The US government's most prominent role in healthcare is the regulation of policies and practices.
One way the government regulates practice is by enforcing policies that require licensure and
credentials for healthcare professionals. Another example is when the government prosecutes
persons who try to commit insurance fraud or other crimes that involve the healthcare system.
Both federal and state legislation impact the healthcare system by determining which practices are
lawful and unlawful.
Health insurance impacts healthcare delivery by determining how people receive healthcare
services. Providers choose which insurance policies they accept and patients choose which
insurance provider can accommodate their medical needs. The government also provides medical
coverage to eligible recipients.
The best way to reduce the number of uninsured people while maximizing quality and access and
minimizing costs would be to abandon privatized healthcare. I do not find the current healthcare
model to be beneficial to all people. Many people specifically do not have health insurance
because they financially cannot afford it. A society with many uninsured people eventually
overwhelms the healthcare system. A baseline insurance that would cover all citizens would
incentivize preventative care and perhaps lower the amount of people that die from conditions
that could have been prevented.
The government plays a critical role in the overall operation of healthcare. The government has the
authority to regulate, research, purchase, and provide high-quality health care to all citizens. They
can provide high-quality, safe healthcare in the United States at almost every federal, state, and
local level of the government.
Tang et al. (2004) provided a framework to understand the various roles government can play in
improving health care quality and safety in the United States, which include purchasing healthcare,
providing health care, ensuring that all vulnerable populations have equal access and quality care,
monitoring and working on various health technologies and practices, evaluating the quality of
health care, raising awareness and updates to healthcare decision makers, and proper assembly of
different stakeholders around.
The general market can never provide quality healthcare to all citizens on its own, so the
government must assist and ensure that gaps and barriers to achieving high quality healthcare are
removed. If we talk about the impact of health insurance on healthcare, it is very clear that having
health insurance makes a huge difference in accessibility as well as where, when, and how they get
their health care. People who do not have health insurance are far more likely to suffer the
consequences of delayed diagnosis, postponed medical care, and a lack of preventive services
(Garfield, 2020).
The United States is the only developed and leading industrialized nation that does not have
universal health coverage. The US spends about twice as much on health care as comparable
middle-income industrialized countries, but it still suffers from significant access disparities,
financial burdens on individuals, rising mortality rates, and lost economic productivity. (Davis,
2007). Investment and development in Chronic Disease Management, Primary Care Coordination,
Health Information Technology, Comparative Effectiveness Research can show beneficial in
improving the healthcare in general population (Brennan, 2016). Other solution for quality
improvement and accessibility would be to encourage initiatives at the state and regional levels
that will allow Medicaid and Medicare, as well as other public and private payers, to take part in
private-public initiatives aimed at using better, outcome-focused performance measures to
support payment and benefit reforms that encourage accountability for greater value. Focusing on
developing a better clinical workforce and better work environment for immigrant clinicians to
practice in the U.S, focus on cost-effective and reliable tele-health and telemedicine and working
on reducing government and insurance industry regulatory burdens are also some of the areas to
work to make healthcare accessible (American Medical Association, 2018).
The federal government might take several actions, such as passing laws requiring states to match
federal funds for those with incomes up to 1.5 times the federal property level, allowing uninsured
people and small businesses to enrol in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, Modify
and expand Medicare's programs and payment structures, dedicate tax revenue to paying
increased coverage, and finance expansion using already-existing subsidies for low-income
charitable care. Various states should also implement ground-breaking programs at the state level
to help the uninsured (Davis,2007).
References
American Medical Association. (2018, August 6). 5 ways to improve access to health care.
https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/5-ways-improve-access-
health-care
Brennan, N. (2016, July 29). Improving Quality and Value in the U.S. Health Care System. Brookings.
https://www.brookings.edu/research/improving-quality-and-value-in-the-u-s-health-care-system/
Davis, K. (2007). Uninsured in America: problems and possible solutions. BMJ, 334(7589), 346–348.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39091.493588.be
Garfield, R. (2020, May 13). The Uninsured and the ACA: A Primer – Key Facts about Health
Insurance and the Uninsured amidst Changes to the Affordable Care Act - How does lack of
insurance affect access to care? KFF. https://www.kff.org/report-section/the-uninsured-and-the-
aca-a-primer-key-facts-about-health-insurance-and-the-uninsured-amidst-changes-to-the-
affordable-care-act-how-does-lack-of-insurance-affect-access-to-care/
Tang, N., Eisenberg, J. M., & Meyer, G. S. (2004). The Roles of Government in Improving Health
Care Quality and Safety. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety, 30(1), 47–55.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1549-3741(04)30006-7
