If given the choice between fixing the access to care or the high cost of U.S. health care, which would be the first on your list of priorities? Consider why. If given the choice, fixing the high cost of U.S. healthcare would be on the priority list. It seems as if access to health care isn’t a problem because it’s available. I believe it’s the cost of services, that determine whether a person will even obtain insurance or visit a specialist for preventative care in the first place. Once healthcare providers started to be rewarded by the extent of the care they provide, healthcare organizations were (and still are) inclined to maximize profits by manipulating the system. In retaliation, the insurers created more obstacles for services to be covered. Additionally, many healthcare workers are burned out. What’s left is a crumbling system of health care practices. “Despite U.S. healthcare expenditures, disease rates in the United States remain higher than those of many other developed countries because the United States has an expensive system that is available to only those who can afford it (Niles, N. J. 2018 p. 14)”. The ones who can’t afford it have poorer health results. The patients are ultimately the ones left to deal with this in the end. This is why the cost of health care should be lower or even free like other developed countries. Consider the wellness model on slide 4 and its emphasis on physical, spiritual, social and mental dimensions to promote wellbeing. Contemplate one of these four dimensions and its importance in the overall wellbeing of an individual.
The mental dimension equally plays a great role in promoting a healthy wellbeing. If people are having difficulties with mental health, they may also have problems with managing their health in other areas. Many people consider their physical or social health on a regular basis before they even recognize the importance of mental health. Everything we do begins in the mind and how we think. When we are mentally healthy, life, the environment and the people in it are more enjoyable and fulfilling. The mental dimension to the wellness model plays a role in our emotional wellbeing, how we relate to other people, and the choices we make. Positive mental health could mean realizing one’s full potential, working productively, and coping with life’s stresses. Being able to handle stressful situations to maintain wellbeing is getting more difficult. According to apa.org, Most Americans are suffering from moderate to high stress, with 44 percent reporting that their stress levels have increased over the past five years. Concerns about money, work and the economy top the list of most frequently cited sources of stress ( R.A. Clay, 2011). Just stress alone is enough to throw mental stability off track and eventually affecting every other dimension. This is why the mental dimension is important to the overall wellbeing of an individual. What are your thoughts on medical licensing laws and the role of the American Medical Association (AMA) on the development of the medical field in the U.S? I believe the medical licensing means a standard of quality that is supposed to serve as protection for patients.(Coursen, 2018 , slide 24) However, it’s the licensing laws that may be causing the cost of healthcare to rise. While it’s understandable that only a heart surgeon should perform heart surgery, some of the laws seem to endure mostly to allow medical doctors to secure market share. This creates a war between some competing healthcare providers which doesn’t help.
Raising the bar of entrance makes healthcare less accessible and more costly. Also, the fact that medical doctors have to obtain a new license in every state they wish to practice can be very expensive and can prevent patients from getting the care they need. Respect goes to the American Medical Association (AMA). They are in a position to basically decide the sufficient training and amount of properly qualified doctors that are able to legally practice which prevents just anyone from practicing medicine. There is a Stakeholder who receives money whenever a new license is issued. Such as in a controversial article on usatoday.com about allowing allowing physician assisted suicide. The AMA stands against this mentioning “ that assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks (Timmons, 2016)” Could this be true or could it be because if the patient lives longer with a terminal illness, the stakeholders make more money over time for services rendered to that patient? It hard to tell who really has the patient’s best interest when someone’s paycheck involved.
