NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples

NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples

Week One Initial Post: The Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System

After much consideration of the question; is healthcare a right or a privilege? I concluded that healthcare is a right. Our nation was founded on the idea that society should ensure an opportunity for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This is from our declaration of independence (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 4). In those powerful words, I believe the Government has committed to all citizens the provision of healthcare. Healthcare is essential to life, which is necessary for all other human endeavors. The Government has a role to improve health policy by addressing access, cost, and quality (Laureate Education, 2012d). It is in so doing will all populations have a fair chance to live healthy productive lives. NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples

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Adequate family income, high-quality educational opportunities, and being socially connected are all key factors that predict the health of a given person (Knickman & Kovner, p. 5). These indicators of good health create disparities in the health of the poor. In the United States, medical care, and its associated outcomes depend on ones’ income level, race, and geographical location (Knickman & Kovner, p. 8). The affordable care act has indeed made it possible for more people to have healthcare. The fact remains the insurance in many cases is not truly affordable. Individuals are paying exorbitant premiums and associated deductibles which may keep them from seeking medical care. But keep in mind that is the plight of the fortunate. Our Government has a lot of work to do still to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all.

I chose to discuss how the issue of socioeconomic status is impacting healthcare delivery. At the heart of much of the day-to-day struggle among the nation’s poor is the persisting lack of access to adequate and affordable healthcare (Clarke, 2018). Clarke describes in a recent publication in U.S. Catholic the social disenfranchisement of poor Americans. He describes their increased risk for preventable diseases. The healthcare delivery organizations are plagued with the cost associated with managing these diseases of populations who can not pay for services received. Clarke considers the current state of health care a remarkable failure in an era when every other advanced economy has long managed to provide universal healthcare. I believe we are way beyond the ability of individual communities to help themselves. Subsidiarity urges that needs are best addressed at the lowest possible level of authority (Clarke, 2018). Clarke further explains that when the poor are faced with the challenges of mere survival as a direct result of the impoverishment of social supports, subsidiarity and personal responsibility break down. This current climate calls for the Government to step-up.

References

Clarke, K. (2018, 03). Poor Americans. U.S. Catholic, 83, 42. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary. Org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/2036351842?accountid=14872

Knickman, J.R., & Kovner, A.R. (Eds.). (2015). Health care delivery in the United States (11^th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012d). Introduction to healthcare delivery, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Author.

The Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System

As stated in the course text, Health Care Delivery in the United States, “the health care enterprise is one of the most important parts of the U.S. social system and of our economic system as well” (Kovner and Knickman, 2011, p. 4); however, with millions of citizens uninsured, rising costs, massive health disparities, and the need to improve quality and access, many view health care as a broken system. As such, it continues to be a significant political issue in the United States. Most agree that something needs to be done to fix the health care system, but the methods and solutions for addressing problems vary greatly, particularly with respect to the role government should play. Proponents of varying approaches often have strong, emotional opinions, making compromise difficult.

In this Discussion, you will consider the role of government in health care, and you will examine the impact of a social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue on health care delivery.

To prepare:

With this week’s Learning Resources in mind, consider this question: Is health care a right or a privilege?
Review the media presentation for this week, focusing on the role of the government in health care including Affordable Care Act.
Pinpoint a social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue that could, or has, affected health care delivery in the United States.
Locate a current article from the popular press (within the past 6 months) related to the health care issue you identified. How does this article inform your understanding of the influence of your selected issue in the health care debate?

By Day 3

Post your position on whether health care in the United States is a right or a privilege, and explain what you believe to be the proper role of government in health care. Justify your position. Explain how the social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue you selected is impacting health care delivery and whether this issue should be addressed by the government or by private entities. Identify the article you selected, and explain how this article informs your stance.

Benjamin Fernandes

The Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System

The question of: Is health care a right or a privilege, can be debated forever. According to the text, “our nation is built on the idea that society should ensure an opportunity for ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’” (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 4). Life being the key word in this statement. Health care is an important role in ensuring life. The statement “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is taken directly from our Declaration of Independence. Is not the role of the government to protect its citizens? The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act 2010 (ACA) expanded the role of the government in health care. The ACA was designed to protect patient rights and make health insurance more available to the people. The theory was to make health care more available and affordable to the public. As this week’s video stated, the U.S. provides some of the best health care in the world as far as technology to deliver. The video also goes on to explain how on average, people in the U.S. end up pay more for health care in comparison to other countries (Laureate Education (Producer), 2012d).

We are a pivotal place, waiting and watching, to see which direction our nation will go. We have two candidates debating on issues, and we will have to choose which person to lead our nation in the coming years. This is vitally important to myself and the state I live, much like others across this country. New Hampshire finds itself in a crisis with opiate abuse. According to a local newspaper, the issue is “More Americans are dying from opioids than at any time in recent history, with overdose deaths hitting a peak of 28,000 in 2014” (Ronayne, 2016). When speaking of ensuring life, this statistic is going in the wrong direction. Internationally, the BBC wrote an article about the heroin and opiate crisis in the U.S., writing “The US is in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic – drug overdose has become the leading cause of accidental death, overtaking traffic accidents” (Pressly, 2016). While one candidate is electing to stop drugs via policing and tackling the issue through the judicial system, the other is electing to put money toward health care. According to the Concord Monitor (Ronayne, 2016), the candidates plan “would send more money to states to expand drug treatment and mental health services, promote greater availability of the overdose reversal drug naloxone and support better prevention programs in schools, among other things.” In NH, we find ourselves with one of the worse rankings in opiate abuse and death rates. Even worse we rank in the bottom for resources for those suffering from addiction. As a nurse working in the busiest emergency departments in the state, we see the effects of having few resources available for our patients.

The U.S. Constitution states that life is a right given to all citizens of the U.S. Providing health care to those citizens helps protect the same right.

Health care in the United States has become a major topic of discussion. There are varying opinions on each end of the spectrum. In my opinion, I feel that health care is a right to all citizens of the United States. Working in the medical field, I have seen medical conditions that could have been prevented if the person had health care coverage. Of course, I have also witnessed instances where people abuse the system, but in my opinion, those cases are few and far between.

I do not believe that no one should have to be sick or in constant pain to not have access to health care including those who are poor. I know some of the issues related to health care are that many believe that only those who pay taxes should have health care but I disagree. The United States government I believe should ensure that all citizens have health care.

The United States government is one of the largest payers for health care with Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veteran Administration (VA) system (Laureate Education, 2012). And from personal experience, I firmly believe that the government can provide excellent health care coverage for citizens. There are many other industrialized nations including France and Canada that provide adequate health care for their citizens, and I believe the United States should do this as well. NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples.

As the Declaration of Independence says that our nation is built on “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Knickman & Kovner, 2015). And by this, I take it to mean, that all citizens have the right to have the things they need including health care. I believe the government should create regulations that ensure all citizens have health care that they can afford and those who are disabled or poor should have access without limitations. Millions of Americans still lack insurance coverage or have inadequate coverage (Knickman & Kovner, 2015).

An article I found titled “Health care in the United States: A right or a privilege,” discusses how health care is a right and not a privilege (Bauchner, 2017). The article states that a consensus needs to be made regardless of how health care is to be provided or who provides it (Bauchner, 2017). The article mentions the fact that since 2010, 22 million Americans have obtained health care coverage since implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Bauchner, 2017). One thing people should think about is how the government provides access to emergency services, education, postal service, military, and many other things, but has not found a way to provide health care for all citizens. NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples.

References

Bauchner, H. (2017). Health care in the United States: A right or a privilege. Retrieved August 29, 2017, from http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2595503

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A. R. (Eds.). (2015). The current U.S. health care system. In Health care delivery in the United States (11th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Introduction to healthcare delivery, part I. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Discussion – Week 1

The Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System

As stated in the course text, Health Care Delivery in the United States, “the health care enterprise is one of the most important parts of the U.S. social system and of our economic system as well” (Kovner and Knickman, 2011, p. 4); however, with millions of citizens uninsured, rising costs, massive health disparities, and the need to improve quality and access, many view health care as a broken system. As such, it continues to be a significant political issue in the United States NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples. Most agree that something needs to be done to fix the health care system, but the methods and solutions for addressing problems vary greatly, particularly with respect to the role government should play. Proponents of varying approaches often have strong, emotional opinions, making compromise difficult.

In this Discussion, you will consider the role of government in health care, and you will examine the impact of a social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue on health care delivery.

To prepare:

With this week’s Learning Resources in mind, consider this question: Is health care a right or a privilege?
Review the media presentation for this week, focusing on the role of the government in health care including Affordable Care Act.
Pinpoint a social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue that could, or has, affected health care delivery in the United States. NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples.
Locate a current article from the popular press (within the past 6 months) related to the health care issue you identified. How does this article inform your understanding of the influence of your selected issue in the health care debate?

By Day 3

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. Focus particularly on those questions raised to which you can add comments based on shared experiences or situations. Consider how your colleagues’ postings reflect and/or differ from your own perceptions and opinions.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research using an in-text citation in APA format.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Reference:
Kovner, A. R., & Knickman, J. R. (Eds.). (2011). Health care delivery in the United States (10th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

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Healthcare, A Right Or A Privilege?

In today’s world, we know that healthcare is both accessible and inaccessible, depending on many factors. I believe that every person should be provided, safe and efficient care. “The World Health Organization (1984) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”(Knickman and Kovner, 2015) NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples. Everyone should be able to have access to services that would help to improve or sustain their health. It is hard as a nurse to know that patients will cancel their appointments or ultrasounds because the cost will be a financial burden for them. That is not making healthcare a privilege, it makes it inaccessible and untrustworthy. For example, I had lab work ordered from my physician, I had called my insurance company to check if the tests would be covered. The insurance company could not tell me how much the procedure would cost, or if I would get a bill, they could not even give me an estimate on the cost. I am stable enough that I had the test done, and was able to afford the bill, but what about the patients that are not. There is a way of making changes in healthcare and making it more accessible and affordable for patients.

Whether healthcare is a privilege, or a right can easily relate into the role of the government in healthcare. The government should be able to provide affordable care, whether from private insurance companies or government agencies. “In comparison to England, Canada, France, and China, the United States pays significantly higher prices for medical care” (Knickman and Kovner, 2015) NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples. Relatively speaking the US could negotiate prices of services before they have been provided, instead of after. Between local, state and federal government there are many hands in the pot of healthcare. To take better care of our population, insurance and accessibility of care need to be reviewed and revised by the government.

Recently, I read an article about the presidential administration making it easier for consumers to buy temporary healthcare plans at a more affordable rate than previously available. In this article, Luhby states “The Trump administration estimates that 200,000 Obamacare enrollees will move to short-term plans next year. Also, 300,000 people who now buy individual market polices outside of the Obamacare exchanges will switch to short-term plans and another 100,000 uninsured folks will purchase them next year” (2018). This seems a good way to help those who may have a gap in their insurance or cannot afford a very high premium. It would surely make healthcare more accessible to those with some sort of financial woe NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples.

References

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A. R. (Eds.) (2015). Health Care Delivery in the United States (11^th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Luhby, T. (2018, August 01). Trump administration makes it easier to buy alternative to Obamacare. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/01/politics/obamacare-short-term-health/index.html NURS 6050 Week 1 Discussion Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System Essay Examples