How can I get healthcare in the USA?
- julianabryant2515
- Sep 22, 2022
- 4 min read
The United States has what is arguably the most complex healthcare system in the world. As a result, changes within the industry are slow. To understand what may come, it helps to have a deeper understanding of healthcare’s complexity.
Historical Changes in Healthcare
In 1965, after 20 years of congressional debate, President Lyndon B. Johnson enacted legislation that introduced Medicare and Medicaid into law as part of the Great Society Legislation.
Various legislations have been introduced since 1996, including the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that provide health insurance protection for some employees when they leave their jobs.
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, includes:
The Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Patient Protection Act
The healthcare-related sections of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act
Since becoming law, additional rules and regulations have expanded upon the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care for America Act.
The Complexity of Healthcare
The many layers of variance in all parts of healthcare is what makes this system so complex.
Health Insurance Market
Choosing a healthcare plan illustrates the complexity of health insurance plans in the U.S. About half of Americans who have private health insurance are covered under self-insured plans, each with their own design. The other half of the insured population is covered under traditional indemnity plans, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), or Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs). The one commonality among all insurance plans is how dramatically they vary.
Healthcare Regulation
Insurance is not the only complexity within the system. The healthcare system itself is managed and regulated by dozens of federal and state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Veterans Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The 2010 Affordable Care Act added more agencies to this list, including state insurance exchanges and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.
How Change Impacts Healthcare Resources and Facilities
Changes in the healthcare industry usually occur at the legislative level, but once enacted these changes have a direct impact on facility operations and the use of resources. For example, the ways patients and administrators utilize resources such as Medicare and Medicaid have changed due to legislation. Technology has had a further impact on how healthcare administrators handle resources and manage medical centers.
Evolving Needs of Patients
Demands on healthcare change due to various reasons, including the needs of patients. Every year, new cures and treatments help manage common diseases. Each such development affects the entire healthcare system as much as it has a positive impact on patients. As illnesses become more common, our healthcare system must adapt to treat them. Patient care needs will also evolve as the population ages and relies more heavily on resources such as Medicare and Medicaid. Patient empowerment is expected to increase with advances in technology.
Illness Trends
The bubonic plague is a good example of a disease that can drastically change the healthcare system by quickly shifting all resources to handle an epidemic. In the Middle Ages, the Black Death spread so quickly across Europe that it is responsible for an estimated 75 million deaths. It may be surprising that the bubonic plague still circulates today. In fact, according to Center for Disease Control data, there were 11 cases and three deaths in the U.S. within five months in 2015.
The following seven conditions are on the rise and can be expected to have an impact on healthcare in the near future:
Sexually Transmitted Infections: Chlamydia and gonorrhea rates have increased, and syphilis rates rose by 15.1 percent from 2013 to 2014.
Obesity: Obesity continues to be an issue in the U.S. with 78.6 million adults and 12.7 million children affected. Obesity rates have increased by 17 percent in the past five years.
Autism: For every 100,000 people, 1,470 are diagnosed with autism. This number continues to rise annually. Recent increases may be due to awareness as doctors become more familiar with the symptoms of autism.
E. Coli: Within 10 years, cases of E. coli have increased by 472 percent. Many E. coli cases are the result of food contamination.
Liver Cancer: Incidences of liver cancer have increased by 47 percent in a recent 10-year timeframe.
Kidney Cancer: Healthcare practitioners have treated 18.6 percent more cases of kidney cancer in the past 10 years than in previous years.
Whooping Cough: The 10-year increase for whooping cough is nearly 146 percent. This may be due in part to parents opting out of whooping cough vaccinations.
Population Shift
The current baby boomer generation, which initially consisted of 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, will be coming to retirement age and will increase federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid by an average of 5.9 percent in 2018 and 2019.
Advances in Technology
Healthcare technology trends focus heavily on patient empowerment. The introduction of wearable biometric devices that provide patients with information about their own health and telemedicine apps allow patients to easily access care no matter where they live. With new technologies focused on monitoring, research, and healthcare availability, patients will be able to take a more active role in their care.
Conclusion
From policy to patients and everything in-between, the healthcare industry is constantly evolving. Aging populations, technological advancements, and illness trends all have an impact on where healthcare is headed. Since it is crucial to pay attention to shifts in society to understand where healthcare is headed, consider dedicating time each day to reading recommended industry literature that you will find in our list of 25 books for every healthcare professional.
Learn all of the different ways to get to your dream career. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to progressing and advancing in a health career, which means there’s a career pathway that will fit your goals, education and time. No matter where you start, you can finish with a career in health.
To know more visit: https://dchealthcareers.org/find-your-next-opportunity/
Comments