Demand in Health Care Economics Essay
Similar to most goods, the demand of services increases with the increase of income among consumers. It also depends on the quality of the stated services and thus better services are demanded more than poor services. Health care services are no exception. Their demand rise and fall in response to price changes and consumer income changes. The health care market is also influenced by the accessibility of information and the precision between the general practitioner, who is the supplier and the patient-consumer.Demand in Health Care Economics Essay
Another major determinant of demand for both private and public health care is the insurance premiums rates. The insurance companies, therefore, form a major element in health care economics since they play the role of offering guarantee to the prices charged by medical practitioners.Demand in Health Care Economics Essay
This however poses a problem in that the medical professionals operates aiming at attaining a certain amount of compensation while all that the insurance companies need is to make profit and as long as they are profitable, then they are contented. The need to provide quality healthcare is not their duty. This is the reason why both medical expenses and insurance premiums keep escalating while the quality of healthcare decreases leaving no space for the genuine delivery of services (Mankiw, 2009, p. 1).
This can actually be solved by getting rid of the insurance companies leaving the medical profession to deal with the customers directly. Otherwise, the government can seriously regulate all the factors that affect health care and ensure consumers of healthcare services are not exploited. This is achievement by making the necessary legislation for proper control of health provision.
Change of behavior is also an exemplary intervention in the health sector and the key to good health. It can be achieved by formally or informally educating people on healthy ways of living or by practicing simple personal behavior such as: washing hands, seeking treatment in time, managing tuberculosis by carefully observing treatment, avoiding HIV infection.
The main idea of behavior change and communication is to provide the public with the necessary information that will enable the people to access good quality health services with little regulations. It also aims at providing people with information on the necessary issues, such as treatment guidelines on regular diseases, proper use of over-the-counter drugs (Cardoso, 2008, p. 9).
As highlighted in the above discussion, appropriate legislation is necessary in order to stabilize the demand of healthcare services. This will also ensure that consumers of health care services are provided with high quality services. It is also necessary to powerfully advocate for cooperation between governments and international organizations and financial institutions. This will ensure that all stakeholders in provision of healthcare services are involved in policy formulation and implementation.
Human rights approaches have lately been emphasized in the health sector to help increase the demand of health care services. These fundamental rights give citizens certain rights such as freedom from discrimination based on the sex of an individual, torture, slavery, etc. These rights are a precondition to a healthy living; they protect citizens from manipulation.Demand in Health Care Economics Essay
The health rights which are provided by constitutional laws gives an individual the right to claim any form of treatment or health care at any particular time. These rights have thus advocated for better services and, consequently, more healthcare services are demanded (Cardoso, 2008, p. 7).
Reference List
Cardoso, C. (2008). Health Economics or Health Care Economics. Web.
Mankiw, G. (2009). Supply, Demand, and Healthcare Reform. Retrieved from http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/11/supply-demand-and-healthcare-reform.html.Demand in Health Care Economics Essay