Discussion 1
There are multiple health care lobbyist groups that operate within the nation. To a large extent, the said groups seek to engage in advocacy efforts so as to collectively or individually influence decision-making or policy. Some of the health care lobbyist groups that will be taken into consideration in this text are; Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, American Medical Association, and the American Physical Therapy Association. It would be prudent to note that to a large extent, the lobbyists selected above are both good and bad for healthcare. To begin with, they are good for healthcare in the sense that they support the professional advancement of their members. For instance, the American Medical Association is actively involved in the advancement of public health via directed efforts to do away with obstacles that impede the delivery of competent patient care (American Medical Association, 2021). However, in some instances as will be highlighted elsewhere in this discussion, in seeking to advance the interests of members, some healthcare lobbyist groups could get in the way of the general health and wellbeing of patients.
When it comes to Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), this particular lobby group concerns itself with the advancement of the interests of enterprises operating in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Through the lobbying efforts of PhRMA, I am likely to continue paying more for drugs that would have perhaps been cheaper. Indeed, as Anderson (2020) points out, in the year 2019, failure by Congress to pass any legislation having a beneficial impact on the prices of drugs could be attributed to the lobbying activities of PhRMA. On the other hand, when it comes to the American Medical...
I am, however, likely to access better quality of care due to the lobbying efforts of the American Physical Therapy Association, which has been at the forefront in lobbying Federal agencies and Congress to put in
place measures to improve access to physical therapist services.
Discussion
The health of a population has a huge impact on the economy. As a matter of fact, studies conducted in the past have demonstrated that improvements in health can lead to an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and vice versa (Rughupathi and Rughupathi, 2020, p. 37). It therefore follows that to a large extent, health of a population has a positive impact on GDP. This could be attributed to decreased absenteeism rates, decreased production as a consequence of worker illness, etc. It also means that a nation deploys more on developmental undertakings, as opposed to healthcare costs. It therefore follows that to ensure that the economy is not impacted negatively, there is need for the government to ensure that policies are put in place to secure the health and wellbeing of its citizens. This could be accomplished via public education on strategies for improved health/wellbeing, as well as embrace of universal coverage.
In basic terms, Medicare and Medicaid are instrumental in efforts to cover most of the healthcare costs of citizens. For instance, thanks to Medicaid, enrollees whose income happens to be low can gain access to rates that are more or less like the ones that those with private coverage access. It would, however, be prudent to…
