Access to healthcare (Essay Sample)

Health Policy on Access to Healthcare Needs for a U.S. Population Student’s Name Department Course Professor Date Health Policy on Access to Healthcare Needs for a U.S. Population The Problem to Address The population of uninsured Americans has been on the rise since 2016, showing a significant spike among the nonelderly and it has been exuberated by the coronavirus pandemic that led to many job losses. History of the Problem The history of healthcare in the US seems convoluted with several attempts to ensure that as many Americans access healthcare as possible. Much of the advances in the journey to all-inclusive access to healthcare were attributed to necessity. First, came the civil war that informed the stakeholders about the need for medical services for all. At the time, the mortality rate was highest with more soldiers dying of diseases than in the war. The government did not have an elaborate plan for their health and most people relied on folk medicine. Physicians were rare and women oversaw most of the health-related issues, especially childbirth. Diseases that plagued the people significantly affected children and infants, leading to their deaths. A recognizable organization of public health was first noted in Boston after the formation of a medical society. There were no hospitals before 1750, and people had to arrange for any form of treatment. Philadelphia built the first general hospital and founded a medical college to train physicians. Despite this development, soldiers still died from diseases because few physicians were available to attend to them. Poor hygiene also contributed to other diseases such as diarrhea. Therefore, a focus on the war informed the government to fund the health services for soldiers. It led to the construction of hospitals in all the states. This showed a significant spread of healthcare providers across the United States despite it being focused on the soldiers. The United States Army Corps was formed after the civil war in 1886, leading to the formation of a crucial record-keeping mechanism for medical information collected during the war. This feature has developed into the current medical information system that has ensured easy access to a patient’s record. Indeed, there is accurate diagnosis and consistent follow-up between healthcare providers concerning a patient’s condition, which aids in delivering quality services. Another advancement towards access to healthcare is after the formation of the American Medical Association (AMA). This association of physicians helped in coordinating caregivers for effective services. However, individuals accessed service through the pay-to-be-served option. Additionally, the era of the industrial revolution characterized noticeable changes in healthcare when the federal government through President Roosevelt the importance of a healthy nation in achieving economic might. As an initiator, non-governmental organizations championed increased access to healthcare for their members. For example, workers' unions during the industrial revolution often fought for their members to be given relief from workplace injuries because heavy machines being used then were the main cause of injuries and accidents. One notable move was the legislation of the American Association of Labor Legislation (AALL) to protect those employed and low-income earners. The bill proposed that individuals be given benefits for sickness, death, and maternity. Every party’s interest including the medical insurance industry, AMA, and unions had their reservations about the bill, leading to its failure to pass. Once again, the First World War crisis came up, forcing the federal government to enforce an act that would fund the health of the soldiers and their dependents. The effects of the war affected the healthcare sector as its importance to the public was noted. Therefore, the cost of accessing medical services increased, leaving most citizens unable to access the services. A trial program for providing care on a pre-paid monthly basis was started in Dallas. This program led to the formation of Blue Cross/Blue Shield. It was an incentive to the private insurance sector that prompted them to get involved in providing healthcare funding to the public. Indeed, while cost was a deterrent, these attempts cushioned the public, allowing them access to healthcare. When the great depression hit the US, healthcare was affected, especially the elderly and unemployed, prompting the federal government to devise a strategy of cushioning these groups. President Roosevelt thought of this idea despite fierce opposition from AMA (Center et al. 2017). There was a need for the public to support these vulnerable groups through a form of contribution to their insurance. This bit became contentions, as it was perceived as a socialist idea. Even as World War II commenced, everyone’s attention shifted, leaving healthcare funding to the employer. When most of the employed individuals could comfortably access healthcare through their employers’ insurance deductions, a minority group of retirees, unemployed, and those who could not work were left without healthcare services. Under Harry Truman, attempts to provide health care to these groups reemerged. The post-war fear of adopting socialistic ideologies intensified in blocking this initiative. No one wanted to adopt the socialistic style of leadership. This impediment deterred any efforts to avail affordable healthcare to the vulnerable groups until Truman’s two terms ended. Therefore, employer-funded medical services continued as the major way of accessing care. Furthermore, in the 1950s, medical advancement increased, with the discovery of the polio vaccine and a successful kidney transplant created the urge to access these services but the costs were prohibitive. Society discovered the importance of medicine to humans as the various challenges that had been perceived as unachievable became possible. Therefore, the cost of research, and medical procedures increased. They were then transferred to the consumer. Meanwhile, healthcare insurance did not change, leaving the consumers unable to afford the services. The biggest achievement, the social security act of 1935, was to be expanded to include retirees, the elderly, and the unemployed. However, the then administration never succeeded to overcome the opposition mounted by AMA. For example, President Jonson had wished that the disabled and senior citizens access healthcare as the rest did but using public funding. After a successful attempt, the social security act of 1965 presented an avenue for the implementation of Medicaid and Medicare (Center et al. 2017). At least, the federal government had managed to include a group of citizens into the scheme that provided them access to healthcare. Medicaid expenses contributed to an ever-increasing percentage of healthcare expenditure on the GDP, necessitating the need to devise strategies for reducing it while ensuring that all Americans have access to healthcare. Administrators such as Nixon and Reagan made their contributions to ensuring that people could afford healthcare through their employers (Center et al. 2017). Then another achievement came in the 1990s when Clinton incorporated uninsured children up to nineteen years. Insurers and employers devised a strategy for lowering healthcare costs through measures such as requiring their members to first seek primary care unless they were recommended to a specialist. Indeed, when some issues are handled at the primary care level, the costs reduce based on their severity. Throughout history, the federal government has tried to find a blend that would incorporate private insurance and other services to avail affordable healthcare to the American population. In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also called the Obama care into law (Center et al., 2017). It entailed the need for insurance companies to provide cover to anyone irrespective of any underlying conditions and employment status. It also provides subsidies to Americans who qualify based on their financial ability. This law seeks to eliminate boundaries that initially isolated some individuals from the healthcare schemes for the likelihood of their reducing profits that would be realized. ACA is still in place despite the opposition and attempts to illegalize it during President Trump’s rule. Despite all these centuries of attempted transformation of access to healthcare in the US, not all individuals can access these services equitably. Statistics of the Problem Efforts to avail healthcare to everyone depend on whether they can afford it given the rising costs. As of 2020, 31.6 million Americans had not been insured. This figure translates to nearly 10% of the total population. However, noting that Medicaid provides for the elderly, the rest of the uninsured people under 65 years was 11.5% (Cha & Cohen, 2022). Five percent of the children were uninsured, denying this group the essential services they need while they grow. Another striking revelation according to Cha and Cohen (2022) is the population between eighteen and sixty-four in the working category had 13.9% of the people uninsured, which was 27.5 million people. Furthermore, private insurance covered 64.3% of the insured individuals below the age of sixty-five. The children's insurance program (CHIP) and Medicaid covered two-fifths of the children and a fifth of the adult, respectively (Cha & Cohen, 2022). These data show commendable achievement except that there is still a need for further inclusion. It was also noted that the non-Hispanic white individuals were the most individuals who had acquired private health insurance. This proportion was almost equal to that of the Asian ethnicity with the Hispanic race having the least. Indeed the non-Hispanic Black was slightly more than the Hispanic ethnicity. ...