Introduction
With the new democratic leadership in the USA, Barrack Obama’s reign has given the health care sector a major priority since there is a feeling that the sector has been neglected for a long period of time. Many reforms have continued to be observed as the government seeks to improve health services to its residents. This paper will seek to address some of the health care reforms that the US government has introduced to benefit American citizens. In addition, an in-depth analysis of the factors and forces that influence the various sub-systems and their administration will be discussed.
Health care reforms
The United States has been adopting a unique healthcare system where most of the services are offered by private entities. This form of healthcare was introduced by the republicans and it uniquely distinguishes between the American style and the rest of the world’s healthcare systems. This healthcare system has continued to receive a lot of criticisms from both the political and social elites. According to the elites, this system restricts access to the many American citizens who can barely afford medical expenses charged in the private health facilities. In addition, intensive research has shown that there is a big proportion of the American population has not yet taken any of the healthcare covers which assist in the payments of the medical bills. Some reforms are therefore underway to ensure that the American people can enjoy affordable healthcare services. Among the reforms awaited include the provision of a universal healthcare system that will be accessible to all American citizens regardless of the size of their pockets.
As posted by Murray (2009) in the ‘health reforms 2009’, the democrats held their final intra-party talks aimed at reforming the health care sector on January 5, 2010. The meeting aimed at introducing a federally funded insurance cover for the American people. According to the article, there seem to be some differences between the Senate and the House opinions in that, while the Senate proposes a state-by-state insurance program the House supports the creation of a national insurance exchange that would be regulated and controlled by the federal government. Though the motion is not supported by the Republicans, the Democratic government has vowed to push on with the agenda as it will have a great impact on the American’s lives once implemented. The US government also allowed and facilitated the NIH summit on the science of eliminating health disparities among Americans. The move was aimed at ensuring equal treatment to all American citizens (Health care reforms, 2009). This move has nevertheless given rise to very stiff competition between the republicans and the democrats. Since the current healthcare system was introduced by the republicans, there is a feeling of power threat if the reform is to be implemented. But this should not be the case since the reforms are done for the benefit of the general public and not to favor those who are aligned to the democratic side of leadership.
As Perrone (2010) noted in the health reforms article “Medicare officials plan for health stimulus funds”, the USA government intends to introduce electronic filing systems in all medical centers. The system is aimed at replacing the manual record-keeping system which consumes time and has a high maintenance cost due to its bulky nature. Though the electronic filling system may seem expensive to install, it will consequently reduce medical errors and duplicative testing (NCCAM, 2007). Intensified research in health care sector has also led to advancement of the clinical trials which focus at ensuring quality services are offered to the American people. The move also aims at improving the safety and efficiency of treatments among people. The US federal government has promoted this through the provision of funds to the clinical trials (NCCAM, 2007).
Own perspective
The above two reforms which have been advanced in health care sector are positive moves towards ensuring quality and efficiency in the health sector. As a health care administrator the state-by-state insurance program will suit the nation since it will help reduce the bureaucracy that may entail the federal system. By regionalizing the program, citizens will have a one-on-one contact with the respective officials unlike when the program is directly managed by the federal government. In order to ensure quality health care, best practices which accommodate innovations and unremitting quality improvements should be encouraged.
The American leaders should not put their interests first rather they should ensure that the Americans interests are first. The provision of healthcare by the private sector is good since it ensures quality and efficiency in the service delivery. But there is that proportion of people who cannot afford to meet such medical bills. For this reason the government should introduce a healthcare system which addresses the needs of such people and also help them in meeting such expenses. An introduction of a universal healthcare system will therefore work for such population who has been earlier neglected in the former system.
The introduction of upgraded electronic files will also have a significant positive effect on the American health care services. This is because easy retrieval of patient files will assist the medical practitioners to quickly attend such patients with sufficient health history. Proper subscriptions will therefore be given as the doctor can be able to trace the patient’s health background. It is also important to ensure affordable health care as it reduces the prevalence, mental illness and disabilities that come as a result of medical neglect (SAMHSA, n.d). According to Mechanic (2007, p. 1548), the managed behavioral health care has intensified the accessibility of mental health without a reduction in services quality. Quite a good number of people can thus enjoy the services which were not accessible sometimes back.
Conclusion
Health care should be prioritized by all governments in the world since all the other development processes are attainable if the participants and players in the economy remain healthy. In subjective opinion, it should be the role of the government to guarantee quality and effective health care to its citizens. This is because the citizens will reciprocate by working hard and thus improving the country’s economy. Continued research programs should be undertaken to ensure future safety and efficacy in medical care.
References
Mechanic, D. (2007). Mental Health Services Then and Now. Health Affairs, 26(6), 1548-50. Web.
Murray, S. (2010). Democrats holding final intraparty talks on health-care reforms. Washingtonpost.com. Web.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2007). CAM Stakeholders Bring Their Views to NCCAM Dialogue. Web.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2007). Stakeholder Dialogue. Web.
Perrone, M. (2009). Medicare officials plan for health stimulus funds. Web.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2009). Health Reform 2009. Daily News Digest. Web.
SAMHSA. (N.d.). Principles for systems of managed care. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Mental Health Services Administration. Web.