Chapter 15, Problem 1QAP

To determine

To explain the state government and federal government’s role in providing health services.

Explanation of Solution

Federal Government - A system that involves a systematic division of power between a central national government and local state governments. The local state governments are connected through a central national government.

State Government − A state government can be defined as a government within a subdivision of a country that utilizes a federal system in governance.

Usually, health care policies are created through a combination of decisions and initiatives involving the role of federal, state, local governments and the private sector.

The federal government’s role concerning health policy is threefold. It involves designing policies to increase access to health care facilities through expansion, quality care, and equal access to needy groups such as the elderly and poor and contain rising health care costs.

Furthermore, federal governments involved in the financing of health care systems, through income taxes which is generally amassed at the provincial level through premiums, payroll taxes, and general tax revenues.

Initially, a state government’s role was limited to special commissions or committees in controlling communicable diseases and involve in traditional personal health services such as health monitoring and sanitation.

This role was further expanded to include broader categories such as protection against occupational and human-made environmental hazards for personal health.

Regulation and licensing of healthcare facilities and licensing of health care professionals fall under the domain of state governments. In addition, a significant role is played by state governments to purchase health care services mainly for the poor.

Hence, state governments play an important role in both health care activities and health care financing. In the present, state governments have become major actors in policy reforms in health, regulations, ration to develop innovations to reduce health care costs.