Term Paper on "Future of Health Care"

Term Paper 10 pages (2872 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The cost for this style of medical care delivery is very expensive. It is important currently and in the next fifteen years to develop a health care system that allows for the uninsured to receive care at costs that can be afforded and if not afforded then absorbed by the taxpayers. Over the next decade and a half it will become vital to promote and develop programs that allow for goods a services to be delivered even to those who are not insured (Kohler, 2001).

The St. Louis area is fraught with rising medical care costs. Those costs are forcing companies to either raise the employee premiums or stop offering insurance all together. In the future years to come there has to be a method designed that will allow for the continued coverage of workers while providing low cost health services to the uninsured and unemployed (Are, 1999).

Health care is vital to all Americans, especially to those 44 million or so -- including children -- who have no health insurance. That said, the problem lies in determining what health care proposal is best and how it is to be funded. I realize there are no simple solutions, but what I find encouraging is the fact that virtually all of the presidential candidates have put this matter high on the list of their national priorities." One of the most important things that will be focused on over the next 15 years will be the inefficiency that is currently being observed in the health field industry (Are, 1999). Cutting out waste will be a primary goal in the area for the purpose of saving money and being able to reduce the charge to the consumer in the long run for their health care systems.

Many people think that if hospital administrators manned the check-out at the grocery, three bags of groceries would total $2,317.86(Are, 1999). It's the outrageous cost of a hospital gown or an extra strength aspirin that makes the average person flinch. My solution is to put WalMart in charge of hospital goods and services. How many layers of useless bureaucracy and fat would be eliminated! Hospital gowns at three for $1, instead of $9.50 each (Are, 1999). Given a willingness to change and adapt, the nation 'can provide more people better care (Are, 1999).' The nation's health care infrastructure and medical technology are comparable to any. However, to assure our long-term survival as a vigorous society, we must be willing to adapt. We must make our unlimited potential accessible to all. Single payer universal health care: the time has come (Are, 1999)!"

The problem is a lack of proactive decision-making. It seems that for years the health care system has been stagnate and content to leave things status quo. It is only very recently that the consumer has become extremely vocal about its desire to have more affordable health care and to have health care options for everyone (Are, 1999).

THE ELDERLY

The system is out priced for most everyone in the area but the elderly are being hit especially hard. In the future it is vital that the area include a plan to lower the cost for elderly health care. One of the chief problems for the elderly is the cost of prescription medications (Neal, 1998). When the population ages it demands more prescriptions and it happens at a time when many are on fixed retirement incomes (Neal, 1998). The plan for the next fifteen years will have to provide alternatives to the current pharmacy cost foundation (Neal, 1998). As the elderly populations expand there will be changes in the way care is delivered. Most likely there will be more home care and more outpatient care to be able to conform to the budget needs of the elderly (Neal, 1998). In addition there will be a need for lower cost prescription medications as well as other medical supplies that are often used by the elderly.

As changes occur in health care spending there needs to be a positive leverage of delivery. This will be accomplished with the use of more nurses and PAS and fewer physician meetings. The physicians will of course be overseeing the actions of their underlings but the lower cost of hiring PAS and nurse practioners will allow the elderly to improve their health care accessibility while not charging them for doctor visits (Neal, 1998).

Within the next fifteen years there will be changes in third party reimbursement. While there is a movement for socialized medicine it probably will not happen in the next decade and a half. Public insurance is going to have to change to include more of the elderly and provide better care for them. Private insurance will not likely increase for the elderly because by the time someone reaches the age to qualify they have a higher chance of having disqualifying conditions or illnesses. Public health insurance will have to be broadened to better cover the elderly and pay for prescriptions, which at this time Medicare does not do. This facility will be encouraged to provide charity care to cover anything that is not covered under the elderly plans. The encouragement to do this will be facilitated by a drive to use the generousness of the facility in advertising to bring in paying consumers and to encourage insurance companies to sign contracts with this facility for their employees that are covered. This will be encouraged by letting the insurance companies advertise they send their consumers to this facility which is giving away medical care to those who cannot become insured.

Price elasticity and non-economic factors have always and will always affect the health care industry. Hopefully over the next few years the public will demand that the elasticity of medical costs be halted.

NATIONAL PROBLEMS

While the problems discussed here are St. Louis specific there is a national cry for an improved health care system as well. Rising costs are hurting residents throughout the nation and there does not seem to be an end in sight. While there are public medicalprograms formany there are those who work but are not insured that are falling through the cracks. As the future marches in it will become very important that costs be reduced. One of the most efficeinet ways to reduce the costs is to cut waste. Waste is a large factor in why it costs so much for the consumer to receive care. If the industry would devote itself to locating, and cutting out wasted spending regardless of the political fallout then those savings could be passed on to the consumer and the insurance companies who could begin to lower their premiums. St. Louis is reflective of the rest of the nation when it comes to the health care needs of its residents. Elderly, poor and children are being left in the cold when it comes to solid medical care and it is something that threatens to crippled the nation eventually.

References

Ron Ashworth And James Crane, COORDINATED PLANNING HAS FINALLY BEGUN., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 04-02-2002, pp B7.

Judith VandeWater; Of The Post-Dispatch, SLU EXECUTIVE WILL BE DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH CARE., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 08-21-2001, pp B2.

Author not available, ST. LOUIS HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVE SWORN IN AS CHAIRMAN OF NATION'S LARGEST HOPSITAL ASSOCIATION., U.S. Newswire, 02-01-1999.

Author not available, RECENT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN ST. LOUIS., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12-19-1999, pp B4.

Jeremy Kohler; Of The Post-Dispatch, HEALTH OFFICIAL CALLS FOR BETTER PRIMARY CARE FOR UNINSURED., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11-02-2001, pp B2.

Bill Smith; Of The Post-Dispatch, REPORT PUTS ST. LOUIS BABIES AT HIGH RISK TO GROW UP POOR, UNDEREMPLOYED AREA IS BEHIND MOST OTHER BIG CITIES IN CHILD WELFARE., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12-16-1999, pp A1.

Judith VandeWater; Of the Post-Dispatch, ST. LOUIS GETS BIG HEALTH CARE BILL INSURANCE HIKE IS ONE OF LARGEST IN U.S.., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12-08-1998, pp C1.

Mark Schlinkmann; Regional Political Correspondent, PANEL WILL COORDINATE HEALTH CARE FOR POOR., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 07-20-2001, pp B5.

Author not available, HERE ARE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON HOW TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE TO CITIZENS OF OUR AREA.., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12-19-1999, pp B5.

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