The Government's role in healthcare is to ensure patient safety and quality healthcare. Medicare
and Medicaid are our countries foundation for medical care for our elderly and lower income
patients the government helps fund these medical insurance program to help provide healthcare
for those in need. Another role the government plays in healthcare is providing regulations and
laws protecting patients and their healthcare information using HIPAA the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of
national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the
patient’s consent or knowledge. Health insurance impacts healthcare delivery because without the
aid of health insurance quality healthcare cannot be delivered without out a way to cover the
financials of the tests, scans, labs that are needed to treat each patient. Without health insurance
coverage healthcare can be delayed or non-existent. That is the big question healthcare providers,
and the government has been trying to figure out for years. e I think the first way to help reduce
uninsured people and maximize quality and access is to provide better healthcare at a lower price.
The government needs to find a way to provide quality healthcare that is affordable to all.
What is the government's role in healthcare? How does the government impact healthcare
organizations?
The federal government plays a few different roles in the American health care arena, including
provider of health care services; and education and training programs for health care professionals.
The government pays for the elderly and low-income families to have insurance. Unfortunately,
with the government paying for this insurance, there are a lot of stipulations, to what is covered
and what is not covered. It is an amazing program for families who cannot afford insurance and
they get this assistance. Because some individuals have a lot of health issues and require a lot of
hospital/doctor visits. e
How does health insurance impact healthcare delivery?
Coverage improves access to care; supports positive health outcomes, including an individual's
sense of their own health and well-being; incentivizes appropriate use of health care resources;
and reduces financial strain on individuals, families, and communities. The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in March 2010 is a landmark in U.S. social
legislation, and the Supreme Court's recent decision upholding the Act has ensured that it will
remain the law of the land. The new law extends health insurance to nearly all Americans, fulfilling
a century-long quest and bringing the United States to parity with other industrial nations.
Affordable Care aims to control rapidly rising health care costs and promises to make the United
States more equal, reversing four decades of rising disparities between the very rich and everyone
else. (Lawrence R. Jacobs, & Theda Skocpol. (2012)
How can we reduce the number of uninsured people while maximizing quality and access and
minimizing costs?
Optimize Scheduling, Staffing, and Patient Flow
Optimization offers another way to reduce the cost of healthcare without compromising patients'
health and safety. Hospitals can examine how patients move throughout their facilities to create a
standardized flow.
Reference: e
Lawrence R. Jacobs, & Theda Skocpol. (2012). Health Care Reform and American Politics: What
Everyone Needs to Know®, Revised and Updated Edition: Vol. Rev. and updated ed. Oxford
University Press.
Bowie, Mary Jo (2019). Essentials of health information management principles and practices (4th
ed.) Cengage. https://www.cengage.com/
Tang, N., Eisenberg, J. M., & Meyer, G. S. (2004). The roles of government in improving health care
quality and safety. Joint Commission journal on quality and safety, 30(1), 47–55.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1549-3741(04)30006-7
