Medicare Reform for the Elderly

Reductions in provider payments are sometimes considered as suitable options for reducing excessive Medicare spending (Medicare Reform Options). Nevertheless, we are deemed to believe that such reductions will also affect the benefits for the elderly, due to decreased spending.

However, Medicare programs for elderly are not only based on free pharmaceuticals or free medical care. Several programs target different affections specific to the elderly population. A Medicare test program, for example, introduced in seven states, was imposed to help senior citizens quit smoking through free therapy (Medicare Targets Elderly Smokers). Nursing homes offer the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), as an optional benefit under the Medicare and Medicaid programs (http://www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Alternatives/Pace.asp).

Medicare remains a problem today because of an unmatched difference between the need to include prescription drug coverage and free medication into the system and the capacity of the Medicare system to financially sustain such an inclusion.…… [Read More]

Sociology Medicare Reform in a

It was also interesting to see some of the reforms that are being discussed to help lower costs and that if something is not done now, Americans under the age of 54 probably won't have Medicare when they are ready to retire.

As with many government programs, it seems that Medicare is mired in red tape and not enough money to go around. It seems that people my age will not have any federal funds to fall back on when they are ready to retire if something isn't done, and that our Social Security and Medicare money is going to go to people who are retiring now or in a few years. People in Congress need to work together to reform these social programs before they go broke, and they need to stop fighting about it and just get it done, so Americans that need it the most aren't left…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform for Medicare

Medicare Health Care eform

The Medicare is an American health program that is administered by the federal government and serves as a health insurance for people aged 65 years and above. The Medicare is also designed for people with disabilities and people diagnosed with the renal disease. (Davis, Cathy, & Stuart, 2013). The Medicare is currently being funded by the premiums, payroll tax, surtax from general revenue. In 2015, over 55 million American enrolled for the Medicare services where 46 million people are people aged 65 years and above and 9 million are young people. On the average, Medicare covers half of the health costs and the enrollees are to cover the remaining costs through a separate insurance, supplemental insurance, or out-of-pocket. Since the inception of the Medicare, the cost of funding the program continues to increase, and the rising costs of funding are becoming unbearable both for the current…… [Read More]

Prescription Drugs Number of Medicare

The Act creates a positive balance between government interests to save money and the interests of Medicare recipients to receive a wide range of drugs for their specific needs. The current ban on government negotiations with pharmaceutical companies serves to protect Medicate recipients by using the positives of the free market, such as the experience and purchasing power of PBMs. hile there are serious potential problems with this approach, such as the potential for fraud between pharmaceutical companies and private interests, overall the ban on government negotiations with pharmaceutical companies provides a good balance between recipient and government interests.

orks Cited

American Legislative Exchange Council. Prescription Drugs. 19 October 2005. http://www.alec.org/2/4/talking-points/7.html

Barry, Patricia. New Salvos in the Prescription Drug ars: Class action suits are exposing schemes that gouge consumers. AARP Bulletin, January 2005.

19 October 2005. http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/prescription/a2005-01-06-salvos.html

Dealey, Sam. Drug Dealings: Democrats had it right before. National Review Online, May…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform

American Health Care

After leading the world in the health of its citizens throughout most of the 20th century, the United States has fallen behind virtually all other wealthy nations in that regard, not to mention having fallen behind several nations that once relied substantially on U.S. aid (Dykman, 2008). While most of the developed world has already embraced the concept of universal government-funded national health care systems, the U.S. still relies on a for-profit model that has proven to be incapable of meeting the health care needs of society in any manner that is efficient, cost-effective, and equally available to all members of society. Even worse, the ongoing political influence of lobbyists for the for-profit health insurance industry continues to succeed in undermining meaningful health care reform (Kennedy, 2006), including by watering down the historic Affordable Care Act that eventually passed into law in 2009. Finally, the available evidence…… [Read More]

Medicare Access Reauthorization Act or MACRA

On April 16, 2015 an Act called the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) was passed, which is a piece of history of bipartisan legislation. Eventually, on October 14, 2016 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the department of Health and Human Services, and the regulatory agency which takes care implementing and putting into practice MACRA, gave out an ultimate rule with a comment duration putting into practice the provisions of MACRA. MACRA revokes the highly denounced Sustainable Growth Rate Formula together with its schedule for Medicare Physician Fee (MPF) cuts, substituting it with the Quality Payment Program, which is a new model that focuses on cost measurement and quality, as well as payment and reporting adjustments. Physicians and their assistants, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and certified registered nurse anesthetics are all part of the eligible clinicians indicated in Medicare Part B and their QPP includes the…… [Read More]

A brief history of Medicare and Medicaid

Medicare Medicaid
A brief history of Medicaid and Medicare
The idea of a national health insurance plan gained political momentum in the first part of the 20th C. President T. Roosevelt was among the pioneers in making the health insurance issue a campaign matter. The Second New Deal crafted by President Roosevelt involved including the Social Security program in the laws (Piatak, 2015). The act tried to reduce the extent to which such factors as poverty, old age, widowhood and children without known fathers were seen as dangers. The New Deal had a chunk of its content expunged by the Supreme Court because they were either seen as unconstitutional or simply not within the jurisdiction of the federal government. Some of the acts such as the National Industrial Recovery Act and the Agricultural Adjustment Act were ordered removed, by the Supreme Court.
The medical insurance scheme that had been drawn by…… [Read More]

Health Reforms Health Rearms for a Long

Health eforms

Health earms

For a long time, the Health Care concern has been a centre of discussion in the society as well as among the representatives in a bid to find out which would be the best way to cushion Americans from the ever increasing burden of having to take care of themselves medically. Efforts have been made but still there is no single solution to the issue hence a combined effort between the citizens and the government is very essential in ensuring that the ultimate goal is achieved and each American has adequate Health care assurance. This is the aim of the Health eforms that was passed into law at the behest of the current president, Obama.

Provisions of the Health eform

There are several benefits that the Health eforms are expected to bring to the American population in general. One of the central changes is the fact…… [Read More]

Present American Healthcare System Is in Need of Reform

Healthcare Reform

The subject of healthcare reform set the country ablaze last year, proving to be one of the most contentious issues that has swept through American political discourse in recent decades. One reason that healthcare reform might have proven to be such a contentious issue -- bringing out the worst and shrillest elements of the American public -- was that healthcare is one of the most important issues in the lives of many and even most Americans (Christensen and Jason, 2009).

All of us will face serious illness at some point in our lives, whether our own or that of a loved one. The fact that so many Americans do not have any healthcare at all or have very limited access to healthcare makes the issue a personal one, and this alone should have made it central to the public discourse. However, while the above was no doubt the…… [Read More]

National Health Care Reform the

Obama's health care reform will make health care more accessible and more affordable and make insurers more accountable, as well as expand health care coverage to every American and make the health care system sustainable by stabilizing family budgets, the economy and the Federal budget.

The cost of Obama's overall health care bill will cost approximately $940 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional udget Office. The bill will include that by the year 2014 there will be significant health access reforms. Insurers will be prohibited from denying coverage to people with medical problems of charging them more money (CS 2010).

While these numbers do sound manageable, Congress has not responded kindly to Obama's health care reform ideas. When Obama has even mentioned the idea of health care for illegal immigrants, the president was rudely interrupted by a heckler yelling, "you lie" ( ). Under Obama's proposal of health…… [Read More]

Health Reform Act

Health eform Act

The work of Flanagan, Miller, Pagano, and Wood (2010) entitled "Employee Benefit Plan eview -- Meyerowitz, Health care eform Is Here -- Now What?" states that health care reform laws are expected to have an impact that is significant in nature and this is on the health insurance industry as well as on employee benefit issues as well. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which was then supplemented and modified, less than one week later, by the Health Care and Education Tax Credit econciliation Act (HCEA)." (Flanagan, Miller, Pagano, and Wood, 2010) Those two laws are referred to as "Health Care eform" or "Health eform Laws." (Flanagan, Miller, Pagano, and Wood, 2010) The Health eform Laws are reported, while being extremely lengthy and in depth and very detailed to "leave open a host of issues that will have to be resolved either through agency regulations…… [Read More]

Healthcare Reform Review of Literature

(Menzel, 1990, p. 3) Fisher, Berwick, & Davis alude to the idea of integration in health care, with providers linking as well as creating networks of electronic medical records and other cost improvement tactics.

The United States and other nations over the last twenty or so years, have begun a sweeping change in health care delivery, regarding the manner in which health information is input, stored and accessed. Computer use in the medical industry has greatly increased over the last thirty years the culmination of this is fully networked electronic medical record keeping. (Berner, Detmer, & Simborg, 2005, p. 3) the electronic medical record trend began in the largest institutions first, as hospitals and large care organizations attempted to reduce waste and improve patient care, while the adoption has been much slower among physician's practices and smaller medical institutions. (Hillestad, et al., 2005, pp. 1103-1104) Prior to this time medical…… [Read More]

National Health Care Reform --

The ultimate House vote was two hundred and twenty to two hundred and seven. The senate vote was fifty three to forty three. The republicans were collectively opposed in both chambers (3 June 2010, 3).

The Future of the Health Care ill

Subsequent to disagreements as political enemies for more than a year, the Obama administration and the health insurance industry realized that they require one another.

oth have huge stakes in the success of the new health care law (14 May 2010, 1)

The political destiny of President Obama and Congressional Democrats rely on their capability to interpret it's assurance into realism for voters. This can be attained by restraining health expenses and making insurance accessible to everybody at reasonable price. Similarly, the fiscal future, in fact the continued existence, of the health insurance industry relies on the government. That is on set of laws being written by federal…… [Read More]

Public Policy -- Healthcare Reform

In Canada, a much higher percentage of the population lives in remote areas whereas covered healthcare services are often concentrated in large cities (eid, 2009).

Medicare Expansion and Mandatory Health Insurance Issues and Concerns

From the perspective of middle and upper middle income families in the U.S., the expansion of Medicare and the mandatory provision of healthcare by employers would be a tremendous benefit. From the employers' perspective, the associated costs could be prohibitive. Mandatory requirements for individuals could be problematic for those at the lower end of the group income spectrum; however, it would be no less fair than the current situation that forces everyone who pays for healthcare to (in effect) subsidize those who choose not to (Kennedy, 2006). In all likelihood, the only way to make mandatory health insurance work would include expanding Medicare, at least to compete with private health insurers. Naturally, this interferes with their…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform One of the Major

Health Care eform:

One of the major topics that have had a long history in the United States is health care reforms, which has been characterized by huge debates. Following decades of failed attempts by various Democratic presidents, a new law was enacted by President Obama to overhaul the country's health care system. The enactment of this legislation came after a year of harsh partisan combat with the purpose of ensuring access to health care insurance for millions of Americans. In addition to being the most controversial topic, health care reform law was the largest single legislative accomplishment of President Obama. Notably, this legislation will cost America's government approximately $940 billion over the next decade based on an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. The office has also estimated that the law will lessen federal deficit by about $138 billion during the same period and a further reduction of the…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform Has the Objective of

Health care reform has the objective of getting more people insured, and leveraging government bargaining power to lower the cost of health care. Our organization needs to be ready for this. We have the baby boomers joining Medicare, and Medicare is seeking to lower health care costs; so are private insurers. As an organization, we need to bring our costs down in order to remain profitable. This need not be hard -- every other country in the world does it. In this context, streamlining operations, eliminating waste, bargaining with suppliers and finding ways to streamline services to increase customer turnover are all measures that I would undertake in order to ready the organization for the full implementation of health care reform. Eliminating waste is a critical component of maintaining profitability within the health care system (Berwick & Hackbarth, 2012).

Something I would do differently with respect to health care planning…… [Read More]

Tort Reform

Tort Reform

President Bush came into the hite House with a history as a 'tort reformer.' True to his record, the President backed a 'tort reform' bill last year that was passed by the House of Representatives but floundered in a Democratic controlled Senate. The President has recently renewed his call for the legislature to approve a tort reform bill that relates mainly to medical malpractice. It remains to be seen whether President Bush is successful in getting his proposals approved this time around as debate still rages among the supporters and opponents of the reform bill. This paper looks at the pros and cons of the issue and includes the following:

summary of the proposed public policy on tort reform

The impact of the policy (who shall be affected?)

The lobbying efforts in favor of and against the tort reforms

Summary

The present tort reform proposal is restricted to…… [Read More]

Sound Reforms in the Operations and Structure

sound reforms in the operations and structure of United States Congress. The paper also discusses the reasons why reforms are needed in this powerful institution of our country.

EFOMING THE CONGESS

Congress may be the most powerful institution in the United States government but it is certainly not the most efficient. The powers that Constitution has granted this body have resulted in the creation of an oversized inefficient institution, full of self-serving politicians who are quite out of touch with country most pressing problems. It is extremely important to bear in mind that reform of Congress has been proposed a million times which indicates that the clash between public and the Congress is not something new. Yet the lack of any sound measures has only added to public anger and frustration. There are several important ways in which Congress can be reformed but we must first be familiar with the…… [Read More]

Business Healthcare Reform at the

Maybe for some things are well enough, but for most Americans they are far from it. Most Americans spend their days worrying about being just one layoff away from joining the 50 million other men, women and children in the ranks of the uninsured. The average household income in this country is just about $50,000. This means that most people are not in a position to pay a fourth of their family's annual income, before taxes, just to cover health insurance premiums. More and more people face paying thousands more of our hard earned dollars in out-of-pocket expenses before the coverage we pay so dearly for actually kicks in (ichard, 2009).

In the past many Americans who have been enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance plans have been able to rely on their employers to pay the biggest share of the premiums, but the truth is that fewer and fewer Americans…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform and Occupational

The SG2 report (2010, p. 9) also mentions academic medical centers (AMCs), which will have enter into affiliation agreements in order to comply with the reformed care laws. This will furthermore mean more integrated physician networks and it integration, as mentioned above.

Two further important factors are mentioned by Moyers (2010). She notes that the inclusive nature of health care definitions for occupational therapists is a significant step forward in terms of recognizing the profession as a legitimate health care service. Occupational therapy, for example, is specifically included in the "Innovations in the Health Care Workforce" section of the new legislation. This is significant, because occupational therapists will now be eligible for state workforce grants, slots on the national commission on workforce, and other similar privileges enjoyed by other health care providers.

Other items, excluded from the bill, is the second item the author mentions. She notes that one of…… [Read More]

Health Reform Health Care in

The result is that a multilayered system which is inherently designed to maintain and improve our public health standards has instead become almost entirely designed by its profitability. The best opportunity we have for reversing this trend is the applying of pressure that only the federal government can bring to bear. Greater regulation of pricing, coverage and standards of care will shift the focus back to quality health outcomes rather than strict improvement of the bottom line at all costs.

- Is there a solution?

How can (or can't) public policy shape health care in the U.S. hat do you predict for the next year?

Public policy absolutely has the capacity to bring improvement to a highly dysfunctional system. The Affordable Care Act and many of its related sub-initiatives such as the Readmissions Reduction Program are indicative of this opportunity. Indeed, the continuing pressure upon hospitals to focus on producing…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform Through the

Not only do these practices discourage preventative care and monitoring, they also diminish the quality of the good that insured individuals are buying from the health insurance companies. Insured individuals are paying for insurance and paying for most of their healthcare costs in addition because of the exorbitant deductibles. PPACA's prohibition of these practices ultimately forces health care companies to raise the bar and give health insurance customers more value for money.

Public-Private Partnerships Prevent ureaucratization of Health Care

There are widespread misconceptions that the PPACA will provide health insurance through some government-run bureaucracy. Actually, PPACA is built on close cooperation between health insurance companies and the government. Under PPACA, the government does not operate hospitals nor does it provide medical insurance to individuals. Actually, it requires individuals to carry some form of private health insurance or suffer a penalty. The only time the government becomes involved is when an…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform

overwhelming connections between healthcare costs and the macroeconomic performance of the U.S. economy. The impact of healthcare industry on the macroeconomic performance is evident from the fact that in 2009 healthcare expenditure of the U.S. was 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. It was also estimated that should the healthcare costs continue to grow at historical rates, 34% of the U.S. GDP will compose of healthcare spending by 2040 (Whitehouse, 2009). The major sources of funding the healthcare costs are the Federal, State, and local governments of the U.S. Medicare is a healthcare program that subsidizes healthcare for citizens above 65 years of age. Medicaid subsidizes healthcare delivery for people below a certain income level. Approximately 50% of the healthcare expenditure is bore by governments at the federal, state and local level. It is also estimated that Medicare and Medicaid spending of Federal and State governments…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform Federal Deficit the American

Health Care Reform Federal Deficit

The American Health Care Crisis and the Federal Deficit

The United States spends more than any other country on medical care. In 2006, U.S. health care spending was $2.1 trillion, or 16% of our gross domestic product. At the same time, more than 45 million Americans lack health insurance and our health outcomes (life expectancy, infant mortality, and mortality amenable to health care) are mediocre compared with other rich democracies. We spend too much for what we get.

Nothing is new about these sobering realities. The Nixon administration first declared a health care cost crisis in 1969. Four decades later, the United States still has not adopted systemwide cost controls because the politics of health care make it extraordinarily difficult to control costs. I explain below why this is so (Marmor, et al., 2009).

The starting point for understanding the politics of cost control is…… [Read More]

Effects on Public Health of Health Care Reform

Health Care eform Effecting Public Health United States

Healthcare reform is an integral part of the United States healthcare system. Below is an evaluation of the effects healthcare reform has had on healthcare in the U.S. Internet sources as well as peer-reviewed journals will be looked at so as to see the effects.

The cost of healthcare has been on the rise. Issues of healthcare quality ought to be paid attention to and healthcare access equity improved upon (Health Care Transformation). Given these causes, while some differences exist on what reforms to carry out, a majority of Americans hold the belief that the U.S. Healthcare delivery systems need some improving. For a long time ANA has been advocating for reforms in healthcare and several of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions are in line with the Health System eform Agenda of the ANA. The ANA gave a chart that gives…… [Read More]

Healthcare Reform Throughout All of

" (Arnold & Reeves, 2009). ith medical services price at the present time, illness or some kind of complicated to medical services may take people deprived of health insurance years to reimburse for bills that are medical. Furthermore, I believe that individuals who lost their jobs also are uninsured for the reason that their employer gave health insurance is no longer paying for them. I understand that based on the statistic; there are "way too many around 1 million workers that have lost their health reporting in the first three months of 2009. I think that helping people buy health insurance coverage with low-cost with offering the health plans options for the uninsured is the healthcare reform that is really needed now. In this way, individuals that are without health insurance will be able to afford paying their medical insurance to uphold their well-being.

In conclusion, with the increasing rapidly…… [Read More]

British Electoral System Reform Over

The Constitution is based on several key principals the most notable would include: separation of powers as well as checks and balances. Separation of powers is when there are clearly defined powers that are given to the various branches of: the government, the federal government and the states. Checks and balances is when one branch of the government will have the power to the check the authority of another branch. (Wood) for example, the Constitution would specifically spell out various powers of the executive branch. During the course of exercising these different powers, a citizen brings a lawsuit against the government in the judicial branch. Where, they claim that the actions that the executive branch is taking are unconstitutional. In this particular case, the executive branch would work off of the powers given to them in the Constitution. When they begin to overstep these boundaries, another branch of the government…… [Read More]

Healthcare Reform and Economic Implications

For example, prior to 2007, there were approximately 1 million confirmed cases of hospital-acquired ("nosocomial") infections in American hospitals and other healthcare institutions (clinics, nursing homes, etc.), resulting in the premature and preventable deaths of nearly 100,000 patients who would otherwise have survived the illnesses or surgeries for which they originally received treatment in those institutions (eid, 2009).

Approaches to educing Healthcare Costs

Because the problem of treating those nosocomial infections alone was the source of an estimated $1 - $2 billion, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) terminated reimbursement for several kinds of urinary tract infections in healthcare institutions in 2007, to force healthcare providers to take the necessary steps to prevent those infections (eid, 2007). Another important component to fighting healthcare costs are the oversight mechanisms, such as the Health and Human Services Inspector General's Audit Services and Medicare's recently enacted ecovery Audit Contractor (AC) program. In…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform Recommendations to

On the contrary, a comprehensive medical care solution that tackles the main issues driving up health care costs in America is possible. The main problem experienced by the average American is that health insurance premiums are cost prohibitive for the middle-class, but being uninsured can bankrupt a family forced to deal with even a minor catastrophic illness. Therefore, a national health insurance program has to be part of the solution. However, one cannot overlook the role that unpaid medical bills and exorbitant malpractice premiums also play in the modern healthcare crises. As a result, the solution must include a way to reduce malpractice premiums through tort reform, and a way to reduce the percentage of medical bills that go unpaid. The proposed three-prong approach would tackle all of those issues, without forcing any unwilling person to participate in a nationalized healthcare program.

orks Cited

American Tort Reform Association. "Medical Liability…… [Read More]

Health Care Reform and Economics

At the same time, 25% of Americans do not have any kind of health insurance coverage or not enough to pay for all of their expenses. (Amadeo) This can have an impact upon their financial well being, as a person must spend money that they do not have, to treat different conditions that could be life threatening. Once this begins to occur, is when the total number of bankruptcies will begin to rise sharply. As nearly half of all the filings that are made are: medical related, due to the overwhelming costs and the inability to pay them. (Amadeo) These different challenges are creating sudden shift in the economy that are: having short- and long-term impacts upon economic growth.

What is happening is rising health care costs are beginning to become a hidden tax on: businesses and consumers. As they are slowly eating away at any kind of added investments…… [Read More]

Healthcare Poverty Health Care Reform

As a result, millions of Americans remain unable to bear the heavy financial toll of medical expenses. Indeed, the problem of a lack of insurance for many is related to the problem of the cost of healthcare. So confirms the article by Consumer Reports (CR) (2008), which finds that "health-insurance premiums have grown faster than inflation or workers' earnings over the past decade, in parallel with the equally rapid rise in overall health costs. Industry spending on administrative and marketing costs, plus profits, consumes 12% of private-insurance premiums." (CR, 1) This reiterates the case that the undue imposition of costs by the healthcare industry -- a reflection of a free-market industry with little to no regulatory oversight -- has negatively impacted the accessibility and quality of healthcare for many of the poorest users.

Moreover, these users are most vulnerable to the long-term economic damages provoked by unexpected healthcare costs. So…… [Read More]

America's Healthcare Reform Your Chosen Title the

AMEICA'S HEALTHCAE EFOM

Your Chosen Title

The overhauling of America's Health Care Systems has been a highly debated topic because it affects the quality of life, of virtually all residents living in America. A large portion of America's budget is spent on the healthcare system, however many Americans live day-to-day without healthcare coverage or medical insurance. It is surprising to know that although Americas has one of the strongest economies in the world, it lacks in this area. This resonates in the minds of many troubled Americans, who find themselves in serious economic problems due to their inability to provide healthcare coverage for themselves and their family.

Members of government and of the political arena understand that a demand exists, this demands is one that calls for healthcare coverage for all in America. In March 2010 congress responded to this demanded passed what is known as The Patient Protection and…… [Read More]

Healthcare Reform Models Health Care Reform Models

Healthcare Reform Models

Health Care Reform Models

Preventive Psychiatry

Shim and colleagues (2012) argue for taking advantage of provisions within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 that emphasizes preventive and integrated care. They propose that the primary care setting is ideal for screening patients for signs of mental illness and associated risk factors. A mental health wellness program could also include coaches and other experts that interface with patients on an individual basis, including at the patient's home.

Long-Term Behavioral Health Care

Bao and colleagues (2012) examined four patient populations defined by disease severity and ability to pay, and then assessed how these four groups will fare under the behavioral health provisions in the ACA. Patients with private insurance and suffering from mild to moderate mental illness will probably receive the best care at a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). The authors suggest that the presence of…… [Read More]

Health Reform Prospects Health Reform

4). Cooper and castle feel that the universal aims of the program, coupled with the program's redistributive intent, will prevent congressional fence-sitters from voting against a plan that is so obviously in the best interests of the vast majority of working Americans. Ultimately, the bill's appeal to social justice will bridge the partisan divide, and provide President Barack Obama with a firm foundation on which to build future change.

Of course, change, especially necessary change, is in the eye of the beholder, as are partisanship and bipartisanship. Cooper and Castle call their piece a "bipartisan view," but appear to spell out a largely Democratic approach to healthcare reform, one that seems specifically designed to entrench President Obama's position, and guarantee his reelection. They laud the expected, intended, or proposed actions of a man who has not yet taken office. Many of the authors' supporting arguments have already been rendered moot:…… [Read More]

Impact of Healthcare Reform Quality on Nursing Care

Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform

Consequences of Health Care Reform

My discussion is related to the individual mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010.

The policy problems addressed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 are the high cost of health insurance that is untenable for low and middle income earners and the discretionary criteria for enrollment and coverage exercised by medical and health insurance carriers. The PPACA is an excellent policy solution to these issues in the United States and, absent socialized medicine, is a robust response to what has been an intractable and escalating problem in the U.S. Many people who have unable to obtain medical insurance are now able to do so.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was designed to significantly reduce the number of people who are uninsured through the provision of a continuum…… [Read More]

American Healthcare Reform There Are

Second, the fact that medical costs are billed to health insurance companies is responsible for an industry-wide culture of financial irresponsibility where little concern is given to avoiding unnecessary or duplicated costs of healthcare services (Kennedy, 2006; eid, 2009). Unfortunately, political opposition to healthcare reform throughout 2009 made it impossible for the Obama administration to achieve this essential goal but it is likely that the current system cannot be sustained without bankrupting the nation.

One of the main reasons that there is so much political opposition to meaningful healthcare reform in the U.S. is precisely because current laws permit excessive influence by special interest groups in Washington (Kennedy, 2006; eid, 2009). Specifically, the private for-profit health insurance industry alone accounts for as many as 5 industry lobbyists per elected government legislator in Washington. By pledging financial support to political campaigns in return for opposition to any legislative reforms that could…… [Read More]

US Healthcare Reform Initiatives

The United States is relatively unique in the world community for offering healthcare through a variety of employer-provided and government insurance systems. While most US citizens obtain healthcare via their employers, others have health insurance via a variety of government-provided programs such as Medicaid or Medicare. Still others purchase their insurance from health insurance companies themselves because they do not receive employer coverage and are unable to qualify for Medicaid. This suggests that cooperation between insurance companies, providers, and the government is necessary to improve delivery, reduce costs, and expand access to all patients.

One of the first presidents to attempt to orchestrate broad-sweeping healthcare reform, Bill Clinton, recently underlined the need to embark upon reform in a collective and unified effort. “The former president called on attendees to embrace evidence-based medicine as a means to bend healthcare\'s cost curves and lauded Medicaid expansion as a means to keep health…… [Read More]

Fitness and Health Insurance Reform

Q1. Personal Fitness Trackers
Even when personal fitness trackers present the same information, they can visually display the information in different ways. Regardless, the theory behind such trackers, and the ability to see how many steps, calories burned, and activity in relation to the activity engaged in the past, is that people are more motivated when they have concrete evidence of their improvement. What cannot be measured cannot be consciously changed. However, according to a study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, in a randomized control study (the gold standard of academic research), using a fitness tracker had no effect on any measure of health or fitness (Finkelstein, et al, 2016). The fitness tracker used in this particular study was a clip-on tracker without a significant graphical interface. It is possible that the results may have been different, had the tracker been more pleasing in its presentation.
But even a…… [Read More]

Healthcare Reform Rests on Changes to Nurse Roles

Evolution of Nursing oles in an Enlarged National Health Care System

The Affordable Care Act enables the provision of health insurance to 30 million people above the coverage figures prior to the enactment of the law. Because of this precipitous rise in the number of health insurance members, access to care as a function of the availability of primary care providers has been a leading issue in the transition to the nation-wide system of health care insurance. Public health models and nursing practice arrangements are changing in order to meet the immediate and anticipated care needs that have been brought to bear on the health care systems.

Public Health and Nurse Managed Health Centers (NMHCs)

From the earliest days of public health, the roles of nurses have been embedded in the social, educational, and political needs of communities. Health education has functioned as a springboard to community organizing, patient advocacy,…… [Read More]

Attitude Survey on Healthcare Reform

Thereby we can conclude if their support or lack thereof for healthcare reform is based on understanding of facts, or is being shaped by other factors, ostensibly the information being made public by politically affiliated media and elected officials in support of one party or the other.

The Survey: Healthcare eform

I voted for President Obama

YES

NO

Didn't Vote

I support healthcare reform

YES

NO

No Opinion

I have health insurance or Government Program

YES

NO

Don't Know

I have Medicare

YES

NO

Don't Know

I have Medicaid

YES

NO

Don't Know

I have CHAMP/VA

YES

NO

Don't Know

I have TICAE

YES

NO

Don't Know

I have group benefit insurance

YES

NO

Don't Know

I have private health insurance

YES

NO

Don't Know

The Health Insurance Privacy

And Portability Act applies to me

YES

NO

Don't Know

The Employee etirement Income

Security Act applies to me

YES

NO…… [Read More]

Star Ratings for CMS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Star atings for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Discuss your findings; identify the implications for healthcare and for pharmaceutical companies, and offer conclusions or suggestions.

In the last several years, the CMS has been focused on reducing the costs associated with Medicare and Medicaid related services. At the same time, there is an emphasis on improving quality. A rating system is designed to provide better insights about how pharmaceutical and healthcare providers are achieving these objectives. There is a focus on five different areas during this process. The most notable include: healthcare effectiveness data / information, consumer assessments, CMS, health outcomes survey and the independent review. These variables are designed to provide better information about quality, safety, costs and the delivery of services. ("Choosing Higher Quality," 2013)

The findings are showing how the five star system, is providing more clarity about the kinds of healthcare solutions and pharmaceutical…… [Read More]

National Healthcare Reform the Cost

The first phase, implemented in 2010, provides immediate access to a high-risk insurance pools for individuals excluded from healthcare coverage because of pre-existing conditions; it also allows children to remain covered under their parents' insurance plans until the age of 26 and provides tax credits to small employers that give their employees health insurance (Tumulty, Pickert, & Park, 2010). The second phase begins in 2011 and will require private health insurance companies to spend at least 80% of premiums on healthcare services; in 2013, Medicare payroll taxes will increase on the wealthiest individuals and families to enable that program to overcome the aby oomer problem (Tumulty, Pickert, & Park, 2010). In 2014, most Americans will be required to obtain health insurance to reduce the collective cost of treating the uninsured (Tumulty, Pickert, & Park, 2010).

Unfortunately the primary reason that healthcare reform was not able to incorporate more wide-sweeping reforms…… [Read More]

Health Reforms and the Role of Nurse Practitioners

Nursing Practice Expected to Grow and Change

Ageing of population and healthcare providers, coupled with reforms to healthcare, will raise demands for professionals in the field, also expanding existing professionals' required skill sets and roles. Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and medical assistants are included in this growth area. Fortunately, healthcare is characterized by a swiftly expanding and large workforce (with 23000 new entrants every month, nationally); this sector progressed even in recent economic recessions (Survey, 2013). Registered Nursing (RN) is one of the leading U.S. occupations which is projected to grow 26% and add the highest number of jobs by 2020 (an estimated 1.2 million RNs overall), as per U.S. ureau of Labor Statistics (Survey, 2013). This stems from a projected rise in demand, as well as a need for replacing the current ageing RNs. Nursing careers are being pursued in America increasingly; the number of students enrolled…… [Read More]

American Healthcare Reform Debates

payer healthcare systems: Pros and cons

One of the most controversial concepts in American health care is the idea of single-payer health insurance, or the notion that healthcare will be supported by taxpayer dollars, versus funded by private insurance companies. In many Western industrialized nations such as the United Kingdom and Canada, the concept of single payer-health insurance is the norm and embraced by the majority of the population. In the United States, the rhetoric of socialism and state support has caused people to fear the concept. Even the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was painted by some aspects of the media as a move towards a single-payer system because it exerted somewhat greater control over individual's health-related choices, such as mandating that all American citizens have health insurance. However, the ACA was far from socialized medicine given that it continued to ensure that the majority of Americans not on Medicaid…… [Read More]

Reviewing the Health Reforms

Prescription for Health Care System Stakeholders

Discuss Dr. Wilson's "prescription" for the private sector, business, and government. Do you concur with this prescription? Why, or why not?

Dr. Wilson believes that healthcare reform is among the biggest priorities that will challenge the entire spectrum of people who are involved, either directly or indirectly, with the healthcare system. There are many different perspectives that are involved in the series of reforms who are at different levels. However, treating patients in an efficient and effective manner, while also providing the best health outcomes possible, is the basis for guiding reforms; albeit, many of the different stakeholders have significantly different ideas about how to achieve such objectives. Dr. Wilson further believes that there are four points of major friction in the system and offers the prescription for challenges that will be present in order to make health system reform a success: medical liability,…… [Read More]

Future of Healthcare Operations the

Then, when you combine this with the fact that Medicaid serves 53 million people with an annual budget of $329 billion, means that rising costs is severely affecting this program. ("Medicaid Reform," 2005) the inflexibility of this program has contributed to problem as a one size fits all approach is taken. Then, when you combine the different state programs offered through Medicaid, means that an uneven standard of inflexibility is used. An illustration of this can be seen by looking no further than the overall focus of Medicaid, where an emphasis is placed on addressing major health issues. This is problematic because like with Medicare, an approach must be taken of dealing with the patient once they are facing major health issues. Then Medicare has to engage in multiple functions to include: comprehensive acute / primary care, long-term care services (for those who qualify), a source of funding for uncompensated…… [Read More]

American Healthcare System Has Been at the

American Healthcare System has been at the center of debate for many years. One of the most pressing issues confronting the healthcare system is Medicare and its beneficiaries. The purpose of this discussion is to focus on the ramifications of moving Medicare beneficiaries into managed care organizations (MCOs). Our investigation will illustrate that moving the Medicare beneficiaries into MCOs are a bad idea because there will not to be any real cost savings and many individuals are likely to be denied needed care.

Cost Savings

An article found in American Economic Review explains that Medicare is the second largest government entitlement program in the United States. The cost associated with running this program is astronomical. The article asserts that in 1999 the government spent $230 billion or 13% of its budget on Medicare and its beneficiaries. (Antos and Bilheimer)

The major issue with Medicare is that it is expected to…… [Read More]

Vulnerable Groups Nutrition Insurance and

Assessing the ability of these individuals to perform basic tasks in their daily lives can also have much significance (Marshall, Warren, Hand, Xie, & Stumbo, 2002). Many older Americans are able to feed and clothe themselves without apparent problems, but others are not as fortunate (Marshall, Warren, Hand, Xie, & Stumbo, 2002). If they are unable to do these things correctly without help, their nutritional status will often suffer (Marshall, Warren, Hand, Xie, & Stumbo, 2002). Patients who are older should be assessed for their ability to do these simple tasks, and also for their ability to perform slightly more complex tasks such as fixing their own meals, cleaning their house, and balancing their checkbook (Marshall, Warren, Hand, Xie, & Stumbo, 2002). Sometimes cognitive impairment will lead to a lack of nutrition, and when this is the case, it often shows up in forgetfulness and an inability to perform even…… [Read More]

Health Care Legislative Bill

Healthcare Legislative Bill

The expanded and improved Medicare for all Acts

The Expanded and mproved Medicare for All Act was introduced to the House of Representatives in 2009 and seeks to lobby for the implementation of a common single-payer health care system throughout the United States o0f America. The bill if enacted would require that all medical care costs be paid for automatically by the government instead of private insurances for the same. The move will significantly alter the role of private insurance companies as merely offering supplemental coverage especially when the kind of medical care sought is not all that essential (McCormick, 2009).

With the Expanded and mproved Medicare for All Bill, the country's national system will be paid for through taxes and the monies that will replace the regular insurance premiums. Proponents of the bill argue that by eliminating the need for private insurance companies in the national…… [Read More]

Military Retirees Are Entitled to

First of all only a scant few of these Veterans groups will acknowledge the "promise" of free health care; for the most part these groups will tout the benefits already promised by the Veterans Administration and assert that cuts in these benefits are the same a broken promise-or contractual breach in legal terms. The idea of the United States military making a "promise" or forging a legally binding agreement between individual veterans or groups of veterans is barred by the United States Constitution. As will be demonstrated in the Literature eview, specific Constitutional language from Article I give Congress and only Congress the express authority to make laws and regulations pertaining to the armed forces. Therefore, the idea the military breached a contract with service members is, ultimately, inherently inaccurate. Combining the lack of specific language within the materials provided by any governmental agency with the clear language of the…… [Read More]

History of the League of Women Voters

history of the League of Women Voters rightly begins with the very inception of the Women's Movement and the fight for liberation in the United States. During the early history of the United States there was little, if any respect for the principles of women's rights. In an intensely patriarchal society a man " ... virtually owned his wife and children as he did his material possessions. If a poor man chose to send his children to the poorhouse, the mother was legally defenseless to object." (Women's History in America) The history of women's movements in the United States is largely a reaction to this system of exclusion and male-dominance.

The start of the history of the fight for women's rights begins with a tea party hosted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in New York. Mrs. Stanton expressed her feelings of discontent at the situation of women in society. This meeting…… [Read More]

American Healthcare and the Federal

Even with all of this federal intervention, however, the issue of Americans being able to afford healthcare would rear its ugly head time and time again in the succeeding decades. This issue would be tossed about like a political hot potato until the election of President Bill Clinton, when then First Lady Hillary Clinton embraced the issue of affordable healthcare for all Americans and made an attempt to institute a nationalized healthcare system, much like the ones that have worked in nations like Canada and Great Britain. The Clintons unfortunately met with intense resistance to the plan on the federal level, and their system never came to full fruition. Ironically, however, the Clintons did manage to make meaningful change in American healthcare through their proposed plan. The mere threat of federal control over the monopolies that many American healthcare companies enjoy led in many cases to the freezing of rates…… [Read More]

Health Industry Professional Boards

Healthcare professionals offer their services to the community whilst taking care to fully respect people's dignity. Doctors need to earn public confidence by dedicating their skill all equally, and to the best of their ability. A number of professional organizations supporting doctors in ensuring public safety exist, two of which are the ANA (American Nurses Association) and the AMA (American Medical Association). In this paper, the two aforementioned organizations' standards and functions will be analyzed.

A clear identification of the professional boards

The ANA represents its 3.6-million-strong registered nurse (RN) workforce's interests. Its goal is attempting to advance the profession of nursing through the promotion of superior practice standards (American Nurses Association, 2016). Meanwhile, the AMA represents a professional organization chiefly engaged in publishing studies geared at advancing public health, in addition to advocating for licensed doctors' interests. It participates in the areas of Obamacare implementation, healthcare IT, Medicare/Medicaid, improvements…… [Read More]

Health Care Debate as the

Drug costs have gone from 26% of health care spending by private insurance companies in 1990 to 44% in 2006 (Kaiser Foundation, 2008). This issue has not been adequately addressed by health care reform. Instead, a deal appears to be made for $80 billion in concessions from the pharmaceutical industry in exchange for its support of health care reform (Kirkpatrick, 2009).

The underlying trend in each of these major issues in health care reform is controlling the rising cost. Malpractice reform seeks to control the cost of insurance to health care providers, so that they can pass those savings along to consumers. The public option provides a plan for affordable health care coverage for uninsured and underinsured Americans. This is deemed necessary because private insurers will not offer insurance to those it feels will demand too much in terms of health care costs going forward. Reducing the cost of health…… [Read More]

Professional Nursing Associations Nursing Professional

org/about/mission.htm)."

The benefits to joining this and other professional nursing associations around the nation include having a strong voice and a fellowship with others who spend their careers helping patients and families during times of need.

There are several ways that affiliating with a professional nursing association can provide this including:

Federal lobbying on issues important to nursing and health care.

State lobbying through our State Nurses Associations and nationwide state legislative agenda on issues vital to your scope of practice.

epresenting nursing where it matters, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and many others, right up to the White House.

Speaking for nursing through the media including stories in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, 60 Minutes, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and NP to name a few (Your guide to the benefits of membership... (http://nursingworld.org/member2.htm)."

Throughout the…… [Read More]

Professional Association American Nurses Association Ana Become

Professional Association

American Nurses Association (ANA): Become a Member Today!

Member Benefits:

Discounts on products and services

Discounts on online degrees

Discounts on certification exams

Career center access

Professional liability insurance products

Subscriptions to periodicals

And more!

Mission of the ANA: "Nurses advancing our profession to improve health for all,' ("About ANA," 2012).

Interested in public policy reform and political activism related to healthcare?

You've come to the right place!

One of the express functions of the ANA is "lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public," ("About ANA," 2012). "Through ANA's political and legislative program, the association has taken firm positions on a range of issues including Medicare reform, patients' rights, appropriate staffing, the importance of safer needle devices, whistleblower protections for health care workers, adequate reimbursement for health care services and access to health care," ("Statement of Purpose," 2012)

Facts at…… [Read More]

Business Management Staffing Practices & Selection Tools

usiness Management: Staffing Practices & Selection Tools:

Analysis of a Pharmaceutical Organization

In the past few decades, globalization and technology are two emerging trends that play a significant role in any organization's staffing practices and selection tools used to meet current and future employment needs. oth globalization and technology pose dilemmas for any pharmaceutical company with a large number of promising drug candidates. This paper examines and analyzes the staffing practices of Pfizer in its position as a leading worldwide pharmaceutical company. Pfizer is a good example of a company whose staffing practices have met their current employment needs and continues to meet future employment needs. This company is in an excellent position, as demonstrated by the fact that its overall sales exceeded $45 billion in the last year, up 40% over the previous year (Pfizer, 2004). This strong financial performance has its roots in the employees that comprise the…… [Read More]

Healthcare Policies

Health Policies Medicare

hen everyone in our country finally starts to reach the age of 65 years of age or older, then every person will become eligible for Medicare. It is clear that there are some elderly that are having minimum health concerns while others recurrently are dealing with medical issues for which they will have to seek out treatment by the doctor. However, research is starting to display that there are at least five top conditions that are enhancing on medical and drug spending. It is obvious that Heart disease circumstances are the number one medical issue that the those that are considered elderly are facing and that is becoming very costly to them. Most are unaware that the second one is the disease cancer and it could be internal or external for various elderly patients. Other issues such as joint ailments a lot of the times can cost…… [Read More]

Crisis in Canada Are the

In 2000 legislation was presented by Ralph Klein to the legislature, demanding that provinces be permitted to allow private hospitals. That same year, more budget cuts slammed the health systems, when the "Federal udget offers 2 cents for health care for every dollar of tax cuts." (Health Coalition) in 2002 the Romanow Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada was created to investigate the health-care situation in the nation and to foster (and witness) public discussion on the subject. Their report was presented in Ottawa towards the end of the year, and in 2003 some of its suggestions regarding intelligent use of federal funding were implemented. The commission, in general, supported the continuation of universal care. However, the 2003 "Health Accord" did not include any ruling against the use of federal funding contracted out to for-profit institutions (a situation that some critics claim is part of the…… [Read More]

Reimbursement Ethics and Compliance Impact of Health

eimbursement Ethics and Compliance: Impact of Health Care eform on Medical Coding and Billing

"Medical billing and coding lays the foundation for any successful healthcare provider," yet its common practices are undergoing significant changes under the recent proposal for health care reform (Griffey, 2013). The nature of medical coding and billing is increasingly becoming more and more complicated. The recent healthcare reform legislation, passed in 2010, promises to complicate the situation even further. Such reforms will undoubtedly have a huge impact on medical billing and coding processes.

The reform bill was a monumental piece of legislation passed by Pres. Obama and his Democratic supporters in 2010. There are a number of stipulations which aim to help increase access to appropriate health care for millions of Americans who are currently without any coverage, helping lower the cost of premiums too much more affordable rate for most Americans but also increasing the…… [Read More]