Hca/210 Final Project Wk 9

My Proposal for a New Health Care System Alyssa Zacharias HCA/210 March 28, 2010 Joan Lewis {pcut:paragraph_to_cut} A vision for a new health care system would be guaranteed affordable health care to all Americans. Our medical care is good, but the system which the care is financed is extremely inefficient, unfair, and extremely bad. Americans remain uninsured, due to the high cost of health care coverage, not just to the family finances, but to corporate American’s bottom line as well. The United States spends much more share of its economy on health care than any other nation, and yet has failed Americans with the one thing that health insurance is suppose to provide: health security. To avoid recurring dismissal of previous campaigns, this new health care system will provide a successful agenda taken seriously the political constraints, and organizational realities that have hamstrung reform efforts in the past. This system will build on the most popular elements of the present structure; (Medicare and employment-based health insurance) making changes that are self-reinforced, straightforward, and guaranteed health security. ( Hacker, S. Jacob, January 11, 2007) My new health care system will expand coverage, create better incentives for quality and efficiency, and link health insurance to individuals, rather than to their place of employment. It will be guided with personal responsibility for one’s own health as well as being ensured the health and welfare of all our citizens. It would make health insurance mandatory for all U. S. citizens, offering subsidies to help defray the cost of premiums. Our American citizens would benefit the most from this new health care system. A failure to act rising health care costs will jeopardize our public’s health and undercut out international competitiveness. A failure to make affordable health changes available to our Americans who are currently uninsured is morally indefensible. If we use this new health care system, we will be lowering the health care costs and the premium costs of medication. This will suit the needs of all American citizens, with low income or no income that have little or no health coverage at all. (Nichols, Len, July 2007) My new health care system would not have any existing populations with disadvantages, there would be an affordable plan for all American citizens, and this new system would leave no individual uninsured. Each American citizen will have coverage for their medical and medication needs, with affordable premium plans to suit their budgets. This new proposal would solve current challenges such as; 1) access to health care- the first major challenge, people being uninsured are less likely to receive appropriate care, for such things as chronic illnesses, and are more likely to die from diseases. 2) cost- the evidence suggests that the cost of health care in the United States is greater than necessary to allow us to achieve the levels of health and longevity we now enjoy. Insurance companies and the government play such prominent roles in financial health care, patients and doctors have less incentive to consider the extra costs of optional tests or treatments. Taking on this fist challenge we will take in consideration that the uninsured are not all alike; they include people, who have low income, people who are not poor but have costly health conditions, those employed but don’t get offered an group health insurance. Taking on the second challenge, could be the challenge hard to overcome. Increasing access or improving quality, may increase rather than reduce total cost. Patients, doctors, and hospitals must be given incentives for choosing cost-effective approaches. The best way to reduce the financial burdens in our health care system is to deliver cost-effective health care throughout the entire system. Today with the diversity of people, companies can’t create just one benefits program that meets everyone’s needs. The employer decides how much money it will allot per employee for the year for benefits; once that figure is assigned the employees can research and compare the costs of various health insurance options. (Bernanke, S. Ben, June 16, 2008) In conclusion this new health care system would provide affordable and reliable health care for every American. This would also provide the much needed coverage for those who need it the most. Having health coverage for every American would also cut down on the amount of people who wait to see a doctor until they are too ill, who then have to go into the emergency room, which then costs the health care system and government more money. (Bernanke, S. Ben, June 16, 2008) http://www. federalreserve. gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20080616a. htm (Hacker, S. Jacob, January 11, 2007) http://sharedprosperity. org/bp180. html (Nichols, Len, July 2007) http://www. newamericannet/publications/policy/sustainable_health_system_all_americans