Choosing the Right Values in Health Policy
Decision-making in healthcare is a highly value-laden process in which the evidence approaches cannot serve as the primary basis. While the evidence is used as the fundamental premises of decision making, values that societies, communities, and individuals significantly influence the decision. Some core values that should be emblematic in the national healthcare system include transparency, accountability, empowerment, governance, people-centered healthcare, equality, resilience, sustainability, quality, and adaptability (Shams et al., 2016). These values are uniquely aligned to the goals of optimizing healthcare outcomes for communities and individuals. The passing of the Affordable Care Act aimed to realize equality in healthcare access, especially for disenfranchised communities and individuals with low social and economic status. However, the access to high-quality healthcare is low in residential areas in disenfranchised communities within the US.
Disparities mainly arise due to social and economic challenges that often limit individuals from affording insurance coverage. The accountability in the healthcare system has been achieved to decent standards through regulations at different levels of government, local, state, and federal, and internal mechanisms to ensure the organization meets the prerequisite accountability standards. Resilience in the US healthcare system was tested during the Covid-19 with a shortage in equipment, capacity, and staff that is alarming for such circumstances for the population living with preexisting conditions (Schneider et al., 2019). Policies geared towards patient-centered care have been implemented, increasing culture-sensitive care. The increase in health promotion has raised awareness of the empowerment of patients. Increased subsidization of insurance and specialty hospitals should improve equality and access to healthcare. Improving health education is critical to offering access to information and implementing large-scale health programs. The value of life is sacred, which aligns with the Christian worldview of life. The Christian perception of life is shared across different demon motions that emerged from Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
References
Schneider, E., Lewis, C., Shah, A., & Seervai, S. (2019).Health Care in America. Commonwealthfund.org. Retrieved 15 June 2022, from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2019/dec/health-care-america.
Shams, L., Akbari Sari, A., & Yazdani, S. (2016). Values in Health Policy A Concept Analysis.International Journal of Health Policy and Management,5(11), 623-630. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.102
