Health Care Demand Scenario - Essay Example

Task Health Care Demand Scenario The problem being discussed involves a Mr. Jones who has joined the Medicare scheme and has been denied medication by his former physician for joining the scheme. The following sub headings define the solutions proposed to the problem Mr. Jones and other patients are experiencing. 1. Define The Service Medi- Insurance is a communal insurance plan that will be administered by the authorities in the United States and several other countries among the developed nations. It will provide health indemnities to the members of their population who are sixty five years old and above (Colamery, 2003). It will specifically cater for the people who have attained that age and have bodily disabilities that are permanent. Their offering of these facilities will help them in improving the health standards even for the people who live below the poverty line. Medi-Insurance will cover for almost 80% of the total costs incurred in getting medical attention. The adjunct plan will be established by a private indemnity health company. This health scheme is designed to be used by only people who are over sixty five years and have been citizens of the nation for a period of more than ten years. The beneficiaries of this scheme must have been paying taxes for a period of not less than ten years. They must also be recipients of disability gains from the boards dealing with retirement or the community security boards. These benefits are delivered to patients experiencing terminal diseases that affect the kidney and other vital body organs (Colamery, 2003). The people suffering from physical disabilities will continue receiving the benefits of Medi-Insurance even when they stop receiving benefits from their community boards. The customers of this service will find quality when they are provided with indemnity covers for their stay in hospitals. They will encounter quality medical cover for the medication they receive from these institutions (Matthews and Berman, 2011). The customers will receive services that are worth more than the total amount they have paid the authorities in taxes. The receivers of the service will also find quality in the clearance of their medical bills and their reception of expert medical attention. 2. Define the Demand The customers of this service will be the people who are aged sixty five years and above. They should be citizens of the nation for a period of at least ten years and must have been paying their dues to the relevant authorities. The beneficiaries of this program might also be old people who have disabilities in their physical conditions (Matthews and Berman, 2011). The beneficiaries must also be able to pay the minimum monthly premiums for the services they receive in future. The people who benefit from the scheme will be found in hospitals and the homes for the aged. This is because the scheme has a limitation on the minimum age of their beneficiaries. The plan will differ in terms of the medications they offer and the costs they charge. The plan will cover for the homeless people living on the streets even if they do not pay the premiums (Colamery, 2003). These costs will be catered for by well wishers and other sponsors. There are several consumer traits that will influence the demand for the service. The service will only be dispensed to people who have attained the minimum required age of sixty five years. It will only cover the citizens who have been paying their taxes for the last ten years they have been in the country (Moon, 2006). Citizens who are below this age will not be legible for enrolment in the program and will not receive its benefits. The people who cannot afford to pay the required monthly premiums will also enjoy the benefits of the scheme. Their consumers will not be highly sensitive to the prices they are charged for the services. This is because the scheme will be offering diverse benefits to different groups of people. The benefit’s one receives will correspond to the amount of his contributions towards the scheme (Colamery, 2003). 3. Define the Direction of Demand By denying Mr. Jones the benefits of medical care from privately practicing physicians, we will be increasing the demand for Medi-Insurance among the elderly people. This is because the majority of them will tend to fear joining Medicare. This will be brought about by the denial of medical services for the members of the programs by private physicians. Mr. Jones ended up leaving without being attended to because he was now a member of a Medicare program. Such actions will discourage the other legible patients from joining these programs. They pay premiums every month though they still do not seem enough to cater for the private physician’s fee. The Medi-Insurance provider will implement an organizational approach that caters for the customer’s needs in public and private health centers. The Medi-Insurance provider should adjust his approach to ensure that the needs of their customers are well catered for in all institutions (Colamery, 2003). Medicare’s organizational strategy made Mr. Jones leave his former physician’s premises without any assistance. It also prevented the receptionist at the physician’s office from divulging any information on other practicing professionals who would have assisted him. Medi-Insurance will not restrict their customers’ from doing business with other corporations. This is evident from the rejection Mr. Joneses gets from his former physician. The providers of Medi-Insurance will remain financially stable in their operations by increasing their premium charges and accepting donations. This will enable the organization to cater for the costs they incur while trading with the private physicians. The providers can also reduce their operational costs as this will increase their profitability. 4. Demand Management Recommendations I would recommend that the management comes up with better strategies to ensure their customers get serviced at any medical center. They should also review the nature of their relationship with the other partners in the industry. The providers of Medi-Insurance should come up with better organizational strategies to enhance their activities of providing medical care to the aged (Moon, 2006). The improvements on their strategies will enable their customers to get medical help from a variety of centers. This provider should also adopt strategies that facilitate trade with other business partners (Moon, 2006). They should increase the amounts charged to their clients to ensure they are adequate to cater for their needs. The implementation of these moves by the organization will help to increase their productivity. According to the scenario analysis carried out, the aged patients are denied help by the physician for belonging to Medicare. The effects of this move leads to a decrease in the demand for the provider’s services. This eventually leads to a decrease in the profitability and productivity of the provider and the emergence of Medi-Insurance. The restrictions they impose on their clients will greatly affect their operations and could end up facing charges for their actions. The prices charged as premiums seem to be very low and is the major reason Mr. Jones is turned away by his previous physician. The provider should raise his charges as this is will enable them to trade with other partners efficiently. The collaboration of Medi-Insurance with other health providers is very vital (Colamery, 2003). This is because it will ensure their customers get their treatment at any medical facility they visit. References Colamery, N. (2003), Medicare, Current Issues and Background. London: Nova publishers. Matthews, J and Berman, D. (2011). Social Security, Medicare And Government Pensions, Get The Most Out Of Your Retirement And Medical Benefits. Brussels: Nolo Publishers. Moon, M. (2006). Medicare, a Policy Primer. San Francisco: The Urban Institute. Read More