The Evolution Of Health Policy

It is no secret that the cost of American healthcare is becoming increasingly more expensive. However, the issue of the rising cost of healthcare and its severity needs to be recognized as a major problem. Health prices are steadily increasing in the United States, and there is no sign of it stopping. Since 1970, spending on American health care has grown 9.8%, which is a rate that is growing faster than the economy (“New Technology”.) Furthermore, health insurance premiums are also increasing at a rate five times faster than American salaries, which makes it difficult for families to afford health care coverage (Zuckerman 28). Therefore, it has become an obligation to address why the cost of American health care is soaring and to seek out a solution to lower the cost. Many would jump to the conclusion that the United States simply charges too much for their medical services, but there are deeper influences that need to be analyzed. The causes of the rising cost of health care are people not using preventive health care, the development of modern technology, and the treatments being overprescribed. A possible solution is to have preventive health care services available in clinics of low-income areas.

Current health care policy drivers include: access, cost, quality (Kominski, 2014). Each health care policy driver impacts health care differently. They are also associated with different challenges and issues with the U.S. health system (Kominski, 2014). Access is essential for all those seeking health care or health insurance, and the most important driver. Cost is a key driver and affects both access and quality. “Quality in health care has become the leading issue for health care managers” (Kominski, 2014, p. l).

The delivery of the U.S. healthcare system has changed drastically over the years from the inception of organized healthcare to today’s underdeveloped system. Prior to the 1920’s,

Randolph, F. (2009). The Evolution of the U.S. Healthcare System . : Gale, Cengage Learning. Retrieved from http://www.sciencescribe.net/articles/The_Evolution_of_the_U.S._Healthcare_System.pdf.

The American Health Care system needs to be constantly improved to keep up with the demands of America’s health care system. In order for the American Health Care system to improve policies must be constantly reviewed. Congress still plays a powerful role in public policy making (Morone, Litman, & Robins, 2008). A health care policy is put in place to reach a desired health outcome, which may have a meaningful effect on people. People in position of authority advocates for a new policy for the group they have special interest in helping. The Health care system is formed by the health care policy making process (Abood, 2007). There are public, institutional, and business policies related to health care developed by hospitals, accrediting organizations, or managed care organizations (Abood, 2007). A policy is implemented to improve the health among people in the United States. Some policies

(2001). The Formulation of Health Policy by the Three Branches of Government. Social Policy and Policymaking by the Branches of Government and the Public-at-Large. doi:10.7312/stei11682-014

When contemplating health care policy changes, several economic issues in health care must be considered. These include the financial issues affecting the health sector and have an impact on health policies. Policy makers face unending challenges due to the health sector revenues that are always rising. Another challenge is decreased funding and failure of the health insurance services.

Creating a health care reform plan for the U.S. health care system is no easy task. Multiple things must be taken into consideration. These include making insurance affordable, making sure the plan is economically feasible, and creating a plan that will still work in the future. What hindered the reshaping of health care into a sustainable system in the past, are the health sectors interests that prefer the status quo. By continuing to cling on to yesterday’s model, the health care industry is creating its own peril (Schaeffer, 2007).

In recent years, health care has been a huge topic in public debates, legislations, and even in deciding who will become the next president. There have been many acts, legislations, and debates on what the country has to do in regards to health care. According to University of Phoenix Read Me First HCS/235 (n.d.), “How health care is financed influences access to health care, how health care is delivered, the quality of health care provided, and its cost”.

Health policies, health determinants and health are all categories that are intertwined with one another. As technology becomes more advanced within the health industry, society’s perception on healthcare may change for the better or for the worst. And with the new technology, new policies arise.

Healthcare policy is dynamic and ever changing, especially in our society today with the many changes in government control, insurance company influence, and actual delivery of healthcare services. In order to corral our healthcare system and ensure that there is quality control amongst all populations, health policies must be put in place. Health policy is defined as many things due to its dynamic nature but the assigned text expresses a definition that encompasses all aspects of what health policy is for us today, “Authoritative decisions made in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government that are intended to direct or influence that actions, behaviors, or decisions of others”(Longest, p. 5, (2010)). Among the many reasons why health policy is pertinent to our society an aspect of health policy that I feel is most important is in regards to public health practices. Health policy is the reason why populations that whom otherwise would not receive the absolute needed healthcare, actually get to receive healthcare. The financial aspect of healthcare is quite steep and more often than not healthcare services are not sought out by populations because they cannot afford to do so. With health policy the policymakers allow for the proper and equal disbursement of goods and services to ensure that everyone is remaining healthy no matter what

Health care has been inclined by several significant events that have occurred throughout history. Change is the primary focus on what has shaped health care and continues to by pain of improvement, and to focus on the importance of our population and their needs. Though there are several influences politics, finance, culture, technology, health trends, and religions they all play a major contribution towards shaping the healthcare field. (Shi & Singh, 2012) Throughout this paper we will present significant events that have changed and affected health care today, give details about how the historical evolution of health care

Our healthcare system needs major restructuring. Major improvements needs to begin with "all health care organizations, professional groups, and private and public purchasers should adopt as their explicit purpose to continually reduce the burden of illness, injury, and disability, and to improve the health and functioning of the people of the United States", (Crossing the ……, 2001).

Health care has become a political, economic and socially divisive topic in the United States. This is in response to rising costs, a confusing puzzle of insurance packages, and critical problems in funding and delivering medical care to millions of Americans. Both experts and politicians agree that when it comes to a health care policy the United States needs a uniformed national health insurance standard. There is an inherent problem, in that there is very little consensus on what the program should encompass?

Several reforms have been proposed in the American Health care systems. However, majority of these reforms remains unimplemented to date. Despite some a few reforms have been instituted in the sector the trend of reforming the sector still remains largely unstable. Two federal statutes that were enacted in 2010 proposed landmark reforms to the health care system in America. These federal statutes included Health care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 as well as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Blumenthal: 2011). The two Become law in 2010 and gave great hope to the citizens of America that the much needed reforms in the American health care systems had finally begun.