Healthcare Delivery Systems Research Paper

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School

Walter State Community College *

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Course

340

Subject

Medicine

Date

Jan 9, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by Hannah.Kameh12

A gap that has been detrimental to the delivery of healthcare and the aging population is the efficiency related to the rising cost of pharmaceuticals. As we dive into the world of pharmaceuticals we know that almost every American has had to pick up medication from the pharmacy for certain reasons as well as short-term reasons and in society today it is known that the majority of the aging population has medications that they have to take long term or for the rest of their lives. It is known that these medications for the aging population have increased in price greatly over the past few decades and are still increasing every day. Health care has evolved over centuries, from diseases wiping out entire populations to those diseases being eradicated. The world in all has increased greatly in discovering new medicines, treatments, cures, and efficiency in care for patients. As we get into the modern age of pharmaceuticals we see that medications have accelerated in cost, especially for seniors. The aging population puts more pressure on healthcare systems and increases the incidence of non- communicable diseases. (Yeganeh, 2019) (1). This is damaging to the efficiency of healthcare for elderly people because most of the aging population is on fixed incomes and is finding it difficult to purchase medications that they need. The impacts that socioeconomic background has on the aging population's access to health care are encompassed by the centralization of the concept of healthy aging aka successful aging, “ the process of developing and maintaining functional ability that enables well-being in older age”. (World Health Organization, 2016) (2). While there are efforts to make healthy aging the new norm, the aging population are faced with many hardships such as financial problems resulting in inequities of resource distribution as well as positive health outcomes. Socioeconomic status such as wealth, higher education, and a successful job determines the efficiency of essential, affordable, and available access to healthcare in conjunction with the

benefit of healthy aging. Low socioeconomic status is associated with poorer health, reduced access to care, and increased mortality and morbidity as individuals age which in turn results in more medication prescribed at higher costs. (Ramsay, S.E,2008) (4) The delivery of healthcare that is provided to the population is affected by the gap in efficiency due to the higher cost of pharmaceuticals, because of higher age, poverty, and the overall well-being of individuals. Efficiency is lacking in the delivery of healthcare to older adults who have limited healthcare budgets and limits in funding available in other areas where public investment is needed. Depending on the severity of the illness that an individual endures is all dependent on the innovation of medicinal needs which is a major reason why prescriptions and medicines have skyrocketed and will continue to increase as the person's disease worsens. (Vincent Rajkumar S.) (2020) (5). Unfortunately, society has created the saying you get what you pay for and that goes for quality and effectiveness, that goes for many things, especially healthcare. If you are on a low fixed income and go to a lower-class clinic then you will get lower-class care. On the other hand, if you have more money and go to a high-class clinic then you will get high-class care and efficiency. Potential implications that could occur if this gap is not addressed is that healthcare will simply decrease in efficiency in relation to poor care. The possibility of slower innovation of newer prescriptions also plays a major role in this gap, if prices are lowered then it will take longer to discover and implement new and more effective medicines for the healthcare world. Health plans will continue to refuse routine coverage of high-cost drugs for individuals unless the individual's health worsens due to cheaper treatments. (Barlas S. (2015). (6). This can cause a large amount of turmoil for many people and increased rates of mortality and morbidity will be on the rise if this gap keeps occurring.

As the aging population struggles with the rising costs of pharmaceuticals, there have been initiatives that address the gap that has been detrimental to the delivery of healthcare and the aging population is efficiency related to the rising cost of pharmaceuticals. Over decades, healthcare and pharmaceuticals have been on the rise and many people have become uninsured due to the ridiculously high prices to access healthcare and its benefits. Many are struggling, especially the aging population and the many health issues that have accrued over their life. After retirement, most insurance policies are through the roof making it almost impossible to afford. According to an article from Health Affairs, there is a pressing need and opportunity for health reform that helps achieve better access, affordability, and equity. The initiative that this article provides is addressing the enormous costs of healthcare, better access to healthcare, and equity. This initiative prioritizes goals around five policies which include, expanding insurance coverage, accelerating the transition to value-based care, advancing home-based care, improving the affordability of drugs and other therapeutics, and developing a high-value workforce. The three main goals that are present in this initiative are access, affordability, and equity. Having these goals in mind aids in addressing this gap and creates the strive to be closer to eliminating this gap. (Shrank et al., 2021) The circumstances around the development of this initiative were specifically that every American should have access to affordable healthcare. In 2016 there were a whopping 28.7 million people that were uninsured and is expected to rise to 37.2 million by 2028. The majority of these numbers are the aging population due to socioeconomic status, race, and type of health they are in. With the attempted help of the ACA or Affordable Care Act which aided in the drop of percentages of uninsured people, the percentages began to decrease year by year, however, with the help of the pandemic, those percentages increased to very high amounts which basically

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