Proposal_for_a_New_System

Final Project: My Proposal for a New System The United States Healthcare System has evolved drastically over the years. There has been major advancement in technology and quality of care. There are also more alternative choices available as far as coverage for healthcare expenses. Improvement in the quality of care and technology comes with a steep price that many Americans are unable to afford. With health reform being the topic of Americans to date, I have come up with a proposal for a new system that will implement every demographic area and still continue to preserve the quality of care. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) website while conducting a National Health Interview survey, 43.6 million Americans were uninsured. Out of the 43.6 million uninsured, 19.8% were adults and 9.3% were children. A more recent study was conducted by Galewitz and Villegas (2010) which show that 50.7 million Americans are uninsured to date and the numbers are increasing daily. Besides the millions of uninsured Americans there is a rapid increase in the cost of healthcare. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group website state that healthcare cost in the United States exceed 2 trillion dollars a year. The cost of healthcare can be significantly decreased by monitoring the quality of care and using regulated services in diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of services. I have proposed a new system that puts emphasis on decreasing the healthcare deficit by not allowing experimental treatment or radiology. Other Major factors included in the proposal include lower premiums, deductibles, copay’s and out of pocket expenses. Insurance plans are not allowed to deny coverage due to pre-existing regardless of the history. Patients that are referred to an out of network physician or facility are not to be penalized if referred by an in network or primary care physician. Children will receive coverage for free up until the age of 18 and all employees part time, full time or pro re nata (prn) will receive coverage through their employer. People who are uninsured or unemployed have the option to partake in a preventative care plan which allows them to receive the recommended yearly physicals such as cancer screening, well woman exams, heart and lung screenings. The program allows patient to receive a thorough screening yearly with no out of pocket expenses. If a physical were to come back abnormal then the patient would need to apply for continuous coverage with the plan by simply calling in to notify the plan. Once notified the patient can receive treatment for 6 months. The plan would then require copay for office visits and prescriptions. Once the 6 months are exhausted and if the patient is still unemployed then they would have to reapply. Everyone benefits from the new proposed system. Uninsured or unemployed Americans would be able to receive care without high cost. Employed individuals would be able to receive coverage from their employers without the high premiums regardless of how long they have been employed and rather if they are full or part time. Benefits for employed individuals would begin on the first day of employment. The children would especially benefit from the system because they would receive coverage and quality care at no cost up until the age of 18. If a parent is employed and has coverage through their employer then the child has dual coverage. With this plan there will not be any population that would be at a disadvantage. The rich can receive the same coverage and care as a person who is not financially stable. There are many challenges in the current healthcare system that could be easily fixed. One current challenge that would be resolved would be a lower uninsured rate. The preventative care plan allows any American that is uninsured to receive preventative screenings once a year. This brings up my second resolved challenge of preventative care. There are many who live their everyday lives going undiagnosed for severe illnesses. If people could receive preventative care as recommended, it gives the doctor an opportune time to diagnose and treat a new onset or existing illness. The last major challenge that is evident is children with no health insurance. There are currently many state and government programs for children but parents have to qualify. The new system would allow children to receive health coverage at no cost to the parent. The plan would include all immunizations, physicals and sick visits. Many people may say the system sounds great but how can this happen without difficulties. The system has not been perfected and there could be new problems that arise. Problems that could arise would be the length of the screening for the uninsured. The process is rigorous but beneficial. Many Americans have a tendency to take advantage of a good system. In order to ensure that everyone is treated fairly there will be many requirements and policies set into placed. In today’s society unemployment has increased. If a person is unemployed and applies for the preventative care plan they would have to show documentation showing dates of unemployment and must be actively seeking future employment. The only exception to the rule would be if the person is elderly but has not met Medicare’s criteria. The last problem that could arise would be deciding on a median in regards to the cost of premiums, deductibles and copays. All insurance companies have to come into an agreement in regards to a median scale in which would set the bar on the max that they can charge. Recent studies show that not only unemployment but uninsured individuals are on the rise. The public deserves a healthcare system the will be beneficial and cater to their needs. The proposed system would be beneficial for the public and could cut excessive health care cost. The main goal is to provide quality care; decrease cost and prevents diagnosis and treat illnesses. There will always be issues that arise when implementing a new healthcare system. The most important thing to remember is everyone deserves a fair chance.