Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper
The development of the US healthcare system depends on many factors that have a considerable impact on the development of healthcare services in the US and their availability to the public. In actuality, the US healthcare system is adopting changes brought by the healthcare reform known as Obamacare, but the changes implemented so far are not the only changes that the US national healthcare system needs to implement. The impact of such factors as the aging population, the fast progress of technologies and the increased role of the state in the national healthcare are likely to have the determinant impact on the development of the national healthcare system in the future. Therefore, the US national healthcare system is likely to undergo new changes driven by the aging population, increased role of the state and new technologies introduced in the healthcare system and the task of policy makers now is to address those issues effectively to lead the national healthcare system to the new level of development and to make health care services a public good instead of a privilege.Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper
The key factors that will affect
At the moment, the US healthcare system is adapting to consequences of the healthcare reform conducted under the Presidency of Barak Obama. However, in spite of the reform, the US healthcare system is still vulnerable to the impact of multiple factors that will drive considerable changes in the US healthcare in the future and that will likely to urge the US government to continue the healthcare reform. Such factors contribute to changes in the healthcare setting and society that ultimately lead to new challenges the US healthcare system has to confront and address effectively.Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper
One of the major trends in the development of the US society now is the aging population of the country. At the moment, it is only due to the immigration that the balance of the retired and economically active population remains stable and positive. Nevertheless, the trend to the aging of the population among the native-born population of the US is obvious. This trend means that the share of older people in the total population of the US increases that raises new challenges in face of the US healthcare system, including: the problem of the deterioration of the public health, because of the deterioration of the health of people in the course of aging; and the problem of the decline of the share of the economically active population in the US economy that may raise the problem of the poor funding of the US healthcare system.
Another important factor that has a considerable impact on the development of the US healthcare system is the increased role of the state. The Obamacare was the reform that aimed at the full coverage of Americans and provision of all Americans with healthcare services. As about a quarter of all Americans could not afford healthcare services, the government should offer healthcare plan and the government coverage of those healthcare plans. As a result, the government became an important player in the healthcare system and the role of the government is likely to increase in the future because healthcare costs keep rising, whereas the financial position of many Americans does not progress and improve as fast as healthcare costs grow.
Finally, another major factor that will affect the US healthcare system and that will be likely to urge the US national healthcare system to change is the fast progress of technologies. At the moment, technologies keep progressing at a very fast pace. They have already contributed to profound changes in healthcare services available to patients today, but their further progress will raise the problem of their integration into the healthcare system that will raise another problem, the problem of increased costs of health care services. At the same time, effects of technologies on the development of the US healthcare system are difficult to predict because they may not only increase but also decrease healthcare costs. What is beyond any doubts is the fact that technologies will influence the development of healthcare services.Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper
Aging population
The problem of the aging population is one of the major challenges for the US healthcare system that will raise substantial problems in the future because the problem will aggravate. The impact of the aging population on the healthcare system is obvious because the increased share of the aging population means the increased amount of patients and healthcare services they need because older people tend to have more health problems than younger ones. Moreover, often older people have chronic health problems which require long and costly treatment and care. Their quality of life also deteriorates along with the deterioration of their health. This is why the US healthcare system should come prepared to this change (Byrd & Clayton, 2012). To put it more precisely, the US healthcare system should be able to provide more healthcare services to patients nationwide because the aging population will need more healthcare services. The increase of the number of patients and the amount of time they spend in hospitals means the need to change the infrastructure and healthcare facilities to provide the sufficient room for patients and make healthcare services available to them. In such a situation, the US national healthcare system will have to enhance its performance and meet growing demands and needs of patients.
Change in healthcare relationships due to the increased role of the state in the national healthcare system
The increased role of the state is likely to trigger greater changes in the future compared to those changes that have already taken place in the US healthcare system. In a long-run perspective, the US healthcare system and the US nation are likely to face the dilemma whether to adopt the UK-like healthcare system, where the government plays the leading part while all citizens make reimbursements to fund the national healthcare system or stick to the conventional healthcare system based on the insurance of healthcare services and government-sponsored healthcare plans (Burnham, 2015). The latter means that a part of Americans may face considerable restrictions in the access to healthcare services because of the lack of financial resources of the government to fund all the plans properly to cover all healthcare needs of Americans, while many Americans may be just unable to afford health insurance. The transition to the UK-like healthcare system means the dominant role of the state in the national healthcare system that will revolutionize the US healthcare system and will require the change of the attitude of Americans to the healthcare system. At the same time, the increased role of the government may contribute to the transformation of healthcare services from a privilege into a public good available to all citizens but the enhancement of the role of the government requires the public control over government policies to ensure transparent and fair policies conducted by the government.Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper
Technology-driven changes
The progress of technologies will likely to trigger further changes in the US healthcare system because new technologies open new opportunities for the delivery of healthcare services. New technologies help to provide patients with the effective treatment. For example, the progress of technologies has made it possible to treat diseases which used to be incurable in the past. In the future, the progress of technologies will open new opportunities for healthcare professionals to increase the efficiency of their work and treatment.
However, the development of new technologies will require their adaptation and integration into the healthcare setting. In such a way, the integration of these technologies will require efforts and costs from the part of healthcare organizations and, therefore, more funds from the part of patients, insurance companies and the government (Judd & Sitzman 2013). In addition, new technologies raise new problems. In this regard, the fast progress of information technologies improves the information processing and sharing but raises the problem of the information security and reliability of such technologies with regard to the patient safety. This is why healthcare organizations will have to come prepared to integrate new technologies effectively and safely.Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper
Conclusion
Thus, the progress of the US healthcare system is vulnerable to the impact of several important factors, such as aging population, the increased role of state, and the fast progress of technologies. These factors will urge the US national healthcare system to introduce changes to address issues raised by these factors. The aging population will require the expansion of healthcare facilities, healthcare services and changes in the infrastructure and facilities of healthcare organizations to provide more patients with more healthcare services. The increased role of the government will need profound changes in the healthcare system and its funding. Americans will have to shift to reimbursement and taxes instead of insurance, in case the role of the government will become dominant in the US healthcare system. Finally, new technologies will also need integration into the US healthcare system to make them safe and effective in regard to patient health and rights.
References:
Burnham, J.C. (2015). Health Care in America: A history.New York: Random House.
Byrd, W. M. and L.A. Clayton. (2012). An American health dilemma: A medical history of African Americans and the problem of race: Beginnings to 1900. New York: Routledge.
Judd, D. and K. Sitzman. (2013). A history of American nursing (2nd ed. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.Changes in Healthcare In USA Research Paper