private healthcare sector of the United States

private healthcare sector of the United States

The private healthcare sector of the United States is more significant than any other private healthcare sector in the globe. It is also very costly and has few regulations that guide it. Also, the primary reason why the private healthcare sector is so large in the US is that the government supports it through various programs. The ethical conflict that surrounds the ACA is that while it increases medical coverage, it relies a lot on private companies. Therefore, for those Americans that still depend on the government-run plans, they do not have some of the benefits that those Americans with ACA have. Thus, even with ACA, millions of persons are still uninsured. There is also a risk of uneven competition since the government insurers are disadvantaged. It also means that the strength and resources that these private insurers get from the government give them significant political influence hence ultimately impacting healthcare laws. Therefore the moral theory that applies to the article is moral relativism, which states that moral judgments are either true or false, depending on the particular situation. For instance, one can argue that the ACA is good since it enhances health coverage and another can say it is bad since it gives private firms a lot of political power

1. Explain whether you agree or disagree with the author that the ACA was an answer to health care accessibility.

I agree that ACA was an answer to healthcare accessibility since it increased awareness about the importance of healthcare accessibility and made legislators, leaders and the public to look for ways of making healthcare more accessible and affordable. For instance, ACA prevented discrimination against persons who have pre-existing conditions. It also prevented LGBT persons from being discriminated against when it comes to receiving healthcare services. Further, persons were allowed to remain on their parents’ health plans until they are 26, and more importantly, women had better access to healthcare services because of ACA. In summary, ACA ensures equal access to health coverage, eliminates lifetime limits for those persons with chronic illnesses, ensures that persons with existing conditions re not discriminated against, requires insurers to cover for preventive care at no extra costs and makes sure that all families are treated equally when it comes to gaining healthcare coverage.

1. Explain whether you believe or do not believe that ACA will improve patient care.

The primary objective of ACA is to enhance insurance coverage and ultimately to increase access to healthcare. Research done has established that people who have medical insurance, whether it is Medicaid or private coverage, have better access to services. Therefore, ACA is not about improving patient care but rather access to healthcare since it has reduced the number of Americans who are uninsured. However, ACA has failed to protect Americans against high costs of premiums hence making healthcare expensive. In summary, ACA doesn’t improve patient care. To improve patient care, the government needs to hire more healthcare professionals and improve healthcare facilities.

1. Discuss what you think President Trump should do with the ACA.

Instead of president trump focusing on repealing and replacing ACA, he needs to focus on improving it. To address the various problems that ACA has, Trump and his administration need to assure the affordability of premiums and care. It can be done by having premium subsidies for those who have a low income and capping the premium obligation for the various categories of income. Also, Trump can increase the requirements that mandate employers to ensure affordable and comprehensive coverage for all the employees. For instance, all the workers have to be covered, and the needed proportion of costs that are covered by employees has to be increased. Finally, to ensure that every person is covered, Trump and his administration have to impose a financial penalty for those who seek to remain uninsured.

1. Discuss what strategies you would recommend to deal with economic realities of health care based on your own research.

To maximize the value of patients at the lowest cost possible, the first strategy is to change the structure of the healthcare system, which currently prioritizes quality over costs and any other factors. The healthcare system has to prioritize both affordability and quality. The next strategy is to measure outcomes together with charges for every patient. Estimating costs and outcomes is the measure of value, and it will enable the healthcare organizations to know how much each patient uses for treatment and what more can be done to make the treatment affordable for the patients. The last strategy is to make sure that accurate cost information is readily available to patients. Also, few medical professionals are aware of what every component of care costs and how the expenses are connected to the outcome. With information readily available, both the patients and medical professionals will have the ability to make informed economic decisions.