Understanding Public Policy

The United States governmental entities legislates laws, make policies and distribute resources. Public policy is regarded as regulatory measures, courses of action, the system of laws and funding priorities regarding a certain issue promulgated by the government entity. It is a course of government inaction or action in response to public problems. Thus, public policy is goal oriented. It comprises what the government chooses or decides to do. In health care, there are policies established to ensure health quality improvement.

Public policy can be negative or positive. Positive occurs in the in a way that it shows the government concerns and comprises its action to a specific problem on which the policy is made. Negative comprise decisions by the government concerning not taking action to a certain issue. Generally, public policy is a product of demand. The public policy is of much significance. It helps society understand the intentions of the government regarding particular issues, thus responding to society needs (Howlett, Ramesh & Perl, 2009). There are several public policies in the United States that includes healthcare policy, economic policy, education policy, and environmental policy. However, in this assignment am going to dwell with healthcare policy in the United States.

Health care policy involves the creation and implementation of laws, rules, and regulations for running the nation’s healthcare system. Policy in healthcare is important as it provides guidelines that are fundamental in making decisions. In the US, healthcare policy covers the implementation and the design for implementation plans of health insurance and to the efficiency and operations of major hospitals and keep hospitals, patients and prescription drugs safe (Perez, 2017). However, there have been significant challenges in health in the United States. Due to the growing population in the United States, health threats are also huge. Thus, it is important for the government to be concerned with this demanding crisis in healthcare. Currently, in the United States, different groups tend to use different services of healthcare mostly in terms of gender and economic status.

 In the United State, people with over 65 years of age and older constitute an increasing portion of the entire population. The concerns that occur regarding the older people emotional and cognitive ability in regard to making decisions that require legal confrontation (Kapp, 2014). Thus, in addressing these issues, the involvement of healthcare professionals such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses and an attorney acting collaboratively and individually is desirable. Thus, public policy enhances contribution in developing and fostering innovation in legal education and core competencies for attorneys and physicians that are vital in enhancing interprofessional collaboration on behalf of older individuals who are considered of being limited in their ability to make important decisions. This is because adequate emotional and cognitive ability as well as access to information is an essential component for the exercise of autonomous decision making, comprising making choices about the acceptance of specific human services and healthcare by the older adults. Thus, it is essential to point out that this policy is effective in assisting the elderly people who are emotionally and cognitively disabled. In turn, this policy reflects general willingness and desire of improving healthcare to the elderly that comprises a high percentage of the United States population

Healthcare Policy in the United States

There has a sharp increase in demand for healthcare in the United State. Thus, an increase in the demand for services of healthcare, in turn, reflects to increase in costs (Squires & Anderson, 2015). Moreover, economic health is the United States majorly affects the cost of healthcare, access to care, insurance coverage and the citizen’s mental and physical health.

The public policy governing and regulating health economy should be stirred. However, there are challenges on the policymakers based on decision affected by economy shifting. For instance, during the downturns in the economy, employers usually tend to decrease insurance coverage for the employees, while those who are laid off may sometimes lose the coverage altogether. Moreover, on non-urgent care, individuals tend to spend less or postponing doctors’ visits when the situation is hard. Additionally, there is a profound effect of a person’s economics to their access to healthcare and the quality of care received. These affect the general population in terms of healthcare. Public policy is supposed to enhance the health outcome of society at large (Erickson, 2016).

Insurance in healthcare should be efficient and cover for every individual in the United States. Employers, Medicaid and Medicare are a major source of insurance in the United States.  Medicaid is the health insurance given by the state and federal government who jointly provide medical aid for individuals who have low income. Meanwhile, the elderly and disabled are sponsored by the federal government through Medicare. In terms of employers insurance to their employees, the insurance is partly attributed to the exemption in income tax to the employers for the payments made towards insurance of the employees. In 2004, 45.8 million Americans did not have insurance while many others were underinsured (Rahmati, Hyman, Black & Silver, 2016). Additionally, in a report produced in 2013, about 48 percent of their insurance was through their employees, Medicaid covered around 16 percent of the residents, while 15 percentages had enrolled in the Medicare. Thus, the percentage of residents without the health insurance comprised a 13 percentage. It is therefore evident that still, a large portion of Americans lacks insurance. Thus, a policy should be established to ensure that people get access to insurance and thus improve the healthcare outcome of American society at large.

Access to care health care in the United States has been a challenge especially the middle class and the poor people. Moreover, the rising number of the population possesses a threat to public healthcare. Health care costs are increasing significantly and this possesses a threat to the significant population in the United States. Due to the escalating in costs, the coverage of health of millions of people is threatened. Furthermore, access to both primary care physicians and subspecialist is challenging in many parts of the country, especially in rural America (White et al 2016). Therefore, access to health care has been a challenge to public health in the United States. Thus, it is evident that its healthcare is undergoing a health crisis.

Challenges in Healthcare Policy

Americans physical and mental health is another major concern. The concern brings about conflicts in their response. There seems to be divulgence on two the issues, where one issue has gained more concern by the United States. Physical health has gained more attention, for example, the large population is suffering from obesity crisis. However, high rates mental health conditions are caused by long-term physical issues. Moreover, there has been reduced life expectancy among people suffering the most severe forms of mental illness, which is attributed largely to poor physical health (Naylor et al 2016). It is evident that these are two contradicting health issues in our healthcare. Dietary guidelines and organizations have been established that offers advice against obesity (Simopoulos, 2001). Although, there has been awareness about mental health it is not at the same level as physical health. Failure to address these two concerns leads to United State spending a lot of money. Also, it affects the patient’s outcome. There requires to have a policy of bringing together physical and mental care.

It is essential to point out public policy is the product of government outcome shared actions, implemented and formulated in order to attain the goals which the government has in the vision of the betterment of the public. However, the united health care policy requires advancement and improvement. This is to enable it to deal with the health crisis that is eminent in the United States. Thus, the policy is required to facilitate the improvement of health status in the United States.

References:

Erickson, K. (2016). Defining the public domain in economic terms – approaches and consequences for policy. Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics / Etikk i Praksis, 10(1), 61–74. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.5324/eip.v10i1.1951

Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., & Perl, A. (2009). Studying public policy: Policy cycles and policy subsystems (Vol. 3). Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Studying-Public-Policy-Cycles-Subsystems/dp/0195428021

Naylor, c., Das, D., Ross, S., Honeyman, M., Thompson, J., Gilbert, H. (2016) Bringing together physical and mental health. Retrieved from: https://www.nhsconfed.org/news/2016/03/bringing-together-physical-and-mental-health-a-new-frontier-for-integrated-care

Kapp, M. B. (2014). Older Persons and Compromised Decisional Capacity: The Role of Public Policy in Defining and Developing Core Professional Competencies. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 26(4), 295–307. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2014.939880

Perez, S. (2017). Public Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Infections: The Impact of Public Policy on Healthcare Organizations and Patient Outcomes. Retrieved from: https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/fmb.15.33

Rahmati, M., Hyman, D. A., Black, B., & Silver, C. (2016). Insurance Crisis or Liability Crisis? Medical Malpractice Claiming in Illinois, 1980–2010. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 13(2), 183-204. Retrieved from: https://uic.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/insurance-crisis-or-liability-crisis-medical-malpractice-claiming-2

White Hughto, J. M., Murchison, G. R., Clark, K., Pachankis, J. E., & Reisner, S. L. (2016). Geographic and individual differences in healthcare access for US transgender adults: a multilevel analysis. LGBT health, 3(6), 424-433. Retrieved from: https://prodprofileblob.blob.core.windows.net/documents/7b1d59ef-33bd-43a2-8e32-b6c780c9ff84

Simopoulos, A. (2001). n−3 fatty acids and human health: Defining strategies for public policy. Lipids, 36(Supplement 1), S83–S89. Retrieved from: https://libproxy.saumag.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eoah&AN=10615772&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Squires, D., & Anderson, C. (2015). US health care from a global perspective: spending, use of services, prices, and health in 13 countries. The Commonwealth Fund, 15, 1-16. Retrieved from: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/U.S.-health-care-from-a-global-perspective%3A-use-of-Squires-Anderson/a9a35fdaa46b23bd0cb2ac946614c1b7b239f871