Policy Issues on Healthcare
Medicare policies are instrumental in shaping the delivery of quality health care to the society. A number of policies influencing medical service delivery in the U.S today borders on the contribution of the government through the respective ministries. An interview with medical doctor at John Hopkins hospital shows that policies developed by the government influence the delivery of healthcare to the society.
Some of the identified policy issues include:
1. The U.S population has special groups who need special attention when it comes to provision of healthcare. Largely, the care that these groups receive depends directly or indirectly on the choices that the government makes concerning their health. What are some of the influences of the U.S medical policies to the provision of healthcare to the aged, special groups, and the poor?
2. The U.S policy on free healthcare provision has elicited a lot of debate. Evidently, much of the issues cited in the debate borders on the contribution of the taxpayers in meeting the healthcare services. To what extent will the Obama Care policy influence medical delivery?
3. Critics believe that introduction of medical policies would affect the consumption of healthcare services in public and private healthcare institutions (Walt, et.al. 2008). Do you believe that the present policy on Medicare would limit the consumption of healthcare in private hospitals?
4. While we recognize that the growing population and economic constraint affect the greater U.S population. What is the future of healthcare providers in the private sector?
5. The U.S lawmakers have often debated on the need to provide healthcare services to the U.S population irrespective of the economic status of the population. What is effect of the gap between the poor and the rich in meeting the healthcare requirements?
6. In attempt of understanding the healthcare provision in the United States, issues bordering on the validity of U.S policies on the health would always feature. Does the present healthcare policy offer any possibilities of comparing the present trends to healthcare trends in developed countries?
7. What are some of the factors which make the present healthcare policies effective over the past policies? Largely, the comparison of healthcare policies is useful in identifying potential areas which require improvement. This means that policy makers should focus on certain benchmark when creating policies.
8. The theories in healthcare have been instrumental in setting the priority in the provision of healthcare (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). Nevertheless, the government or the policymakers approach in recognizing the impact of these theories play a pivotal role in defining healthcare provision. How does theories in healthcare relate with the policies in the U.S healthcare system?
9. U.S. is one nations populated by diverse communities. This cultural diversity is evident in designing policies for key areas such as healthcare. Does the concept of cultural or social structures influence healthcare policy creation and implementation?
10. In U.S just like other countries, the contribution of the political class in policy development and implementation takes a center role. In the past political campaigns, the contesting political candidates use policies in wooing votes? How does the political imperative contribute to change in healthcare policy development as well as implementation of these policies?
11. What are some of the areas, which require improvement in the healthcare policy concerning the poor population?
References
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2014). Improving the Health and Health Care of Older Americans. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Walt, G. et.al. (2008). ‘Doing’ health policy analysis: methodological and conceptual reflections and challenges. Health Policy Plan. 23 (5): 308-317.
