Term Paper on "Universal Health Care System"

Term Paper 13 pages (4965 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Due to the fact of limitations of administrative data being used as the benchmark it is essential that the estimation of the size of the Medicaid undercount is to be made with caution. Irrespective of the fact of the correctness of the estimates they are not capable of indicating a corresponding error in the count of the uninsured due to the fact that the Medicaid enrollees not reporting about the Medicaid coverage may report on another type of coverage. (Nelson, 2003) study depicting similar conclusions that of the Medicaid administrative records in Minnesota reveals that a vast majority of Medicaid enrollees who did not report being covered under Medicaid reveals their coverage under another source of insurance. It has been estimated that about 2.9 million children eligible of Medicaid were left uninsured at a given point of time in 1994, the year for which data are available. The statistics indicates about 33% of the total uninsured children which constitutes about 17% of the children eligible of Medicaid. For most of the children the eligibility for Medicaid and at the same time being uninsured is considered only as a temporary occurrence. Most of these cases seem to be in the process of transformation from their coverage under one source to another i.e. from private source of coverage to Medicaid. Besides, a temporary shortfall in family income often also makes them eligible for Medicaid temporarily. Irrespective of the fact of their eligibility to the Medicaid about 1 million children are found to be uninsured during the year 1994 even though they are found eligible for Medicaid. (Nelson, 2003)

It is surprising to note that the wealthiest nation in the world has been failed to ensure universal health care coverage. This is the concern of all the debaters on health care and insurance more particularly during the time of elections. The policy of employer-based health system that links the insurance to the job is the prime concern for the voters. It is not true to presume that Americans are not interested in the coverage of 41 million uninsured. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured attached the corresponding costs at less than $69 billion per annum, envisaging only an additional 6% of the health spending is not considered insoluble. There is no unanimous conclusion among the public and the politicians on in the health industries as to the best way to solve the problem. It is estimated to have insurance coverage for the 85% of the population and 92% of voters in the election of 2000; hence the political leaders are little interested in solving the problem. (McNamee, 2004)

Robert J. Blendon, a specialist on polling and public attitudes on health care at the Harvard University School of Public Health opined that the Americans generally expect that the richest nation in the world should find the way out to solve the problems. However according to him, at least a quarter of the population, do not seem to appreciate a single plan of universal coverage. It is seen that each of the next best choices have substantial compromises with regard to cost, freedom, quality and economic growth that makes it impossible for the voters and politicians to advocate for the second choice plan. Most are therefore, according to Blendon in favor of the mixed plans of state run Medicaid programs for extension of coverage to uninsured population, efforts for ensuring affordable insurance coverage to lower income groups and tax reductions as an incentive to prefer for the coverage. (McNamee, 2004)

The efforts to resolve the problem of health coverage with a single flawless system has long been rejected by the Americans. The plan of universal health coverage by President Harry S. Truman in 1940s has been opposed vehemently. Further efforts in this regard are considered as improvements. Lyndon B. Johnson could succeed in the formulation of the government owned and maintained health coverage as Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. The Democratic attempt to renovate the entire system in terms of reforms of Bill Clinton in 1993 resulted in partisan rivalry and Republican victory in the 1994 election. Further improvements have been made in the subsequent decade in terms of more children coverage through Medicaid and introduction of tax favored Medical Savings Accounts with a view to enhancing the conservative vision of individual insurance. (McNamee, 2004)

Blendon pointed out that in most of the nations a particular political party is attached to a particular view point of the health system and after being come into the power they try to practice the same. In case of parliamentary form of government envisaging the same party controlling both the legislature and the executive it has become easier to implement. In post World War II days the health care provisions were considered simple, cost effective and they were in favor of diverting their tax burden from warfare to health care. Presently the Americans are considered to be more inclined towards employer based insurance even though they are dissatisfied with the reduction in coverage and increased costs. With a fraction of politically inactive population is left uninsured, it necessitates strong economic disturbance to generate enough fear for prompt political action against losing insurance coverage. (McNamee, 2004) prolonged study of the Congressional Budget Office and private consulting firms has propounded a single payer, nation wide insurance coverage system in America irrespective of opposition to this policy. (Marks, 2003) The universal health care program became popular during the Presidentship of Bill Clinton. The proposal of the President initiated strong election discussions in favor of the system as a solution to the problems in the present health care system of the United States which showed that there were several uninsured citizens in the country. (Feinn, 2003) Many merits and demerits are attached to the single health care system in America.

Strong supporters of the Canadian single payer health care system, Dr. Steffie Woodhandler and Dr. David Himmelstein, renowned physicians of Cambridge Hospital analyzed the universal health care and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A comparison was made on healthcare system in United States envisaging multiple insurance companies and government programs paying the bills, with that of Canada, where in only the government is paying the bills ensuring universal coverage. In consideration to the larger population of United States they estimated an excess spending of $209 billion in U.S. over that of Canada envisaging more efficient administration in States. According to them the larger spending by the America is attributed to enhanced costs like advertising by competing companies and health care providers. Henry Aaron, an economist of the non-profit Brookings Institution emphasized on the exaggerations made by the physicians in consideration to the difficulties involved in comparing countries having different systems. (Kowalczyk, 2003)

The opponents of the Universal health Care system argued that the system would reduce the standard of care to lower levels which would obstruct the well-off sections from receiving better facilities. Many political disadvantages are attached to the system of single-payer health care by its adversaries. It is conceived that persuading the lawmakers and their subsidiaries to make government finance of the health care system through enhanced taxation is not an insurmountable task. Moreover, the flexibility in the political situations adversely affects the health care policy and would result in budgetary adjustments. The adverse impact would be seen in large scale unemployment of private sector as a consequence of the closing down of insurance companies. (Theoretical Models for Delivering Health Care, 2004)

It is however, considered that most of the unemployed are skilled and educated enough to search out alternative job prospects and suitably trained to be adjusted in the health care programs. The payment to physicians basing on a negotiated fee for service plan in line with Canada is viewed as curtailment of incentives for health care providers to regulate expenses. Moreover, it is often difficult to completely wipe out the adverse and inaccurate perceptions of a single payer health care system. The stigma attached to public care health systems in terms of long queue, inefficient bureaucracy, limited alternatives, and low quality health care are to be found with such a system. (Theoretical Models for Delivering Health Care, 2004)

The adversaries of Universal Health Care point to the difficulties involved by the people traveling from Canada to U.S. For medical treatment facing stringent medical procedures. Privatization of the system is also being considered by some Canadian provinces. This has been supported by the arguments of attracting the contributors including health insurers who are in favor of privatization. The argumentation is more apparent when the Americans seem to have worried much about losing health benefits. The concern is more in view of the reduction in health programs for the poor by the states as a measure to balancing their budgets and increasing medical expenses. Some viewed the single payer system as apportionment of care, increased bureaucracy and oppressive of innovation. (Marks, 2003) However, these are… READ MORE

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