The impact of healthcare financing and health insurance on healthcare access, quality, and cost.
Due Week 8 and worth 150 points
Suppose you have been tasked with purchasing health insurance for your organization that has fifty full-time employees.
Use the Internet or Strayer databases to research different types of health insurance.
Write a 2-3 page paper in which you:
- Suggest one (1) plan that you would use to purchase health insurance for your organization. Determine the extent to which employee lifestyle choices and health economics would factor in to your chosen plan. Provide a rationale for your response.
- Analyze the implication of the Affordable Care Act on your decision to purchase insurance. Debate two (2) advantages and two (2) disadvantages of purchasing health insurance for your employees, as opposed to having your employees receive governmental insurance.
- Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
- Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Analyze the impact of healthcare financing and health insurance on healthcare access, quality, and cost.
- Analyze the influence of health policy and health reform on healthcare access, quality, and cost in the U.S.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in healthcare policy, law, and ethics.
Health Insurance and the Affordable Care Act
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Health Insurance and the Affordable Care Act
The Impact of Healthcare Financing and Health Insurance on Healthcare Access, Quality, and Cost
Health insurance is not a grandeur but a basic, and the affordable care act stands as a central milepost in the pursuit of accessible and affordable healthcare for all. Health insurance and the affordable care act are interrelated features of the U.S. healthcare system, influencing the accessibility and economics of healthcare services. Health insurance is a monetary safety net that provides individuals and families with insurance for medical expenses and ensures that obligatory healthcare is within reach. The affordable care act was signed into law in 2010, aiming to enhance the nation’s healthcare system by enlarging access to health insurance, improving consumer protections, and enhancing affordable options for all Americans (Zhao et al., 2020). It initiated the health insurance marketplace, where individuals and small businesses can collate and purchase insurance plans, frequently with the cooperation of subsidies and tax credits. In addition, the affordable care act expanded Medicaid acceptability, offering insurance to millions of low-income adults who formerly had restricted access to healthcare (Goldman & Sommers, 2020). the landmark legislation also initiated vital benefits that coverage plans must cover, forbidding insurance from contradicting insurance or charging higher premiums structured on pre-existing status. Comprehensively, the affordable care act focused on developing a more comprehensive and equitable healthcare system, attempting to ensure that every American has entry to affordable health insurance and the required medical care, and this paper will explore the influence of healthcare funding and health coverage on healthcare access, quality, and cost, it will also assess the impact of health policy and health improvement on healthcare access, quality, and cost in the U.S., and the problems in healthcare policy, law, and ethics.
The Impact of Healthcare Financing and Health Insurance on Healthcare Access, Quality, and Cost
Healthcare funding and health coverage are critical in creating healthcare access, quality, and cost. Sufficient healthcare funding makes sure that individuals have the funding means to pursue essential medical services and treatments (Rifkin, 2018). Without suitable funding, individuals may encounter barriers to accessing healthcare, leading to delayed and insufficient care. Health coverage, in specific, provides security by insuring a portion of healthcare costs, hence minimizing the burden on individuals. This enhances better access to healthcare services, as covered individuals are most likely to pursue timely and inclusive care. Furthermore, health coverage can emphatically influence healthcare quality by motivating providers to provide systematic and practical care to meet coverage requirements and standards (Sanogo et al., 2019). On the other hand, healthcare funding and coverage also impact the cost of healthcare, as coverage assists in minimizing individual costs, contributing to increasing healthcare expenditures overall. This is because of the multiplex logic of coverage systems, administrative costs, and possible overutilization of services. Effectual regulation and management of healthcare funding and coverage are vital to compromise between access, quality and cost as it ensures that healthcare remains economical and approachable without striking a balance on quality.
The Impact of Health Policy and Health Reform on Healthcare Access, Quality, and Cost in the U.S
Health policy and health reform have a crucial control over healthcare access, quality, and cost in the United States. Health policies like the affordable care act have focused on enhancing access to healthcare by enlarging insurance coverage through the expansion of Medicaid and developing health coverage exchange (Glied et al., 2020). These policies have assisted millions of formerly uncovered individuals get access to obligatory healthcare services. Nevertheless, the influence on access has been variable, with some individuals still encountering barriers because of factors such as restricted provider networks and affordability problems. Health reforms also focus on improving healthcare quality by enhancing value-based care models, motivating preventive services, and executing quality enhancement initiatives. These efforts pursue aligning reimbursement incentives with patient outcomes, promoting better coordination and quality of care. Nevertheless, the execution and effectualness of the reforms vary, and more work is required to ensure consistent and quantifiable enhancement in healthcare quality. When it comes to cost, healthcare policy and reform initiatives focus on controlling healthcare spending and directing issues such as increasing drug prices, minimizing unnecessary utilization, and promoting care coordination (Erickson et al., 2020). The multiplicity of the healthcare system and the endowed interest of numerous stakeholders create cost containment challenges. The U.S. progresses to tussle with high healthcare costs juxtaposed to other developed nations, involving continuing policy efforts to compromise between affordability, access, and quality.
Issues in Healthcare Policy, Law, and Ethics
Issues in healthcare policy, law, and ethics are multiplex and miscellaneous, having significant inferences for individuals, communities, and society as a whole. One main issue revolves around access to healthcare. Most individuals encounter barriers like financial restrictions, lack of insurance coverage, and insufficient healthcare infrastructure, restricting their ability to receive obligatory medical services. This develops disparities in healthcare results and exacerbates existing inequalities. A second issue is the increasing cost of healthcare (Lublóy, 2020). the rising expenses of medical treatments, medications, and coverage premiums heavily burden individuals and families. Increased healthcare costs restrict access to care and contribute to fund instability and medical debt. Stabilizing the requirement for quality healthcare with its affordability is a continuing challenge in healthcare policy. Ethical dilemmas develop in numerous areas, involving end-of-life decisions, reproductive rights, and research entailing human subjects. For example, deciding when and how to remove a life-sustaining treatment or participate in physician-helped suicide develops multiple moral and ethical questions. Likewise, debates over reproductive rights, like abortion or access to contraception, include conflicting values and norms. In addition, issues connected to informed consent, privacy, and the use of developing technologies in healthcare research develop concerns about the autonomy and well-being of individuals.
Healthcare policy and law encounter challenges in marinating pace with rapidly developing medical technologies and scientific advancement. Issues like genes, editing, feigned intelligence in healthcare, and patient data collection and use create questions about safety, privacy, and equity (Dwivedi et al., 2021). Creating and executing effectual regulations and directions that stabilize innovation, patient rights, and public health is a progressing struggle. Moreover, healthcare policy, law, and ethics are interlaced with social, cultural, and political factors, and controversy on topics like the role of government in healthcare provision, the arrangement of resources, and the impact of special interest groups frequently impede the growth of inclusive and equitable healthcare policies. The interplay among economic considerations, individual rights, and societal well-being and multiplicity to directing healthcare issues and finding appropriate solutions. Comprehensively, healthcare policy, law, and ethics encounter many challenges, such as restricted access to care, increasing cost, ethical dilemmas, and advancements in technology, including social and political multiplicity. Directing such issues needs a thoughtful and comprehensive perspective, stabilizing the requirements of individuals, communities, and society.
Conclusion
Health coverage and the affordable care act have influenced healthcare access, quality, and cost in the United States. By enlarging coverage and executing regulation, the affordable care act focused on enhancing healthcare affordability and minimizing disparities. While the affordable care act raised the number of covered individuals, challenges remain in ensuring universal access to care and directing healthcare costs. Moreover, health policy and reform are critical in reforming healthcare access, quality, and cost. Effectual policies, promoting equitable access, improving care quality, and directing cost containment are vital for a sustainable healthcare system. Furthermore, the issues in healthcare policy, law, and ethics are multiplex and need careful consideration to stabilize competing values and interests. Directing such challenges involves progressing dialogue, togetherness, and commitment, creating a healthcare system that includes the well-being of individuals and communities.
References
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Ismagilova, E., Aarts, G., Coombs, C., Crick, T., … & Williams, M. D. (2021). Artificial Intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 57, 101994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.08.002
Erickson, S. M., Outland, B., Joy, S., Rockwern, B., Serchen, J., Mire, R. D., … & Medical Practice and Quality Committee of the American College of Physicians*. (2020). Envisioning a better US health care system for all: health care delivery and payment system reforms. Annals of internal medicine, 172(2_Supplement), S33-S49. https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-2407
Glied, S. A., Collins, S. R., & Lin, S. (2020). Did The ACA Lower Americans’ Financial Barriers to Health Care? A review of evidence to determine whether the Affordable Care Act was effective in lowering cost barriers to health insurance coverage and health care. Health Affairs, 39(3), 379-386. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01448
Goldman, A. L., & Sommers, B. D. (2020). Among Low-Income Adults Enrolled in Medicaid, Churning Decreased After the Affordable Care Act: This study examines whether the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid eligibility had an impact on coverage disruptions–known as “churning”–among Medicaid enrollees. Health Affairs, 39(1), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00378
Lublóy, Á. (2020). Medical crowdfunding in a healthcare system with universal coverage: an exploratory study. BMC Public Health, 20, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09693-3
Rifkin, S. B. (2018). Alma Ata after 40 years: Primary Health Care and Health for All—from consensus to complexity. BMJ global health, 3(Suppl 3), e001188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001188
Sanogo, N. D. A., Fantaye, A. W., & Yaya, S. (2019). Universal health coverage and facilitation of equitable access to care in Africa. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00102
Zhao, J., Mao, Z., Fedewa, S. A., Nogueira, L., Yabroff, K. R., Jemal, A., & Han, X. (2020). The Affordable Care Act and access to care across the cancer control continuum: a review at 10 years. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 70(3), 165-181. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21604
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