Role of Government in Healthcare

Role of Government in Health Care

Role of Government in Healthcare

How has the role of government evolved in the U.S. health care system over the past 100 years?

As made clear by the class text, there has been a seismic shift in the depth and breadth to which the United States government has been involved in the healthcare sector and field in the United States. This shift has manifested itself through four "epochs," or time period, where things completely changed from one time period to another in terms of what was done differently and how things flowed.The time period for these four periods ranges from 1850 to the present. From 1850 to 1900, the medical world was defined by the dealing with and handling of food, water and housing issues. From 1890 to World War II (1939-1945ish) related to coping with acute events and traumas that affected individuals more than groups. From World War II to 1980 (1945 to 1980), the main issues dealt more vigorously were heart diseases, cancer and stroke (Williams & Torrens, 2008).

The most recent time period, that being from 1980 to now, has dealt with the even better management of the aforementioned chronic conditions from the immediately preceding period as well as quality of life improvements in workplace and the management of genetically inherited health maladies including being more selective on all levels as to who has children and when and so forth. Something that grew bigger and bigger, especially starting in the 1930's when Social Security was created and advanced much further in the 1960's around the time Medicare came to be, was the government involvement with healthcare in general. This involvement was pretty scant before 1930 but has grown to be roughly half (if not more) if many federal and state budgets (Williams & Torrens, 2008).

How does this role changed with the recently enacted health care reform?

The recent health reform has a lot of distinct provisions, but there are a few main ones. First, the government is now enforcing the fact that people in the same age groups cannot be treated disparately except for alcohol use. The government also mandates minimum standards that all health insurance policies issued by private insurers issue. Individuals are regulated more heavily as well as individual taxpayers pay a penalty if they do not purchase healthcare and healthcare exchanges are set up and regulated by the government to assist in this process for employees that cannot get health insurance through their employers or cannot do so in a cost-effective way. Employers that have more than 50 employees and do not offer health insurance will pay a penalty of their own to the government. Essentially, the government is becoming more involved in individual choice and what is required as a matter of law as it relates to healthcare (HHS.gov, 2013).

Identify multiple elements of a problem and consider how you would break down each element in detail.

The problem with health care and government's role in it is multi-faceted. As such, finding a solution to the problem would be exceedingly difficult (LeClerc & Moldoveanu, 2013). First, there is no single solution that would appease all of the relevant parties. For example, some people count on government involvement in the form of Medicare and protection for pre-existing conditions. However, others want little to no involvement with healthcare. Any solution to the problem would have to address both concerns or it would be considered a failure to at least some stakeholders and interested parties. This makes sense because there need to be multiple solutions based on level of need and consumer preference for those that have the discretion and resources to make their own choices and not be limited by finances.

What different analytical techniques could you use to identify potential solutions and weigh the value of each?