Health Care Reform

Introduction
The concept of healthcare reform has to do with the process of changing health systems in the US so as to make it accessible to all American citizens. As it is at the moment, it still faults and faces numerous challenges. The reform is not going to happen like magic. It will take time. In fact the reform process itself is likely to face lots of challenges including stiff opposition. However, the size and dynamic of reform involved necessitates that the process is started and measures put in place to safeguard the little steps made towards great and positive change in future. Private companies control the US healthcare system; that is a fact that makes reform all the more challenging (Nikolai, 2019). In order to fix the broken healthcare system, many problems will have to be addressed. The main problems can be split into three. The quality of the healthcare is a serious issue. Accessing healthcare remains the elephant in the house. The issue of bad practices taking root in the American healthcare system is already in the public domain. Other problems that could pass as secondary are largely related to the three main issues. This paper focuses on possible solutions for the three issues by offering tools that can be used to assess he legislation proposed. Here is a list of the five aspects of healthcare that need quick fixing
List of healthcare issues that need urgent address
· The cost and quality of healthcare
· System practices in healthcare
· The need to weigh the reward-report
· The role of IT
· Healthcare accessibility
Justify the choices through a logical analysis of the elements' impact on the current system
Healthcare Quality and Costs
It is a fact that it is possible to improve healthcare services and sustain the trend. Legal reform will enhance better delivery of healthcare services. There will be a way of improving the service and quality delivered without cost implications. More attention will be given to the patients suffering from chronic diseases. The various healthcare providers will be integrated better. One aspect of improving the healthcare provision is boosting the benefits that come with it. This system component was changed by the Affordable Healthcare Act. The act directed insurance companies to provide clients with the basic benefits of healthcare. Effectively, insurance is required to chip in for such health aspects as dental care, pediatrician appointments and general physician appointments.
The subject of healthcare in the US is a major issue. It is reported that the cost of healthcare is too high for most of the Americans to buy insurance or even foot the bills on their own. The implication is that a lot of people who need healthcare services cannot access them. The worse problem is even that they wait until the health problem has aggravated to an irreversible state. The reform needed should focus on costs and reduce the fees charged, to enable them to access decent healthcare services.
Healthcare Accessibility
A lot of people affirm that accessing healthcare services should be conferred with the status of human rights. Figures show that over 45 million American people have no access to any form of health insurance. Many more have insurance that does not prevent them from financial ruin of they develop major health complications (Barrett & Hammond, 2009). For long, those who never receive insurance for health through their work places do not get any insurance at all. This happens either because of the inhibitive costs or sheer ignorance.
The issue of finding a reliable healthcare insurance is also an issue. It becomes difficult to know which insurance company is genuine. There are many con insurance firms out there. Reforming the health sector will help to rein in many people to access healthcare services. It will also help to increase the level of awareness. People will get to know which insurance firms are genuine. One other important aspect of the reform is that it will help small business owners to secure insurance for their employees.
Healthcare System Practice
It is common for healthcare insurance to decline honoring their part of the bargain when it comes to compensation. They also commonly refuse to cover someone if they are already suffering from some condition. The implication is that if you have a condition such as diabetes, an insurance company may not accept to cover you. In the event that you are allowed, you are likely to be charged a lot more premium than other people. Therefore, the justification for reform cannot be overstated. The issue of accessibility and cost were handled in the Affordable care Act legislation of 2010. While there are notable improvements, we have not come to where we wish. There is a need to institute reform in a wide range of places and in continuous fashion so as to keep at speed with the evolving world changes. The need for proper training for healthcare providers and allow for such training to go on continuously cannot be ignored.
If you are wondering why there is so much discussion over the same, consider a situation where you have been diagnosed with cancer, what is the chance that you will access insurance that is affordable? Is it tenable to visit any doctor and access the healthcare services that you want? Will your employer even cover your expenses? These are rhetorical questions whose answers many American citizens already have. There is a need to institute reform in the healthcare system so as make our healthcare services helpful to all.
Need to Measure-Report-Reward
There is a need for an open healthcare system that can account to the public. The implication here is that there is a need to measure the quality of the care that is given to patients and report the results. We also need to invent ways of rewarding those healthcare givers who provide care of high value. It is also urgent to collect important data on ethnicity, race and language. Such action will encourage notable improvements in the type of care that colored people receive. It helps providers to understand the population from which their patients come. They should also follow up on how their quality metrics is done and point out areas with problems.
Role of Health Information Technology
There’s a need for a complete and holistic adoption of a secure healthcare and confidential information technology and exchange referred to as HIT. This is what the healthcare system needs for the sake of establishing a culture of transparency. Information technology will assist to speed up the use of quality methods and enable the public to report important information that makes sense to providers, players and patients alike. The use of information technology will also speed up support for fast decision making with an aim to enhance quality service delivery and safety. The technology is available in a well secured and private module. Citizens can access it when they need it and where such a need arises. These are the gains that will emanate from implementation of the healthcare reform agenda. It is not worth standing on the sidelines and lamenting about the broken healthcare system. Reform is a tool that will trigger the evolution. Everybody including the authorities have a stake in a functional healthcare system that guarantees all citizens across the US, quality healthcare.
Bibliography
Barrett, S., & Hammond, J. (2009, September 20). Key Elements of Healthcare Reform. Retrieved from Insurance Reform Watch: https://www.insurancereformwatch.org/basic/key.shtml
Nikolai. (2019, November 20). Healthcare Reform: What It Is and Why We Need It. Retrieved from National Institute of Health Policy: https://www.nihp.org/healthcare-reform-what-it-is-and-why-we-need-it/