...INTRODUCTION STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Equity may be defined as the requirement that individuals of unequal ability to pay make different payment (Vertical equity) or those of the same ability to pay make the similar contribution (Horizontal equity) (1). Preserving equitable access to health services under a system of user fees can be accomplished in three steps. First, the poor population to receive preferential treatment with respect to user fees must be identified. Second, a protection mechanism must be selected and implemented. Third, to ensure that the protection policy is working adequately, an evaluation of its performance is required (9). A waiver is used to reduce or eliminate fees for the poor based on an assessment of their inability to pay. Exemptions are used to describe when services are automatically provided free because the patient has the characteristic being targeted (2). Targeting is a welfare concept and a strategy for identifying any group(s) of Persons in a population who are eligible for an intervention or assistance. Two errors often arise in targeting;1, Error of exclusion: excluding those Intended to benefit from a program and 2. Error of inclusion: including those not intended to benefit from a program (3). There are various administrative issues on achieving equity under cost recovery through direct targeting these range from identification of responsibilities for certifying and verifying eligibility, designing the means for assessing eligibility...
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...of Nations". It was used to explain what a free market is. A free market is a market system in which the prices for goods and services are set freely by consent between sellers and consumers, in which the laws and forces of supply and demand are free from any intervention by a government, price-setting monopoly, or other authority. Within the healthcare market, a heavily regulated market, there was an opening for VIP care for those that could afford it. It is unregulated and should not be due the fact that the outcome of money paid for the services, pay for bettering the hospital. The Benefactor Society A free-market economy is an economy where all markets within it are unregulated by any parties other than those players in the market. In its purest form the government plays a neutral role in its administration and legislation of economic activity, neither limiting it nor actively promoting it (Meiners, Ringleb, & Edwards, 2011). Within this economy the healthcare market is heavily regulated which causes prices to be high and as well as needs and wants from consumers. The upper class consumers expect a certain level of attention and care. Because of these expectations there was an opening for a new market, VIP patient care. A term used by Adam Smith to describe the natural force that guides free market capitalism through competition for scarce resources is called the invisible hand. According to Adam Smith, in a free market each participant will try to maximize...
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...not afford health care? What would you do if you had to pay a lump some for healthcare no matter your financial state? This is where healthcare exchanges under the Affordable Care Act can help those in need of health care, along with giving people a choice. The health care exchanges under the affordable care act allows people to “shop” for a healthcare plan no matter their financial state. Health care exchanges under the affordable care act in Washington State includes healthplanfinder. Healthplanfinder allows people to “shop” for insurance coverage such as apple care, different coverages for their family as well as for their employees. Health care exchanges under the affordable care act allow for a free market because people have a choice of what particular health coverage they want under the health care exchange. Many people choose not to have healthcare due to the fact that they cannot afford it. healthplanfinder.org is a Washington State based website that allows people to search for a healthcare plan that fits their lifestyle and needs. When looking up plans one must first make an account based on their annual income then choose if the plan is for themselves, family or employees. There is also an option to choose either a Health Maintenance Organization,HMO, or a Preferred Provider Organization, PPO. A HMO insurance coverage is where someone can only go to clinics or hospitals under that specific insurance. For example, if someone is covered by Group Health and needs to...
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...Needs to know ( About Free Clinics) Christy Phillips Strayer University English 115 ALENE Morrison 04/28/2014 The Public Needs to Know 2 The people in Douglasville, Georgia need to know that the health care of the community is crucial. It is because of the price of the insurance today too many people go without medical care that they need. If Douglasville, Georgia had a free clinic more people could get the health care of that they need. There are more people dieing everyday because they cannot afford to get the medical care they need. That is why now more than ever the community needs to open a free clinic here in Douglasville, Georgia for the low income families and the uninsured. The public needs to know why a free clinic would be beneficial to Douglasville, Georgia. To begin with the state of Georgia population is 9,687,953 and of that 132,493 live in Douglas county (US Census Bureau,2010). According to ( healthyfuturega.org) nearly 2 million people in Georgia are uninsured that is among the highest in the nation. There is a total of 44,131 uninsured in Douglas and Carroll County it is the third highest in the state of Georgia. The presence of free primary care clinic reduces hospital costs associated with non-urgent ED use and inpatient care (Journal of Health & Human Services Administration. Mar2012, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p456-470. 15p). That is why someone needs to find a way to help the uninsured and low income families get the health care they need. One of...
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...of Healthcare In Canada the population has free health care. The issue that has begun popping up is the problem that the companies and the government wants to start privatizing health care, meaning the companies want the control over all things concerning the health care system. Over time owners of healthcare services wanted to start making money, money has always been a huge factor in extremely important decisions. The most important influencing factor in this issue is of course money, it is understandable that money is an influencing factor but making money off of the people’s ailments is very scary, even though almost all other countries already don't have free healthcare, hundreds of thousands of the immigrants are here...
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...the NHS has existed for over fifty years and offers health care that is free at the point of delivery for everyone. This service is funded by taxpayers for the benefit of those same taxpayers. However, the option remains available for people to purchase private health insurance if they so choose. In the US, the majority of citizens have health insurance that is related to employment or purchases directly. The federal government only ensures public access to emergency services, regardless of an individual's ability to pay. They also have publicly funded health care programs that cater to the elderly, the disabled and the poor. These are two significant examples of the two different approaches to health care provision: publicly and privately funded. In this report, we are going to look into the microeconomic aspects of the two models by assessing and analysing: Health care features as policy interventions in the market The microeconomic advantages and disadvantages of the UK system The microeconomic advantages and disadvantages of the US system The role of the regulators and markets in the provision of health care Key Findings Health care features as policy interventions in the market In the majority of advanced societies, access to basic and emergency health care is considered an irrefutable moral right, regardless of gender, age or creed. But through what means should a government decide it has the right to control any health care system via administration and policy? Both systems...
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...Preventive Care Veronica Lee Regis College HP-622-01-11FA, Economics of Health Care December 4, 2011 Is There a Real Cost Savings with Preventive Care? Introduction: On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) into law, which creates health insurance reforms that will transform healthcare over the next four years. The PPACA will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and will create the transformation with the health care system necessary to contain costs (The Patient Protection). One of those health insurance reforms started on September 23, 2010, which will provide free preventive care. The PPACA will eliminate co-pays and deductibles for recommended preventive care, including preventive care for women, provide individuals with the information they need to make healthy decisions, improve education on disease prevention and public health, and invest in a national prevention and public health strategy (The Patient Protection). There are some exceptions to the law for grandfathered insurance plans. This preventive services provision applies only to people enrolled in job-related health plans or individual health insurance policies created after March 23, 2010 (Preventive Care). This law is supposed to improve quality healthcare and lower costs for patients. This paper will discuss what effect the new law may have on the United States healthcare system. What is Preventive Care? The...
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...Free Medical Clinic for those without Insurance Assignment 2.1: Informative Paper January 29, 2014 Free Medical Clinic for those without Insurance Assignment 2.1: Informative Paper In today’s world, healthcare availability is a major concern for many people. Whether it is due to income, specific health concerns or resources many people find themselves without the ability to seek treatment at a facility they can afford. To help communities with these issues, if resourced properly, a free or low cost clinic as an alternative can greatly benefit the community in addressing the economic and special needs of the patients. Healthcare in the United States has proven costly to patients. There options for treatment can be limited by their insurance, location, available of care and lifestyle. “Health care is a limited resource for which there is unlimited demand. In 2005 health care expenditures were 16% of GDP, with projected increases from $2 trillion in 2005 to $4 trillion in 2015. For the past forty years, demand for health care has risen each year without indication that the market for health care is satiated” (Crowe, 2010, p.455). Premiums for those with coverage has increased drastically over the years while what is being covered has decreased or has had increased copays and deductibles applied. “In 2007, the established system of payment for services and access to the health care system was impacted by an economic recession resulting in a loss of 5.1 million jobs...
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...Matrix Health Care Law Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010 Describe the health care law (75 to 150 words) The Hunger-free kids act is a nutrition program that provides all children with healthy food in school and to low income families. Because of this act schools are playing a larger role in children’s health. Included in this legislation other programs that focus on hunger has come into play such as: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants and Children (WIC), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program, After School Meal Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). The programs under the Hunger-free kids act do not have a specific expiration date however, the Congress will periodically review and reauthorize funding that is allocated to the program. Analyze the importance of the law (75 to 150 words) The Hunger-free kids act was a key step for our nation’s toward the effort to provide all children with healthy food and education about healthy food. This program is so important because millions of children now receive meals through the school lunch program and the other programs that are attached to it. There are so many people especially children living in food insecure households and the rate of child hood obesity is at an all-time high. Through legislation there has been improvements and provisions that provide healthier and more nutritious food options, education and to help children...
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...Health Policy Values Morgan Spencer Grand Canyon University: NUR-508 Dr. Jamie Buchanan June 15, 2015 Health Policy Values Beliefs and Values Beliefs and values are two things in which people develop when they are going up and are engraved in them however, there is a difference. Beliefs are what we believe to be true and values are a person's principles or standards of behavior. My values and beliefs have stemmed from my upbringing and also from my personal experiences as a nurse and a young woman. As a young child my values and what was expected of myself were engraved into me. The first concept that was engraved into myself was a hard work ethic which stemmed from my grandfathers. My grandfathers were the bread winner of their families and taught myself the importance of integrity, honesty, and hard work. My beliefs came from knowing God, understanding His Word and knowing what he expects of myself. Health Care Policy Due to my values and beliefs I can easily get frustrated when talking about health care policy in respects to cost and quality. Health care costs have easily risen since I started working as a nurse four years ago. However, things are getting more expensive that the economy cannot keep up at this time. Technology and the advances in health care are beneficial to all and for the greater good which can improve the quality of life. However, are these advances going to cost more? Yes. Should we not develop them due to cost of them? Absolutely not. Unfortunately...
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...United States, the health care system is part of a free-market economy. This means that when a member of the US public is in need of health care, they must pay for it themselves, with no government help. For example, Sloman (2007) gives a distinct definition to a free market economy, ‘An economy where all economic decisions are taken by individual households and firms with no government intervention’ If healthcare was to be funded completely through a free-market economy, a lot of individuals would say that it would be a relatively fair way of providing each person in need of care, quality treatment. The website Patient UK (2009) cited that ‘1 in 16 hospital admissions are due to alcohol related illnesses’. This strong statistic would reveal that the majority of people in Britain are paying taxes towards the NHS to pay for the care needed for ever-growing amount of people seeking treatment for injuries and illnesses, they most likely would not obtain if they hadn’t got so intoxicated. In some cases, some members of the public in need of the treatment are in fact those of the British public seeking benefits for the Government, so in turn are not only looking for tax payers to for their living benefits but also healthcare. It could be said that the healthier members of the public who very rarely or never need would very much welcome a free-market within the health system as they are tired of funding the care for the booze culture of the United Kingdom today. A free-market healthcare...
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...Health Promotion Among Hispanic Minority Becky Andersen Grand Canyon University: NRS-429NV May 14, 2016 The Health of the nation is determined by the minority health. Approximately 52 million or 16.7% of the total population is Hispanic making this the largest minority group in the Unites States. By 2050 the Hispanic population is expected to double to approximately 132 million or 30% (SAMHSA, 2016). This paper will analyze the health status of the Hispanic population with the non-Hispanic average, health behaviors including cultural, socioeconomic and sociopolitical barriers to health and ways of promoting health. Health Status Among Hispanic Population The two leading causes of death in Hispanics are Cancer and Heart Disease, approximately two of five deaths; this is about the same for non-Hispanic whites (CDC, 2013). In addition to the top two causes, however, homicide, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and conditions in the perinatal period are among the leading causes of death for Hispanics but not for non-Hispanics whites. The death rate for homicide for Hispanics is more than three times the rate for non-Hispanic whites and is responsible for the higher death rate among Hispanic men age 15-24(Escarce, Morales, Rumbaut, 2006). Alcohol use and chronic hepatic infection are a major factor in the increasing death rates from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. The Hispanic populations have a longer life expectancy than non-Hispanic white. An increase...
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...Part I The Free Medical Clinic of Newberry County, Inc. opened its doors in December, 2004 to serve the needs of Newberry County residents without access to professional health care due to lack of income or adequate health insurance. Since the opening of the clinic hundreds of Newberry citizens have received care from volunteer physicians and dentists on a wide range of medical conditions. The first years of operation for the Free Medical Clinic of Newberry County, Inc. have revealed a great need for affordable medical services among county residents. “Since the Clinic's opening in December 2004, the number of patients who have qualified for services has increased steadily and is now over 850. The Clinic's services include medical and dental care, as well as prescriptions” (Newberry Clinic Organization, 2008). Medical Need Dr. Gene Epting and Bobby Summer along with a diverse county wide organizing committee were responsible for helping bring the need of this clinic to other major groups in and outside of the community. During the planning and implementing stages “guidance and assistance for the undertaking of the clinic was provided by the Volunteers in Medicine, the South Carolina Hospital Association and the South Carolina Free Medical Clinic Association. The Free Clinic is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Cash and in-kind contributions are tax deductible under IRS regulations” (Volunteers in Medicine, 2008). Population Served by the Clinic The Free Clinic in Newberry...
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...Health care cost in the United States is expensive, and it has increased each year without fail until recently. There are a few contributing factors to the health care spending growth; one is the number of individuals who are in need of health insurance and medical care, and the other is the technology changes. Technology is a continuous change, and this will always be a factor in health care spending. For the individuals who were uninsured and could not obtain insurance, they have now been given the opportunity because of the health care reform; those individuals can now enroll in affordable coverage through the health insurance exchange. By providing more individuals with access to health care coverage and reducing the cost of preventative care, the spending value should start to decline. The objective of the Affordable Care Act is to bring out the health care system inadequacies while decreasing the overall health care spending, the other was to increase the effectiveness and quality of patient care (the White House, 2013). Health Care Expenditures In 2013 statistics show that there was one more year of reducing growth in health care spending, the other years that were evident of a slow growth were 2011 and 2012. These years according to Furman & Fiedler (2014), "saw the slowest growth in real per capita health care spending on record” (Historically Slow Growth in Health Spending Continued in 2013, and Data Show Underlying Slow Cost Growth Is Continuing, para 1)...
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...Health care is one of the most important insurances in the world today. Health care is extremely important for everyone because it does more than just treat or take care of an individual. It provides an opportunity for doctors and physicians to prevent and capture diseases before they mature and take effect. Every nation around the world should have some type of medical or health care for the individuals in their country. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many countries. There are a great deal of people suffering across the world from multiple types of diseases and illnesses. There are tens of thousands of people that die every day due to unfortunate living conditions or infections. Some of the major health conditions and categories that are used to record the number of deaths around the world include infant mortality, surgical disease, measles, respiratory diseases, diarrheal diseases, HIV, malaria, nutrition deficiency, and chronic disease. The number of infants that died across the world in 2005 was around 56 million. Of the 56 million children that died, 10 million were under the age of 5 and 99% of them lived in a low income country. This is equivalent to 30,000 children dying a day. Health care could not only treat the infants who are dying, but it could prevent most of them from dying at such an early age. Another health condition that continues to be a problem is the fact that diseases can be acquired after a surgical procedure. Doctors and surgeons...
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