Assignment: Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

HEALTHCARE ISSUES 4

Cost of healthcare

Name of student

Name of institution

Date

Introduction

Healthcare issues are far and wide with reaching effects not only to the patients but also the healthcare practitioners. Most of these issues are complex and that is why they are yet to be solved. This paper examines one such issue, the cost of healthcare in the US.

Cost of healthcare

It is no secret that America has the highest healthcare system in the world. The people are severely burdened by this economic cost. This is made more apparent by the large numbers of people who cannot afford health and dental insurance (Rovner, 2019). They are thus left vulnerable in case of an emergency medical situation.

This presents a challenge in the work place as many patients come in seeking treatment and cannot afford the essential services they need. The hospital has been forced in some cases to turn back some people as it cannot afford to be giving out free services. Some families have been severely impacted and have had to sell off most of their belongings to offset the huge medical bills they have accrued over the course of their treatments. According to Dresden, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was expected to reduce emergency department visits when passed, rather emergency department visits increased by 5.7% which could be associated to an increase in patient’s coverage with but lack of access to quality healthcare. (Dresden et al, 2016).

The healthcare system is aware of the problem. It has responded by lowering the cost of insurance to the people. This has aided the homeless and the disadvantaged in the community as they are eligible to Medicaid for free. There has also been an increased funding of hospitals by the government to reduce their costs.

Our health care facility has also been proactive in the issue. The medical staff is allowed to attend to people with dire conditions even if they do not have the money to pay for it. This includes people who have had accidents and terminally ill patients.

Conclusion

The high cost of healthcare in America is a significant issue. More should be done to address it. A shift to universal healthcare is desirable.

References

Rovner, J. (2019). The complicated, political, expensive, seemingly eternal US healthcare debate explained. BMJ, 367.

Dresden, S., Powell, E., Kang, R., Mchugh, M… & Feinglass, J. (2016). Increased emergency department use in Illinois after implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 2(69), 172-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.06.026