Opinion Editorial: Challenges and Solutions for Healthcare Funding

This opinion editorial critically examines the challenges in healthcare funding systems worldwide, highlighting the impact on economic stability and public health. The author emphasizes the importance of healthcare financing and the concept of the 'common good,' where healthy individuals contribute to the system to support those in need. The editorial explores various challenges, including lack of knowledge about funding responsibilities and the need for universal healthcare. It proposes solutions such as establishing universal healthcare systems, promoting equality in healthcare access, and engaging communities to foster a sense of collective responsibility. The editorial also emphasizes the role of religious organizations, community workers, and healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, in educating the public and advocating for equitable healthcare policies. It concludes by stressing the importance of ethical conduct and quality care in maintaining public trust and encouraging participation in healthcare funding.

Running head: OPINION EDITORIAL 1
Opinion Editorial
Name
Institution

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Opinion Editorial
Article Critique
Health is a crucial driver for the economy. As such, healthcare is very vital in any country
in the world (Sauerborn, Kjellstrom, & Nilsson, 2009). Health financing system can help in
providing resources along with economic incentives that can assist in the operating of the health
system. However, across the whole world, healthcare funding has experienced several
challenges, primarily due to lack of proper knowledge of who is responsible for funding it, yet
since the inception of publicly funded healthcare, the coverage has increased with the number of
people who are involved in the payment of insurance premiums. The idea of the collective
contribution of premiums to the healthcare system has seen countries such as the United States
spend a lot of capital on health. On average, it means that the status of healthcare of the nation is
quite high as compared to other countries which solely depend on the government to provide the
capital to cater for healthcare needs (De Freitas & Martin, 2015).
Most societies still do not understand the factor of the common good. What it means is
that a person who is healthy can continue to give premiums to an insurance firm, not only
because they expect to be treated with that money (Etzioni, 2014). The money paid by these
healthy people is used to treat those who are infected, who, when left without treatment may be
the channels through which an infection can spread to the other people who were initially
healthy. Ideally speaking, a healthy person contributes the money to the system to act as
“prevention” against the spread of an infection or disease. This is the most basic understanding
of the common good. Different organizations can play a critical part in creating an understanding
of the need for common good practices. Humanity needs to understand that the life of one person

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will influence the life of another, which as pointed in the article, and just like the Catholic belief
puts it, “no one person lives in isolation but via fostering a healthy community.”
Ways to Address the Challenge
Since there is the need for everyone to access healthcare, yet others cannot afford it,
the only way is through the formation of a universal healthcare system, in which everyone pays
for the services whether they will be treated with the amount they spend or not. One of the
underlying principles to ensure that this particular issue can be solved is understanding the
quality of life of everyone in the society. It is to realize that everyone is equal and that equality
should be manifested in access to healthcare too (Dye, Reeder, & Terry, 2013). The principle of
catholic social teaching (CST) states that everyone in the world is created in God’s image and
everyone is worthy of being shown respect in the society. The Catholic Social Teaching states
that all the people within the world should be treated with respect as it has been decreed by God.
With this regard, since the principal idea lies in treating people equally, then it means
that individuals need to understand the meaning of virtue and what the true meaning of life is.
This is possible through the use of bodies such as religious gatherings. In most instances,
religions seem to soften the hearts of people, and they can take time to meditate more on the real
meaning of life, and decide to make the lives of others better as well. In most religious
gatherings, it is often said that true meaning of happiness comes by being the source of happiness
to those who are not feeling optimistic with life, or who are not privileged as much as others are
(Annas, 2011). The Catholic Social Teaching states that we become our true selves in the event
of being able to relate properly so that the human beings do not feel isolated within the society.
The CST highlights the principle of the association that states that the essence of human beings
lies in their being able to live together as a unit and serve each other.

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Most societies are not able to effect corporate healthcare contributions because they
believe that the government is corrupt, and instead of the money going into the system to help in
the managing of diseases, most of these monies end in the pockets of individuals. However,
according to James Hanvey SJ, “a healthy society will have a flourishing civil society which is
the realm of creative social freedom for the common good.” Hanvey asserts that people need to
be given the freedom to control how the money they have contributed will work, and not
necessarily that the government should do the work (Hanvey , 2011). Most people find this
practical since they are aware that the organization or the people entrusted with the money do
what they do for the interest of the citizens, and whenever issues may arise with the
management, the funders can replace the administration. To a greater extent, effecting this action
means that the problem is addressed by engaging the community directly, and having concerns
for the human dignity. Community engagement can serve as a useful measure that can help in
relieving the tension of the people. Providing the people with freedom to control the money that
have been contributed by them can encourage them to give premiums to the insurance firms.
Equality and justice cannot be isolated one from another. It is essential for the church
to educate the world on why there is the need for equal access to some critical factors in life. For
instance, healthcare cannot be isolated when other things are used by everyone alike. Because
most wealthy people may not be directly involved in the production of some basic materials that
are used in daily life, such as food or even some raw materials. These individuals do not block
such resources from reaching the rich but spend their efforts so that these products can be used
by all the members of the society. In the same way, those who can pay good money for
healthcare should do so, knowing that there are people elsewhere who are also concerned with
driving the economy. The world population should be aligned such that what happens to another

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person also affects the other, and that people can sit and talk without distinguishing any
particular individuals (O’Hanlon, 2007).
Social groups form good strategies for reaching out to people so that they can be
involved in the collective contribution of healthcare goals. The government of Australia has
made quite some reforms in healthcare, some of which are close to using the community
healthcare groups. The community workers can be ambassadors, being that they reach out to the
people and interact with them at the lowest possible level. Community workers can find it easy
to talk with the people and educate them on the need for funding the program (Gittell, Godfrey,
& Thistlethwaite, 2013). The registered nurses can play an important role in impacting the public
policy with the help of advocacy from a distinct vantage point. The nurses should utilize their
ability so that they can influence access to the effective quality care. The Catholic Social
Teaching states that people have the duty of participation so that they can give rise to a just
society in which where everyone works for the well-being of others. The society would benefit if
all the individuals take steps and actively participate in bringing about changes within the
framework of the society.
Moreover, the healthcare sector has a role to play in the common good (Donley,
Grandjean, Jairath, McMullen, & Shelton, 2006). For instance, the nursing profession plays a
critical part in changing the ideas that people have towards public healthcare. Although nurses
also expect to be treated with more care in terms of provision of resources necessary needed in
their workplace, their respond to clients who are from poor background the that they show to the
wealthy people may send a message that may either change the perception of the people for good
or draw them away from participating in the collective contribution to universal healthcare.

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Sometimes the nursing sector can insist on the payment terms of pay-first to be served, which
can be interpreted as a focus on money rather than for offering quality healthcare (Aust, 2013).
Therefore, nurses should be in a strategic position to convince the people why it is
necessary for them to pay money to a common system. When the care given to both the rich and
the poor is the same, it is possible that everyone would be interested in putting the collected
money into the system, knowing that it would help the whole community (Buettner‐Schmidt &
Lobo, 2012). However, to avoid cases of fraud in the nursing sector, the management of
healthcare centers should ensure that the nurses adhere to the codes conduct of the healthcare,
and maintain the ethical and clinical standards as well and at all the times.

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References
Annas, J. (2011). Living Virtuously, Living Happily. In Intelligent virtue . Oxford University
Press.
Aust, M. P. (2013). Critical care nursing: a holistic approach.
Buettner‐Schmidt, K., & Lobo, M. L. (2012). Social justice: A concept analysis. Journal of
Advanced Nursing, 64(4), 948-958.
De Freitas, C., & Martin, G. (2015). Inclusive public participation in health: policy, practice and
theoretical contributions to promote the involvement of marginalised groups in
healthcare. Social Science & Medicine, 135, 31-39.
Donley, R., Grandjean, C., Jairath, N., McMullen, P., & Shelton, D. (2006, November-
December). Nursing and the Common Good. Journal of the Catholic Helath Association
of the United States.
Dye, C., Reeder, J. C., & Terry, R. F. (2013). Research for universal health coverage.
Etzioni, A. (2014). Common good. The encyclopedia of political thought, 603-610.
Gittell, J. H., Godfrey, M., & Thistlethwaite, J. (2013). Interprofessional collaborative practice
and relational coordination: improving healthcare through relationships.
Hanvey , J. (2011, March 30th). The Big Society and Catholic Social Teaching. Retrieved July
19, 2018, from Thinking Faith .
O’Hanlon, G. (2007, November 13 ). How Much Equality is Needed for Justice? Retrieved July
2018, from http://www.workingnotes.ie/index.php/item/how-much-equality-is-needed-

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for-justice
Sauerborn, R., Kjellstrom, T., & Nilsson, M. (2009). Health as a crucial driver for climate policy.
Global Health Action, 2(1), 2104.