Financing is the key when it comes to health care reform. With approximately 41 million people uninsured, it puts financial strain on the hospital and the patients. With the uninsured not seeking primary care, they are receiving much more expensive care in the emergency room. In order to lower overall cost, the option to having affordable health insurance needs to be available to all.
We propose that the government should more closely regulate prices of procedures and hospital visits, making it less expensive for all. Insurance companies could then cut cost of premiums and insurance plans. Currently, the system has no set prices for standard procedures and the prices vary throughout the entire country. This will allow competition between insurance companies.
Insurance should be available to all, however we feel that the American people should have a choice whether they want to pay for insurance or not. Some people may feel that they still can not afford insurance but do not qualify for government programs; in this case, the government will provide tax breaks that are comparable to the cost of insurance one could get through an employer. That way, those who are not insured still receive some help for medical needs. The government should also provide a type of temporary insurance for those who are between jobs. It will allow those who are between jobs to not worry about health needs while they are switching jobs.
If there is more affordable coverage, this will allow more people to become insured. If there are more people insured, this will increase the number of people using primary care. When people use primary care, they are more likely to practice preventive care rather than waiting until a condition gets very serious and expensive to treat. Overall, quality of life would increase. With more people covered, hospitals can decrease the amount of cost shifting that is going on, making health care all around more affordable, even for those who could afford insurance in the first place.
Financing is the most important part of the health care system. If health care is too expensive, no one would be able to access health care. However, if health care had no money coming into the system, it is a good guess the care received would be less then satisfactory. There needs to be some balance between access, cost and quality. Financing is therefore the most crucial part of the health care system and must be closely monitored to make sure the system is working efficiently.
Mindy Opelt
- Shi L, Singh D. Delivering Health Care in
- Health Care Crisis. PBS. Available at: http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/ uninsured.html. Accessed February 28, 2010.
- Financing Health Care Reform. The New York Times. 2009. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com /2009/07/07/opinion/07tue1.html. Accessed February 28, 2010.
- Antos, J.PH.D. Financing Health Care Reform. 2009. Available at: http://www.aei.org/docLib/Antos.pdf. Accessed: February 28, 2010.
- Quick Facts on the Uninsured. Cover the Uninsured. 2009. Available at: http://covertheuninsured.org/content/quick-facts-uninsured. Accessed: February 28, 2010.
I agree that financing is the most important part of the health care system. If we can finance primary care for everyone, not only will individuals benefit, but populations will benefit as well by the mitigation of risk factors, therefore reducing their vulnerability to social problems and disease.
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