Our Future in Health Care Reform
Health care reform is not a party issue. Eventually a law will be in place to reform the health care system. In my family, there have been reoccurring intense lively family discussions after our traditional weekly Sunday family dinner. Represented at the table you have a lawyer, doctors, educators, entrepreneurs, community activists, the chef, two stay at home moms, information technologist, union organizer, faith leaders, legislators, banking executive, and tailor. Political divisions are republican, democrats, independents, and one representing the green party. How much will it cost? How will we pay? Who will be entering the system? Will the quality of service suffer? How are we going to get more doctors, nurses, administrators, and auxiliary staff? No matter how the discussion starts it always leads to different questions of implementation.
Implementation of health care reform is understood by many to be a costly investment in the future of a healthier United States. The health care system will be impacted as historically underserved and excluded populations enter the health care system. Current and forecasts of future shortages are creating strategies to address the development of the needed workforce to for health care reform.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2007 there were 45.7 million people in America without health insurance in the Publication Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007. However the calculation of numbers of uninsured on page 67 states “estimate of the number of people without health insurance more closely approximates the number of people who are uninsured at a specific point in time during the year than the number of people uninsured for the entire year.” To my understanding 45.7 million is the lowest possible number of people entering the health care system. I wonder if the number would increase if you add to the uninsured people only covered by health insurance less than three months out of the year, and the people that are underinsured. Michal Cohen Moskowitz “State Action and the Health Workforce” estimates the nation would have to produce six million new members to enter the health workforce by 2014. As more people enter the system the demand for services will increase the health care industry will grow.
The growth in the health care industry would have to address the current shortages and set in place strategies to address the workforce to cover all of America. Michal Cohen Moskowitz reviews different recruitment actions that eight states have taken to resolve shortages and prepare for the increase of health care professionals in the “State Action and the Health Workforce” published in 2007 by the Association of Academic Health Centers. Georgia, New York, and Texas have websites aim to recruit high school students to enter into health care fields. On page 10, examples of pipeline initiatives of recruitment for elementary through high school students include health career fairs, science meets, summer camps, mentorships, assistance in applications, opportunity for high school students to receive college credit for coursework, and the inclusion of guidance counselors and teachers with resources to develop interest in jobs for the health profession. Scholarships and loan repayment programs are incentives for primary health care professionals to serve in underserved areas. Of course you have include the faculty to train the future health care professionals, the incentives of the recruitment of faculty include scholarship and loan repayments, addressing the pay disparities between practice and teaching, and the increase of education capacity by building more medical schools. The will be many types of jobs generated with the health care reformation.
Understanding how many people are uninsured and underinsured entering the health care system is essential to the overhaul of our health care system. States have set in place initiatives that will improve our health care system through recruitment efforts. The investment in health care reform will improve the quality of life of many people and generate jobs.
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Health care is a very problematic/debatible issue, and there is much reform needed to take place in order in ensure the American people and our gov't of it's efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness to our (lowered income)needs.
ReplyDeleteThe added cost of insurance coverage is devasta- ting our now newly average family based income.
Most families can't afford (full family cover- age) insurance. For example myself am wanting to file for my (3 yr. separated) divorce, and am
afraid to do so, because if I do then will no longer have the 90% full Blue-Cross Blue-Shield medical coverage that my husband insurance pro- vides for me; with very low co-pays/deductibles.
I certainly can't afford that type of insurance on my own. For a lot of people whom are self employed are just pure out of luck, because insurance coverage will cost them planet Jupiter
and most single parents can't afford it, because
of low pay rates, increased total (bill) econo- mic costs, etc. Presently alot of employable companies can no longer afford to offer their employees an insurable plan that's less cost effective, if at all. At this point in history; I really don't see the gov't funding very large grants to many more hopitable facilities while having severe overall shortages in the numbers of patients, insurance coverages and funding procurements. I think we as an gov't should work with what we got, with an exception of new idealistic (administrative reformed)hospitals/fa
cilities that offers new progress in all areas of its fundamentals in order to generate in-creased public revenue & ethical support. V Hill
Before I never really understood everything that was going with the Health Care Reform system, but thanks to your article it has helped me to see everything clearly.
ReplyDeleteThe cost of health care and insurance is a phenominal problem. My husband and I both work in local government jobs. If we use a health care provider that is included in our network a large portion of the charges are written off. I wonder what about people who don't have the "network" or no insurance, how would they possibly pay the astronomical charges. The premiums for our individual coverage are paid by our provider. However, none of our employees could afford family coverage as the costs are go great. When we had a dependent child still at home, we had to seek child insurance coverage through other companies. Now our employer has raised the deductibles so high, in order to lower their premiums, that any medical care, other than the routine doctors office visits, is almost not
ReplyDeleteaffordable. However, I fear that the government reforms may only make things worse than they already are.
I find it ironic that there are so many conservatives and liberals who are opposed to healthcare. The people who fear reform have healthcare. "Self interest" is the only driving force that is igniting this debate. How can politicians and government employees be so selfish to deny healthcare to the people who have been struggling to pay for theirs. To me, the poor has been the life boat that have carried the burden of healhcare long enough. All federal, state, and local employees should be in on accord to reform healthcare for the people who has provide for them and their families; moreover, maybe lawyers, doctors, educators, and entrepreneurs can perhaps help carry the burden of funding or providing healthcare. Professionals can donate pro bono work to ease the healthcare crises.
ReplyDeleteWell said MarQuita. Yes this blog is very important amongst our young high school graduates entering college. It would be great if a majority of them would go into the healthcare industry. This industry is very important and lacking nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners, lab technicians, etc. We do need more people, whether young or old, in this profession. I've heard our president passed a law last year for everyone be able to afford health insurance. To this, it will help the 45.7 million percentage increase in the near future of the people being medically insured.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you tackled this issue. It effects more people than many ever imagine. I work in healthcare as a receptionist for an ob/gyn. I love my job and the people, but we need to lower deductibles and guarantee maternity benefits for women of childbearing age. People go without needed care to avoid the high bills from medical professionals. We need a way to help all people and not just the well insured.
ReplyDelete