Healthcare Reforms In Hawaii And Massachusetts - Essay Example

Healthcare Reforms April 15, Healthcare Reforms This paper compares and contrasts the health insurance in Hawaii andMassachusetts. It discusses the similarities and differences between the general health statistics of the populations of these two states and their health ranking. The similarities and differences between Hawaiian and Massachusetts’ position on health reforms are discussed. The paper closes with a comparison on the similarities and differences in the influence of healthcare reform on professional nursing practice in the two states. Health insurance in Hawaii and in Massachusetts Hawaii has been ranking highly compared to other states. Its website reveals that it is one of the states that direct a lot of funds to healthcare. Hawaii Insurance Division is committed to providing Hawaii residents with information on its different insurance companies and their services. Individuals seeking information on Medicaid and Medicare programs are privileged because they only need to visit The Hawaii Sage Plus Program to obtain all the information they may need. This resembles closely the state of healthcare insurance in Massachusetts which has also been ranking highly compared to other states. Massachusetts provides funds enough to provide healthcare to more than ninety percent of its residents. Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner collaborates with Massachusetts Department of Public Health in providing information about health insurance providers in the state. MassHealth provides information on Medicaid and SCHIP and the assistance available for those who are eligible for the two programs. Whereas in both states more than three three-quarters of employers provide health insurance benefit plan to their residents, there are more employees in Hawaii (87%) who take into these benefit plans than their counterparts in Massachusetts (80%). There are more residents lacking health insurance in Massachusetts lacking health insurance (81 out every 1000) than those lacking health insurance in Hawaii (8 out of every 100). On the whole though, several conclusions can be made from the things that are evident about health insurance in both states. Both Hawaii and Massachusetts are committed to health reforms and are aligning themselves with federal health reforms. This is evident in the laws they have passed requiring their residents to get health cover or be penalized. Hawaii and Massachusetts are some of the top ranking states heath wise in the nation (Bauer & Hollier, 2012). General health statistics of the population in Hawaii and Massachusetts and their state health ranking Infant mortality in both Hawaii and Massachusetts is low. The low infant mortality rates in the two states draws from the comprehensive preventive care that the state governments extends to toddlers an infants. In both states, persons between nine and thirty five live healthy lives because they receive complete immunization coverage. Statistics show that pregnant women in both states do not receive proper prenatal care. Binge drinking is a health weakness in both states with the rate of binge drinking going as high as eighteen percent in both states. The percentage of children in poverty is slightly higher in Hawaii than in Massachusetts. The rate of unnecessary and preventable hospitalizations in Massachusetts is higher (80 discharges for every 1000 Medicare enrollees) than that of Hawaii (3 discharges for every 100 Medicare enrollees). There is a higher incidence of infectious disease cases in Hawaii than there in Massachusetts. The incidence of cancer–related deaths in Massachusetts is higher than in Hawaii. Pollution levels in Hawaii are lower than those in Massachusetts. In 2013, the United States health ranking placed Hawaii at first position and Massachusetts at position four (Bauer & Hollier, 2012). States’ position on health reform Both Hawaii and Massachusetts support heath reform. Hawaii was the first state to pass legislation, Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act 1974, which requires employers to provide employees with health insurance. The state has remained consistently pro-health reforms and this is evident in the legislation that was passed in 2009 that created the Hawaii Health Authority. This authority has been mandated to plan for healthcare needs of the state and to determine future capacity needs for the state’s health providers, support services, equipment and facilities. Hawaii’s support for health reforms is also seen in Hawaii Health Authority’s task of determining, implementing and maintaining the waivers that are available to the state’s residents under federal law. Similarly, Massachusetts has demonstrated its support for health reforms by adopting health care reform laws like the one it adopted in 2006. This law, required residents to have insurance coverage, employers to provide employees with health insurance cover and pledged that the state would provide residents earning below 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL) with free health care insurance. The state amended this law in 2008 and 2010 in order to realign its health reform goals to those of the Federal Affordable Care Act. The Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority is Massachusetts’ equivalence of Hawaii Health Authority (Bauer & Hollier, 2012). Despite their support for health reforms, their exist disparities in how these reforms play out in the two states. There are more uninsured persons in Massachusetts than there are in Hawaii. There is lower geographical disparity in terms of access to health in Hawaii than in Massachusetts. Overall, Massachusetts has a better readiness to provide healthcare to its residents (94.1% of its resident could access health care if needed) that in Hawaii (93% of its residents could access health care if needed). The ratio of physicians to population is smaller in Massachusetts than in Hawaii. Influence of health care reforms on professional nursing practice in Hawaii and Massachusetts Both Hawaii and Massachusetts recognizes the possibility of professional nurses being discriminated by private insurers and health plans. As such, the two states have initiated laws seeking to safeguard health care providers from discrimination by health plans and private plans. Hawaii and Massachusetts are among state that are ratifying their nurse licensure practices in order to encourage the full participation and contribution of nurses in advancing the goal of providing quality and affordable health care to their residents. The two states are streamlining their compensation measures to nurses and physicians to match the provisions and requirements of the Affordable Care Act (Bauer & Hollier, 2012). Hawaii is ahead of Massachusetts in implementing the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Programs that ensures funding levels to nursing programs match the growing needs for nursing and health care services. Massachusetts’ legislation relating to graduate nurse education demonstration is more elaborate than Hawaii’s. Hawaii is better prepared to fund family nurse practitioner training programs than Massachusetts. Massachusetts has better funding for nurse managed health clinics as primary care services than Hawaii. Conclusion Whereas both states require employers to provide insurance cover to their employees, there are more employees who receive these covers in Hawaii than in Massachusetts. Infant mortality rates are low in both states. Unnecessary and preventable hospitalizations are higher in Massachusetts than in Hawaii. Both states support health reform but there more uninsured persons in Massachusetts than in Hawaii. References Bauer, J. & Hollier, L. (2012). The Current State of Health Care Reform The Physicians’ Burden. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 32(2): 230 – 235. http://hawaii.gov/health/ www.mass.gov/dph/ Read More