this further yields a total of 36,458 workers. Given that the minimum wage in California as of 2013 is “$8 per hour” (“State Minimum Wage,” n.d.); these individuals have normal working hours, which is 8 hours per day, the total wage per day per individual would be $64. Taking into account that there are 36,458 workers; these number of workers multiplied by $64 a day would amount to $2,333,283 per day. Given that they would work five times in a week, the number of working days would comprise of 23 days. Hence, a daily amount of $2,333,283 in wages multiplied by 23 days would equal to $53,665,509 per month in terms of wages. In one year, it would amount to $643,986,108. The same strategy regarding health teaching would apply to the other two health problems. Since these three health conditions are interrelated, then the discussion of the complications of obesity would focus on a detailed overview of diabetes mellitus, including its etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment. Asthma would also be another disease that would be focused in the health teaching; still including a thorough background on it -- its symptoms, its origin, and its medical, as well as therapeutic management. The same ratio would apply as an example --100 workers: 10,000 people. The difference, however, would lie in the individuals to which these health teachings would be delivered to. Initial process would still include assessments conducted to identify residents who are diabetic and those residents who are asthmatic. Given that a different set of health workers would be employed to cater to diabetic and asthmatic residents, this would also yield the same $53,665,509 as the amount paid to all those who would be employed to assess, monitor, and help in the treatment of diabetes mellitus; and another $53,665,509 per month, in entirety, for those who would be assigned to cater to asthmatic patients. However, since obesity and diabetes mellitus are closely linked to each other, it could mean that some, if not most, obese patients are diabetic. In the same way, since asthma can be traced back to obesity, it could also mean that asthmatic patients are also obese. Hence, this would reduce the amount of capital to be apportioned since the health workers assigned to obese patients who are also diabetic, would cater to both health problems, and the same would apply in the case of a health worker assigned to an obese asthmatic patient. Therein lays the advantage of targeting health problems, which are interconnected. The selection thereof of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and asthma, as the health conditions to be focused on, is a cost-cutting measure all on its own. Since the example given is a reflection of the cost needed per day in terms of wages needed for this health plan in California, it would follow that the computation of the other states’ cost in terms of wages for these health workers per month would vary in terms of their population, as well as the minimum wage in each individual state. These individual computations per state as to arriving at the amount of capital needed for wages per month would further be multiplied by 12 to come up with a whole year’s estimate of finances to be allocated for wages. The value computed for a year from all individual states would be tallied in order to come up with the total amount of capital needed in the form of salaries in support of this health program. On the other hand, the savings would reflect on the reduction in expenditure of hospitalizations and medical treatments of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and asthma on a yearly basis in each individual state of the USA. To paint a clearer picture, the decrease in the number of Americans suffering from obesity, diabetes mellitus, and asthma would exemplify the meaning of savings -- a decrease in the budget for healthcare. 3.0 Beneficiaries and Opposition These three health conditions pose an alarming health threat on the public. Hence its solution should also cover the public at large. The health care plan proposed would cover every state of the USA. It starts in the smallest of units -- individual households. Assessing, monitoring, and aiding in the treatment of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and asthma in each neighborhood of every state; these individual local efforts would contribute to one huge national health revolution. This plan utilizes human resource to its fullest potential and in the same manner, improves human resource -- as citizens plagued with these health problems get better, so will human resource become stronger. Of course, there would always be two sides to the coin. If there is positive energy, there exists negative energy as well; in other words, there will always be people who would not see the viability or the relevance of this health care plan. These people could be in the face of officials who would want human resources to be allocated in other programs. Opposition could also arise among other healthcare practitioners who would rather not see the never-ending queues to their individual clinics diminish. Furthermore, opposition could be among those people themselves affected by these health conditions; they may find the assessing, monitoring, and treatment of their said condition as a form of intrusion. However, in that respect, the people delegated with the task of catering to the health needs of the aforementioned residents, will also be well-trained in how to establish a therapeutic relationship with the patient. Hence, opposition in that form can be counteracted upon. References Barnett, T., & Kumar, S. (2009). Obesity and Diabetes. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012a). Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over: United States, 1997- June 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/early release/earlyrelease201212_06.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012b). Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adults aged 18 and over: United States, 1997–June 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/early release/earlyrelease201212_14.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012c). Percentage of persons of all ages who experienced an asthma episode in the past 12 months: United States, 1997–June 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/earlyrelease201212_15.pdf Fantuzzi, G., & Mazzone, T. (2007). Adipose tissue and Adipokines in health and disease. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press Inc. Kazaks, A., & Stern, J. (2009). Obesity: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Lippincott, W. & W. (2007). Diabetes Mellitus: A nurses guide to patient care. Ambler, PA: Lippincott William & Wilkins. Murphy, W. (2011). Asthma. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books. Rasmussen, S. (2000). Addiction treatment: Theory and practice. Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. State & county quick facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html State minimum wage. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.laborlawcenter.com/t-State- Minimum-Wage-Rates.aspx Read More