Health_Care_Utilization

Health Care Utilization HCS /212 11/25/2012 | Recent health care reform measures have expanded access to medical care by expanding health coverage to 32 million Americans during the next 10 years and also provide a 10 percent Medicare bonus for most primary care doctors for the next five years. This reform also increases funding for the National Health Service Corps and the country’s community health centers. This bill also reinforces Title VII of the Public Health Service Act. This is the only federal program that actually provides funds to academic departments of family medicine and family medicine residency programs which will help increase training of family doctors. The health care reforms will also eliminate co-payments for Medicare patients for preventative services. The reforms also will exempt preventative services from deductibles starting January 1 2013.All new private health insurances plans will also be required to provide the same coverage’s within six months. These provisions will also apply to all insurance plans by 2018. This legislation will also set Medicaid payment rates for primary care services. These payments will equal 100 percent of Medicare payment rates, including payments for office visits and immunizations in 2013 and 2014. Some of the other provisions of the reform include: it bars health insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions -- the ban takes effect for children six months after enactment, and for all others starting in 2014; within six months after enactment, it will prohibit health insurance companies from dropping people from coverage when they get sick; and it bans health insurance companies, within six months after enactment, from placing lifetime caps on coverage. Utilization of health care access is determined by different forces. Because of advances in antibiotics and public health initives most people do not receive health care for infectious diseases. Other factors such as increases in chronic diseases may contribute to increases in overall utilization. Consumer preferences may also alter the amounts of treatments that occur outside hospitals and nursing homes. New therapeutic technologies have provided new types of settings, like corrective eye surgeries and acupuncture. Aging is also associated with increased utilization of health care. Certain factors can also affect utilizations per person. Some of these factors would include anti-diabetes and anti-cholesterol medications to name a few. These medications affect utilization because they are needed on an ongoing basis. Other factors that might affect utilization access include the total number of people who can receive the treatment. Some non invasive cardiac procedures are now performed on older or very frail people with many comorbid conditions. Universal health care is when the government tells the people what the medical coverage for everyone will be. Different countries employ different programs paid for by taxation or compulsory coverage. The United States was the only country that did not offer it’s people universal health care. Because of this the United States also spends the highest percentage in the world on health care costs. The fundamentals of universal health care are to provide health care coverage to eligible citizens through a mandate by a governmental authority. Universal health care coverage can range from basic coverage, in which an individual may incur out-of-pocket expenses, to full coverage, with all expenses paid by the state or government. Many industrialized countries provide health care to all citizens as a right, not a privilege or choice. This would allow you access to care at clinics and hospitals regardless of your financial situation. The primary disagreement of universal health care is fear of socialization of the health care industry. Private health care companies claim that if the government mandates health care coverage, profits would be slashed, which would damage the infrastructure in place and damage the quality of care provided to the United States. Programs have been introduced in other states to cover a portion of their residents with health care that is sponsored by the state. The result has created a healthier population and driven down the cost of health care to taxpayers. In my experience having had a job that provided insurance I still thought that we needed a universal health care program. When I was laid off I went on state insurance. This insurance is actually good. I always said that either Medicare/Medicaid or the state insurance should be used and expanded for everyone’s use. When my son turned 19 we lost our state insurance. Now we are uninsured and do not go to the doctor. I have pre-existing conditions and have had to stop taking my anti inflammatory and pain medications because I no longer can afford them. I have checked into buying my own insurance and have priced them. I have found an insurance that will cover me and it is actually cheaper than the insurance I had through my job I was laid off from. The coverage is the same as I had. I cannot afford the out of pocket expense at this time. I would definitely have to say that the new health care reforms have been good for me. I cannot be turned down anymore because of my pre-existing conditions. Also all my preventative services are now covered. This includes birth control which was a big issue for my daughters. References: News Staff. (2010). Congress passes comprehensive health care reform measure. aafp News Now, Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/government-medicine/20100321reformpasses.html U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, (2012). How the health care law is making a difference for the people of wisconsin. Retrieved from website: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/wi.html U.S Department of Health And Human ServicesCenters For Disease Control And PreventionNational Center For Health Statistics, (2004). Health care in america trends in utilization (2004-1031). Retrieved from website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/healthcare.pdf Smith D. (2010 , May 28). What is universal health care. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/133493-what-is-universal-health-care/