HC Problems

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Nov 24, 2024

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1 Chapter Objective Questions Name Institution Course Code Instructor’s Name Due Date

2 Chapter Objective Questions Q1. For decades, the number of American citizens without access to health care kept on increasing. However, after a period of intense campaigning by President Barrack Obama and his supporters, Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that promised to ensure that over 32 million Americans received healthcare insurance ( Cutler, 2015) . Despite an equally intense opposing campaign against ACA, the historic care reform bill was passed in 2010, with its implementation beginning in the subsequent years. The enactment of the healthcare reforms resulted from decades of effort to ensure that the US health care system matched other developed nations. During the Trump administration in 2018, several provisions of ACA were stripped away, posing a risk in the number of people without health insurance. Q2. Life expectancy is a health indicator, usually calculated at birth, which measures how long a person is expected to live. Infant mortality is the number of deaths in a child’s first years of life for every 1,000 live births. Q3 . The United States, being a highly developed country, had its female life expectancy at 75 years in 1970. However, the life expectancy increased to 81 years as of 2017. While still analyzing the US, its infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was 20 in 1970 and decreased to 6 by 2017. Nepal, a developing country, had its female life expectancy at 41 years in 1970 and increased to 71 in 2017. Its infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was 156 in 1970, but the rate decreased to 32 in 2017. Lastly, India, a less developed country, had its female life expectancy at 47 years in 1970, which later increased to 70 years in 2017. The country’s infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was 130 in 1970, which decreased to 37 in 2017.

3 Q4 . The textbook gives poverty and inequality as the reason for the millions of uninsured Americans and lack of access to quality medical care. Analyzing unequal access to healthcare, the US is said to do a terrible job in providing quality health care to its population. High- income people receive excellent care in modern facilities while low-income citizens have difficulties accessing basic care, leave alone specialized care. In 2010, approximately 50 million Americans lacked health insurance. By 2017, this number declined to 29 million because of the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, without insurance, many Americans have trouble getting the healthcare they need. Q5 . The textbook gives several reasons for the high cost of healthcare in the US. Primarily, hospitals lacked incentives to keep their costs down. Also, health insurance programs enabled hospitals to raise their fees as they please. Expensive medical technologies also led to an increase in hospital costs. Lowering the length of stay for patients in the hospital has reduced hospital costs. Secondly, a shortage of physicians with an increasing demand for medical services helped doctors demand higher fees. Placing a limit on the amount paid to physicians would provide a solution to this reason. Thirdly, the cost of malpractice insurance led to an increase in physician’s services cost. Lowering public expectations on the power of medicine would reduce lawsuits. The last reason why healthcare costs are high is due to the cost of prescription drugs. The United States spends a high amount on drugs compared to other countries. To solve this problem, the government could get involved in negotiating the cost of prescription drugs. Q6 . The ACA of 2010 brought reforms in the healthcare industry through Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). This ensured coordination of care between health facilities. It also

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4 expanded access to affordable insurance coverage to low-income American citizens. Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to ACA. Taxes have gone up to fund the ACA, and American citizens have to pay higher premiums. However, I support the legislation of the ACA since low-income Americans can afford quality care. Q7 . Health care is a fundamental human right and not a privilege. Access to universal healthcare without discrimination is a right that should be accorded to every American citizen so they live life to their full potential.

5 References Chapter 2: Problems of Health and Health care. Cutler, D. M. (2015). From the Affordable Care Act to affordable care. Jama .

HC Problems

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