HUM 5300 Week 3 Journal

WEEK 3 JOURNAL

· Read Chapter 12 from the textbook  American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach. Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2023).  American social welfare policy: A pluralist approach  (9th ed). Pearson.

· Read the article  Bridging the Health Equity Gap: An Update From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health and Health EquityLinks to an external site. .

· Read the article  Achieving Universal Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: Addressing Market Failures or Providing a Social Floor?Links to an external site.

· Review the interactive  A Program Manager’s Challenge: Funding Crisis.

A Program Manager’s Challenge: Funding Crisis

Maria is the program manager of an agency that provides HIV case management and care in a mid-sized city. Maria’s agency currently serves over 1,000 HIV-positive individuals and relies on public and government funding. Many of the clients Maria’s agency servers have struggled with the effects of health inequities and rely on the agency and the clinic for care.

Based on the agency’s funding stipulations, the agency is a last-resort payor. Therefore, clients who need HIV treatment and other medical care must first use private, state, or federal insurance benefits before the agency can step in to assist with copays or other medical expenses. The agency also helps with: Housing, food and nutrition services, and transportation.

Many of the agency’s clients (60%) have been relying on Medicaid benefits for their care. Recent Medicaid eligibility requirements, however, have resulted in the loss of healthcare benefits for many of the agency’s clients. A growing number of clients are unable to afford healthcare plans on their own or receive healthcare benefits from their employers.

In the past year, Maria’s agency has already struggled to provide services due to diminished funding opportunities, and she is worried that there is not enough funding to ensure the continued treatment and care her clients need.