Health Care Reform in the USA - Admission/Application Essay Example

Health Care Reform in the USA I. Introduction A. Current Problem: Health care reforms in the US. B. Key Terms: insurance, health care Thesis Statement: Reforms in the health care are based on a number of policies and philosophical concepts that have continually shaped the face of the health care sector. II. Major Point 1: Philosophical concepts and topics A. Minor Point 1: This paper analyzes a number of topics with regards to health care. B. Minor Point 2: Important philosophical concepts in health care reforms include ethics in health care, politics in health care, birth as well as death rights. III. Major Point 2: Philosophical assumptions in health care reforms. A. Minor Point 1: Health care is a fundamental right to all individuals. B. Minor Point 2: There has been a change in the roles of nursing over the years. C. Minor Point 3: Health care should be provided to the highest number of individuals together with the costs of calculating health care should be based on quality IV. Major Point 3: Justification of the Argument A. Minor Point 1: The moral as well as ethical premises in health care reforms are important in health care reforms. B. Minor Point 2: The debate between private health care as well as universal in political philosophy in US is highly contentious. C. Minor Point 3: Health care insurance is the basic method employed by peopled to over their medical costs in developed nations D: Minor Point 4: The fast pace in which the sectors of health science together with medicine are changing, it is important to explore the best method for carrying out research. Abstract Health reforms are a widely discussed issue in the US owing to the fact that health care owing to its increasing costs. This paper looks into some of the momentous reforms in the American history. It also looks at the philosophical concepts and topics underlying health care reforms. The paper also gives assumptions in the health care reforms and further gives a justification to the argument. The paper concludes by stating some of the changes that can be made in health care reforms. Health Care Reform Introduction Health care reforms have a rich history within the US context. Over the years, numerous health care reforms have been proposed but seldom attained. In 2010, two important reforms were enacted, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Future reforms have been brought forward with the main area of focus being on a reduction in the cost of medical care alongside a single payer system. The US has achieved a number of milestones in the health care sector over the years. In 1965, Medicare was introduced that covered general medical as well as hospital insurance that was aimed at benefiting retirees (Christensen and Jason, 2009). In 1985 the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 was enacted to empower retirees to continue being covered by a health insurance policy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was introduced in 1996 that ensured that health insurance companies covered their initial conditions that ensured insurance coverage for employees together with their families in case they lost or changed their jobs (Christensen and Jason, 2009). In 1997 the State Children's Health Insurance Program was enacted to provide insurance. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that is popularly known as Obamacare was introduced to eliminate the unfair practices by insurance companies. Reforms in the health care are based on a number of policies and philosophical concepts that have continually shaped the face of the health care sector. Philosophical Concepts and Topics This paper analyzes a number of topics with regards to health care reform including the history of health reforms, motivation, public opinion, uninsured rate, Obamacare as well as the alternatives future directions (Delanty and Strydom, 2003). The philosophical concepts in health care reforms touch on ethics, processes together with the individuals that make up the maintenance of health care of patients (Delanty and Strydom, 2003). Important philosophical concepts in health care reforms include ethics in health care, politics in health care, birth as well as death rights. Philosophical Assumptions in Health Care Reforms There are various philosophical assumptions in health care reforms. This means that health care is based on a number of issues (Delanty and Strydom, 2003). To start with, health care is a fundamental right to all individuals. There has been a change in the roles of nursing over the years. Health care should be provided to the highest number of individuals together with the costs of calculating health care should be based on quality. Justification of the Argument The moral as well as ethical premises in health care reforms are important in health care reforms. To consolidate add to such an important area in moral philosophy, it is important to look into what sets health care ethics apart from other types of morality. Health care should be treated in a different way from other goods. Health care is an institution in which all individuals are part of at one moment in their lives plus at one point in time, individuals need to make decisions concerning health care. After thinking about the costs together with the benefits associated with a given health care decision, individuals have to establish if the costs outweigh the costs (Delanty and Strydom, 2003). This decision is based on economic factors as well as social factors. There are three main areas in ethics: medical, business as well as nursing ethics. Medical ethics revolves around the improvement of valuation procedures of outcomes in health care programs along with treatments (Leap, 2011). These outcomes have been formulated to direct health policy that should be applied to all people across various societies. Nursing ethics focus on issues that are common in the profession together with the values within the profession have been endorsed by the American Nurses Association (ANA). Finally, business ethics center on the balance between the quality of care as well as its cost. The debate between private health care as well as universal in political philosophy in US is highly contentious (Edmund, 2008). In the 1960s, there were numerous programs by the federal government to conduct an overhaul of the health care system through modernization together with consolidation (Delanty and Strydom, 2003). This was marked by the establishment of a public health insurance policy for underprivileged as well as elderly citizens. Medicaid or Medicare care program facilitated access of health care services to a specific group of citizens. Although these health care reforms were a huge moved towards socialized medicine, citizens were of the view that the government needs to take more actions towards health care coverage. Those that support universal health care view it as an erosion of the high class of health care that is already present in the US. The US federal government started an initiative that gave patients with a detailed list of their rights in health care. The political philosophy underlying this initiative was combined with philosophies such as the Consumers' Bill of Rights (Maggie, 2006). This was agreed upon in a move to ensure that quality health was enjoyed by all patients as well as maintaining high levels of integrity within the health care sector. Regulating the environment within health care organizations in this way has proven to be highly hands-on. Interest groups including Big Pharma and Amerian Medical Association (AMA) rejected the congressional bill. They argued that having health care sectors provide emergency treatment to individuals irrespective of their health insurance condition was the main disadvantage of the bill. Health care insurance is the basic method employed by peopled to over their medical costs in developed nations (Reid, 2009). It can be got from the public and private sectors. The approach of provision varies across various nations. Bearing in mind the fast pace in which the sectors of health science together with medicine are changing, it is important to explore the best method for carrying out research. In general, researchers should be concerned about the observable fact on which the research question is obtained from (Reid, 2009). Following these decisions, the best decision is made with regards to the best research approach to be taken. This helps researchers in justifying their findings. Conclusion To sum up, health care reforms has an extensive history in the US. There are a number of topics with regards to health care reform including the history of health reforms, motivation, public opinion, uninsured rate, Obamacare as well as the alternatives future directions. On the other hand, important philosophical concepts in health care reforms include ethics in health care, politics in health care, birth as well as death rights. Justification of the argument is based on moral as well as ethical premises. Future directions in the health care sector should focus towards providing health to the greatest number of people at an affordable cost. References Christensen, C. H., & Jason, G. J. (2009). The innovator's prescription. McGraw Hill. Delanty, G., & Strydom, P. (Eds.). (2003). Philosophies of social science: The classic and contemporary readings. Philadelphia. PA: McGraw-Hill. Edmund, D. P. (2008). The philosophy of medicine reborn. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press. Leap, T. L. (2011). Phantom billing, fake prescriptions, and the high cost of medicine: health care fraud and what to do about it. Cornell University Press. Maggie, M. (2006). Money-driven medicine: The real reason health care: Costs so much. HarperCollins. Reid, T. R. (2009). The healing of America: A global quest for better, cheaper and fairer health Care. Penguin Books. Read More