This document discusses the Medicare and Medicaid programs in the US, their importance in providing healthcare coverage to citizens, and the potential impact of universal health insurance coverage on healthcare in the country.
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Running head: HEALTHCARE1 HEALTHCARE Name of Student Institution Affiliation
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HEALTHCARE1 HEALTHCARE Question one: Medicare and Medicaid programs Medicare and Medicaid are healthcare programs sponsored by the US Federal Government to help in covering the health care costs of the country’s citizens. The two programs were founded in 1965 and are funded through taxes. The primary importance of the Medicare program is to cover healthcare costs for United States citizens aged 65 and above, and individuals having specific disabilities(Mcwhinney, 2019). The program's parts include hospitalization, medical insurance, supplemental insurance, and prescription drugs coverage. On the other hand, Medicaid is a program funded by state and federal government, to help US low-income citizens of all ages. The two programs were therefore introduced to minimize medical care barriers among the poor and aging populations.These two groups are the country’s most vulnerable(Leonard, 2015). I agree with the purpose of these two programs, because of the high number of people who have benefitted from the program. Currently, about 71 million low-income citizens are already subscribed to Medicaid. On the other hand, Medicare, on the other hand, has an enrollment rate of 56 million. These high enrollment rates depict the necessity of these two programs(Leonard, 2015). Having universal health insurance coverage for all US citizens will significantly change the health status of the country’s individuals and populations. It will remove inequality in health care, minimize healthcare costs for all, and increase access to quality healthcare services. Also, it will also lower medical costs for the economy(Amadeo, 2019). Question Two Increasing healthcare costs is one of the issues that both individuals and governments are faced with. For example in 2018, US Citizens are said to have spent $3.65 trillion on health care.
HEALTHCARE1 This amount was higher compared to other countries such as Canada, Spain, Mexico and the United Kingdom(Sherman, 2019). Escalating healthcare costs is, therefore, one of the issues affecting healthcare reforms. Controlling health care costs can be done through various strategies at the community, healthcare organizations and Insurance Company’s level. One of the most important strategies to achieve this is the change in consumer behavior. This idea falls into the general public/community level and includes the choice of cost effective treatment options(Arora, Moriates & Shah,2015). The government can also play a significant role in the management of total healthcare spending. For example, the US Government instead of focusing on specific programs, it can impose limitations on the overall healthcare costs. Such initiatives would deter private and government payers and providers from implementing any actions likely to increase healthcare spending. Limiting spending is likely to eliminate unnecessary healthcare costs, therefore increasing the quality and value of healthcare. In addition, change in consumer behavior will lead to an increase in the demand for lowly demanded services, which will make healthcare providers focus more on increasing the quality and safety of their services (Altman, 2018).
HEALTHCARE1 References Altman, S. (2018). Health Care Cost Control: Where Do We Go From Here? | Health Affairs. Retrieved fromhttps://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20180705.24704/full/ Arora, V., Moriates, C., & Shah, N. (2015). The Challenge of Understanding Health Care Costs and Charges.AMA journal of ethics,17(11), 1046. Amadeo, K. (2019). Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health Care. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thebalance.com/universal-health-care-4156211 Leonard, K. (2015). America's Health Care Elixir. Retrieved fromhttps://www.usnews.com/news/the- report/articles/2015/07/30/medicare-changed-health-care-in-america-for-the-better Mcwhinney, J. (2019). Medicare vs. Medicaid: What's the Difference?. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/07/medicare-vs-medicaid.asp Sherman, E. (2019). U.S. Health Care Costs Skyrocketed to $3.65 Trillion in 2018. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2019/02/21/us-health-care-costs-2/