Microbiology, as a broad scientific field, entails an array of concepts and issues that are of pivotal relevance to health care as a whole and the science of pathophysiology, in particular. One of the concepts that I found most appealing is the antimicrobial treatment, its principles, and the emerging problems in medicine related to antimicrobial resistance.
In my opinion, the importance of antimicrobial treatment is essential for contemporary health care on a global scale since it allows for preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases and improves longevity (Cowan, 2018). The correct administering and choice of antimicrobial drugs involved the expertise of scientists who are in search of continuous advancement of treatment effectiveness.
The concepts I learned from the microbiology course will be a foundation for my work in clinical sciences. Microbiology advances allow for multiple applications of the knowledge about cells, the pathological processes in them, and the interaction with drugs to cure people. As stated by Deurenberg et al. (2017), such methodologies as next-generation sequencing provide an opportunity to generate genomes of pathogens to identify microorganisms that cause infections for more efficient treatment development. On a more general scale, the understanding of microbiology concepts will help me approach pathophysiological problems from the perspective of microorganisms as the primary causes.
The knowledge in microbiology is essential for a career in health care regardless of the specialization or work setting. The basic understanding of the principles according to which human bodies interact with microorganisms, as well as the microbiological characteristics of diseases and their spread, allow for informed treatment administration and preventative measures development. Moreover, the advancement of this field due to the recent technological improvements allow for more opportunities to facilitate the quality of health care in general since microbiology is a core of the medical domain.
References
Cowan, M. K. (2018). Microbiology: A systems approach (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Deurenberg, R. H., Bathoorn, E., Chlebowicz, M. A., Couto, N., Ferdous, M., García-Cobos, S., Kooistra-Smid, A., Raangs, E. C., Rosema, S., Veloo, A. C. M., Zhou, K., Friedrich, A. W., & Rossen, J. W. A. (2017). Application of next generation sequencing in clinical microbiology and infection prevention. Journal of Biotechnology, 243, 16-24.
The process of Vertical Integration at Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare owns a number of clinics, hospitals and hospices. More importantly, each hospital and clinic provides various services and products (Intermountain Healthcare, 2010). The value chain of the company is divided into several branch including services healthcare services provided by hospitals and clinics, products and researches.
Vertical Integration Intermountain Healthcare: How Does It Work?
Do you need a hospital:
In case patients are in need of a particular doctor, it is necessary to fill in the form where a patient provides his specific requirements, such as type of a hospital at the company’s disposal, language, gender, address, preferences;
the request will be processed with via vertical integration to find the most appropriate variant.
Do you need online prescription bill?
Fill in the blank and follow the link;
The process will be processed and returned to a patient
Do you nee to find a hospital?
The name of facility, the type of facility, address;
This data will be used to searcher for the most appropriate variant.
Each inquiry is carried through vertical integration. This can create some critical problems. In particular, the company should deliver services through a chain of accomplished values in accordance with fixed priorities. For instance, if a patient is looking for a hospital, the company first makes an inquiry about location of the hospital. Once the hospital is found, it seeks for the ones that correspond to patients’ requirement. Then, the company ask hospital whether these services are available. In its turn hospital makes an analysis of patients’ information and provides possible variants. In the chart presented above, the second area is colored in orange, which means that this is the most critical area of vertical integration.
Evaluating the Vertical Integrated Process at Intermountain Healthcare
In-depth examination of the vertical process taken place at Intermountain is considered to be a model of vertical integration. The process is more typical of backward vertical integration process because all the inquiries and management are carried out to receive the appropriate input (Tomlinson, 1990). In addition, as vertical integration is also closely associated with division of labor, the company fit well in the frameworks (Preker and World Bank, 2007, p. 90).
Sampling methods are divided into two groups – probability sampling and non-probability sampling. The latter is not recommended for research due to potential errors and bias. Probability samplings are divided into 5 subgroups (“Simple random sampling,” n.d.): Simple random samplings, stratified samplings, cluster samplings, and systematic samplings.
Simple random sampling. In this sampling method, each member of a stratum has an even probability of being chosen. An example of this method would be choosing five students out of 30 by drawing their names out of a hat.
Stratified sampling. As the name implies, this method suggests taking samples from every population subgroup within a particular stratum.
Cluster sampling. This method suggests dividing the stratum into separate groups at random and then taking random samplings from every group. Example: Geographical cluster sampling.
Systematic sampling. Samples are selected from a random starting point, at equal intervals. Example – sampling every 5th student in the group.
Z-tests and T-tests
Z-tests and T-tests are widely used in statistics and can be applied to almost any subject of study, from business to mathematics, sociology, and science. These tests are used to test certain hypotheses and prove or disprove them through statistical means. Z-tests allow the researchers to compare population mean to the sample. T-tests, on the other hand, allow to analyze two population means through statistical examination. Z-tests are prevalent over T-tests in research and study for several reasons. First, T-tests can only be applied to samples with sizes of 30 or less. Z-tests are preferable for larger samples, and research favors large samples due to greater amounts of variation. However, Z-tests require knowing standard deviations. If there is no data on population standard deviation, then a T-test is preferable. To summarize, T-tests should be used only when the sample size is below 30 and when there is no data on population standard deviation (Botts, n.d.).
The alpha signifies
Significance levels ought to be determined prior to the start of the research. The alpha signifies the maximum level of risk at which the null hypothesis could be rejected or disproved (Frost, 2015). The standard level of significance for most researches is 0.05, which is, however, a subject to change. In general, the larger level of significance (0.1) is picked in order to detect any possible variation.
For example, when testing the stability of ball bearings in an automobile, it is better to choose a larger alpha (0.1), as it will allow the researchers to detect greater variations in stability. On the other hand, when testing something very important and sensitive, like a pharmaceutical product, for example, the researchers might want to pick a smaller alpha (0.01) in order to ensure that the drug does significantly reduce all symptoms of the disease, before making a bold advertising claim.
ANOVA
ANOVA, also known as one-way analysis of variance, is a kind of statistical test that is used to compare the differences of means among more than 2 samples (Hindle, 2013). When comparing two groups, we use a simple T or Z test. However, it is harder to do when there are multiple groups. ANOVA helps compare variation between groups and within groups as well. It is very popular in different kinds of settings and samples. When we take samples from a population, it is very likely that they would differ due to chance. However, we also expect that every result will not be too different from a general mean. ANOVA helps answer the question of the possibility of the difference among groups being greater than the norm to be caused by chance. Or, in other words, is there a possibility of a real difference existing in the population mean?
A statistical interaction
A statistical interaction happens when one independent variable in the research has an effect on the dependent variable that is different among levels of another variable (“Interaction effects, n.d.). To demonstrate this in a patient population, let us assume a hypothetical situation of a drug test. There are two groups of patients, one of which would be given a drug against stomachache, and the other one – a placebo drug. Each group is comprised of men and women. The dependent variable here is the level of pain. Independent variables are the amount of medication and gender. Here is a hypothetical table for pain levels:
Male
Female
Drug
10
30
Placebo
30
10
If any of the independent variables were ignored, then the results would be distorted – we would simply assume that the drug does not work, or that there is no statistical difference between male and female population. However, since we are analyzing the interaction between factors, we could clearly see that the drug helps reduce pain levels in men, but at the same time increases pain for women. The interaction presented in this example is called a “pure interaction,” because there is no main effect, but only one interaction. Analyzing statistical interactions is an important part of the analysis, as without it the results could be misinterpreted.
It is important to note that Muslims are adherents of Islam, which is one of the three major Abrahamic religions globally. Muslim culture is heavily intertwined with the Islamic faith, which covers a wide range of one’s aspects of life, including healthcare. Both Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, and the Hadiths, teachings of Muhammad, emphasize preventative care as well as health since the human body is a gift from God.
Discussion
Muslim culture places a strong emphasis on taking care of one’s health and seeking medical treatment when necessary. The traditional Islamic belief is that good health is a gift from God and that seeking medical treatment is a form of prayer. Allah states: “Eat and drink, but avoid excess” (The Qur’an, 2004, 20:81). Muslims are encouraged to seek treatment and medication by their prophet as well. Muhammad stated: “O You servants of Allah, take medicine as Allah has not created a disease without creating a cure except for one” (Sunan Ibn Majah, 2022, p. 65). In addition, some Muslim patients may request that medical treatments and procedures be done in a way that is consistent with their religious beliefs. These might include avoiding certain types of medication or procedures that are considered haram or forbidden. Thus, Islam teaches the prevention of health ailments, but if they occur, seeking help is encouraged.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Islam emphasizes preventative care as well as health since the human body is a gift from God, which is reflected in both the Quran and Muhammad’s teachings. However, some medications might be considered haram, such as alcohol, the prophet of Islam explicitly ordered to take them. Life, health, and well-being are gifts of Allah, which is why His servant should not desecrate or neglect them.
The consequences of disrupted sleep patterns experienced by members of the health care team
Sleep is a state of the body that is characterized by the inactivity of the brain and partial or complete unconsciousness. Sleep plays a very important role in our bodies. Different people may require different times or durations of sleep. But generally, many adults sleep for an average of 7-9 hours daily while younger people sleep for longer periods or durations.
The current world is characterized by many commitments and busy schedules which make some people think that it may be wise to sleep as little time as possible in order to spare some time to meet their busy schedules. This is a misconception of the functions of sleep just as something which is a luxury but not as a necessity. Psychologists argue that sleep is just as important as other activities like eating and doing sex (Cooper, Quick, and Schabracq, 2009. pp.82-98).
In a health care team, there are many ways in which the members may experience sleep disruptions. Different members of the team may have different interruptions of their sleep, which may lead to different sleep patterns. Some may be disrupted by their children who wake them up in the middle of the night; others may be disrupted by television sets, others by noisy neighborhoods or neighbors, others by snoring sleeping mates, as well as poor sleeping habits like taking a long day time nap or the consumption of alcohol before sleep (Cooper, et al, 2009. pp.82-98).
The effects of these disruptions of sleep can be detrimental to the performance of the team. First of all, the sleep disruption may lead to a lack of coordination in the team because some members would be fatigued during the working hours, which would interfere with their functioning and concentration in the activities of the team.
The sleep disruption may also affect the team by lowering its creativity and problem-solving skills. This is because the disruption of sleep of the team members would lead to poor quality and quantity sleep, which would lead to lowered thinking capacity and also to slow the ability to think first and increase sharpness. It would also affect the team by the fact that some members would have reduced memory, and would not be able to remember things easily thereby increasing their chances of repeating mistakes due to the fact that sleep disruption makes people have reduced memory (Cooper, et al, 2009. pp.82-98).
The disruption of sleep would also affect the team in that many team members would be less motivated and have reduced morale in the activities of the team, thereby reducing the synergy which is necessary for the stability and progress of the team in its activities. The team may end up in a mess because many or some of the members may lose interest in the team’s work or do as little as possible due to their fatigue, while others do a lot of the team’s work. This may lead to a situation whereby the team may become divided and have the culture of “I”, instead of “we”. When this happens, it would lead to the division of the teams’ tasks into small bits each to be done by an individual member of the team, which may lead to shoddy performances as well as the disappearance of the teams’ spirit, motivation, and inspiration, which are very crucial in the success of any team in its activities.
Achieving good quality sleep by a shift worker working a permanent night shift
Sleep, as I have mentioned earlier, is a very important component in our lives. good quality and quantity sleep enables us to function optimally, be energetic, brilliant, alert, and above all, be in a balanced mood and able to resist stress. Low quality and quantity of sleep make us prone to many problems like stress, lack of concentration, poor judgment making, poor problem-solving skills, and lowered creativity and brain sharpness. It is therefore very important for us to have good quality and quantity sleep (The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news, 2000.pp.32-45).
The time of the sleep does not matter in determining the quality of sleep. This means that a person may sleep at any time of the day or night, depending on his or her work schedule or patterns. If I were to be a shift worker working on a permanent nightshift, I would use various strategies to ensure that I’m able to have good quality sleep. One of the strategies is to develop a regular sleeping schedule. I would ensure that I sleep at 9 am and wake up at 5 pm every day.
I would also ensure that I don’t take heavy meals because they would interfere with the quality of my sleep. I would be taking light meals some hours before sleep, and ensure that I take a warm bath before I go to bed. The other strategy would be to minimize the amount of noise and light in the bedroom as much as possible. I would ensure that the windows and the doors are completely shut and that the TV is off. (The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news, 2000.pp.32-45).
Finally, I would ensure that I’m stress-free. This is because stress interferes with the ability of a person to sleep soundly because of the mental instability brought about by the fluctuating thoughts, which disturb the mind. Stress may make a person stay long before falling asleep or fall asleep very first, and wake up in the middle of sleep and have a problem in falling asleep again.
For me to remain alert at work, I would be taking a cup of coffee in the middle of the night. The coffee would increase my mental activity and enable me to stay vigilant. I would also ensure that where I work I have a radio or a TV for stimulating my mind and increase my alertness. I would also ensure that I engage my fellow workers in conversations so that no one could feel isolated and therefore be tempted to have a nap.
Before I go to the night shift, I would ensure that I take a cold bath and wear clothes that are not heavy, because wearing heavy clothes would stimulate my body to go to sleep. Lastly not least, I would ensure that I eat enough food, especially rich in carbohydrates, which would provide me with energy and keep my body in a state of activity up to the morning. When all these are done, the end product would be enjoyable work, free from stress, and full of mental stability.
It would actually make no difference with those who work during the day time. The worst I could do is to get other engagements during the day time instead of going to sleep. This discussion has therefore demonstrated that the time of sleep does not matter, but the manner in which we sleep does influence the quality and quantity of our sleep (The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news, 2000.pp.32-45).
Reference List
Cooper, C.L., Quick, J.C., and Schabracq, M.J.(2009). International Handbook of Work and Health Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. pp.82-98.
The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news. (2000).Experts Speak on how to get Good Quality Sleep. Chicago, IL: Johnson Publishing Company.pp.32-45.
The 2008 film The black balloon reveals the problems associated with raising a child with a developmental disability in a modern community. Depicting the chronic stress experienced by all the members of the family caring for Charlie, an 18-year-old autistic teenager, the movie reveals the deficits in the healthcare system of Australia. Due to the lack of formal and informal social support, Charlie’s mother Maggie who is also in the final stages of her pregnancy is overburdened with the responsibilities of taking care of her autistic son and managing the household at the same time. With the enormous overload and lack of knowledge on the existing coping strategies for reducing her distress and anxiety, Maggie experiences extremely high levels of stress and even develops preeclampsia which puts at risk her and her baby’s safety. This paper will discuss Maggie’s personal development from the points of view of Erikson’s and Hendry and Kloep’s theories, analyze the main predictors of Maggie’s stress and the gaps in the current healthcare practices which need to be narrowed for supporting the Mollisson and other families caring for autistic children.
Maggie’s personal development and traits
Maggie is a married woman in her forties raising two sons and carrying her third baby. Devoting all her time and energy to the management of the household and rearing her children, Maggie has difficulties juggling the demands of her family with her own needs for rest.
Applying Erikson’s theory of human development to Maggie’s case, it can be stated that she is in her middle adulthood, the stage of generativity versus stagnation (Barkway 2009, p. 44). This stage is characterized with contributing to the next generation by caring for children and/or making a career. The stage of Maggie’s personal development can be interpreted as generative in terms of raising her children and managing a household. On the other hand, Maggie is a housewife and may have a sense of stagnation regarding the aspects of her self-realization as a professional and a bread-winner. Though parenting an autistic child can be compared to full-time employment, Maggie still may feel bound with managing her household. According to the estimates of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2003, p. 1), the unpaid assistance of family is equivalent to the work of 1 million full-time employees. Taking into account the fact that Maggie cares for an autistic teenager Charlie and is in the final stages of pregnancy, it can be stated that her current unemployment is forced and almost inevitable. Maggie tries to overcome the problem of her relative social inactivity by participating in committees. Her husband Simon with irritation admits that Maggie is involved in two committees (The black balloon 2008). Even though Maggie is overburdened with her household and care for the members of her family, she allots time to visit committee meetings even when she suffers from the symptoms of preeclampsia. Additionally, Maggie’s desire to control everything in her household can be explained by the woman’s attempts to compensate for her inactivity in the professional domain through activity in her family. In general, according to Erikson’s theory of human development, Maggie’s personal development can be characterized by generativity in one aspect and stagnation in others.
Hendry and Kloep’s theory of lifespan development can be applied to the analysis of Maggie’s personal development. According to Hendry and Kloep (2002, p. 99), individuals in their middle adulthood can either accept their conventional life pattern which can result in stagnation, or add new experiences and consider new possibilities, continuing their development. Analyzing the family dynamics of the Mollisson family, it can be stated that parenthood in this couple is marked with traditional gender roles because the main burden of caring for children and managing the household is put upon Maggie. Due to Maggie’s pregnancy and preeclampsia symptoms, she and Simon renegotiate their family roles and arrangement of family chores to comply with Maggie’s need for good rest (The black balloon 2008). However, Maggie cannot accept a new role and makes attempts to control everything and everybody in their family. Finally, the Mollisson decide that it would be better for Maggie to stay in a clinic for some time so that she could have a good rest. Therefore, Maggie prefers to follow the accustomed life pattern, and the function of excessive control over her family and household is comfortable for her. Thus, according to Hendry and Kloep’s theory, Maggie is bound with her accustomed life pattern and lacks flexibility for changing the gender roles in their family to trust her husband with at least a part of her responsibilities.
Therefore, according to Erikson’s theory, Maggie’s personal development can be defined as generative in domestic domains, but having some features of stagnation in professional aspects. Hendry and Kloep’s theory can be applied for explaining Maggie’s difficulties with renegotiating and sharing family responsibilities with her husband.
Charlie’s autism as a stressful factor for Maggie
Taking into account the fact that a child’s autism is an important predictor of stress in other family members, it can be stated that Charlie’s developmental disability gave rise to a complex network of stressors for his family. Maggie, who due to the peculiarities of her personal development and gender roles in their family takes the largest part of family responsibilities upon her, experiences high levels of stress because of her son’s developmental disorder.
According to the findings of Hastings and Beck (2004) and Meadan, Halle and Ebata (2010), parents raising an autistic child report higher levels of stress than their counterparts caring for children without disabilities. Moreover, Tehee, Honan and Hevey (2009, p. 34) admitted that the levels of stress in parents of children with autism are even higher than in parents caring for children with other developmental disabilities. The formal (healthcare professionals) and informal (family members) social support can become an effective moderator of parents’ stress. Therefore, the analysis of Maggie’s stress caused by her experience of caring for a teenager with autism requires consideration of the multidirectional relationship within the Mollisson family and the level of social support received by Maggie from her husband Simon, a child without disability Thomas and health professionals.
The interactions between Maggie and Simon are important for explaining the stressors and resources available in the marital subsystem. Marked with traditional gender roles, this family puts the main burden of not only managing the household but also caring for an autistic child upon Maggie. Maggie worries about giving medicine to Charlie and preparing him for the school concert. Mother is the only person except for the health professionals at school who can influence Charlie’s behavior. Simon lacks involvement in the process of upbringing his autistic child until the moment when Maggie suffers from preeclampsia and being unable to cope with her traditional responsibilities has to be hospitalized. On the one hand, Maggie does not allow Simon to participate in Charlie’s upbringing because she is afraid that her husband will not cope with it. On the other hand, Simon has difficulties with caring for Charlie because he lacks experience in communicating with his autistic son and does not show much understanding of Charlie’s developmental disorder. Displaying the lack of his awareness and indifference, in one of the episodes, Simon exclaims that he does not see the sense in organizing a concert for autistic children (The black balloon 2008). The infantile and selfish behavior of Simon makes Maggie take the main responsibility for their son with a developmental disability as well as the rest of their household. According to Lee (2009, p. 96), mothers parenting children with autism demonstrate better adaptive skills compared to their male counterparts. Therefore, the distribution of responsibilities between Maggie and Simon is typical for families raising children with developmental disabilities.
As to Maggie’s care for Charlie, she manages to find the most appropriate strategies to influence her son’s behavior, but it seems that she acts intuitively. Maggie invents a game and rewards Charlie with stars for good behavior and punishes him by taking back his stars. She plays with Charlie’s hair during bath time, adapting to the level of his development. The bath time in this family had a slightly unusual significance of uniting the members of the family on a new intimate level. Maggie says to her younger son Thomas that he should play with Charlie to gain his understanding. Regarding Maggie’s interaction with her son without disability Thomas, it can be stated that she cherishes hope to receive support from him and even overburdens him in certain situations. Understating the level of Thomas’ stress, Maggie asks him to care for Charlie and even to influence his father’s infantile behavior when Simon speaks to his toy Rex. Therefore, regardless of Thomas’ stress, he becomes an important source of informal social support for his mother.
As to the formal support, there is no evidence showing that the Mollisson have access to the necessary healthcare resources in the film under consideration. Only in one of the episodes, a health professional from Charlie’s school calms a boy after his conflict with students without developmental disabilities (The black balloon 2008). Thus, the Mollisson lacked formal support of health professionals which could be helpful for meliorating the levels of their stress and creating their awareness on the existing coping strategies and proper care for Charlie.
Charlie’s autism has become a predictor of stress in Maggie due to the peculiarities of her personal development, the bidirectional relationships with her husband and sons and the lack of formal social support which could be valuable for reducing her stress.
Symptoms of preeclampsia in Maggie
In the final stages of pregnancy, Maggie has developed preeclampsia which can be preconditioned with the lack of social support in the second and third trimesters and become an influential stressful factor at the same time.
According to Black (2007, p. 419), preeclampsia can have serious consequences, including those of perinatal morbidity and mortality in 6% and 8 % of all pregnancies. Therefore, preeclampsia is associated with high-risk pregnancy which has become another predictor of Maggie’s stress. Additionally, Maggie worries about the development of the child she is carrying because of Charlie’s autism. She criticizes Simon’s denial to sterilize with her voice full of reproach (The black balloon 2008). Therefore, the stressful factors of raising an autistic child and experience of high-risk pregnancy overlap and lead to extremely high levels of stress in Maggie.
The symptoms of preeclampsia include headaches, gastric pains and vision problems, and their severity can vary within days. However, even suffering from these symptoms, Maggie makes attempts to continue managing the household and taking care of all the members of her family because of the lack of her flexibility required for renegotiating gender roles, the trait which is characteristic of some individuals in their middle adulthood (Hendry & Kloep 2002, p. 99). Though the exact causes of preeclampsia are unknown, it is traditionally associated with genetic abnormalities, dietary deficiencies and inflammatory changes during pregnancy. According to Coussons-Read, Okun and Nettles (2007, p. 345), the perceived lack of formal and informal social support in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can give rise to inflammatory changes which in their turn can lead to preeclampsia.
Therefore, there is a bilateral relationship between the levels of Maggie’s stress and her preeclampsia symptoms. On the one hand, the stressful situation of caring for an autistic teenager Charlie could become a predictor of Maggie’s preeclampsia. On the other hand, preeclampsia, high-risk pregnancy and forced hospitalization contributed to the levels of the woman’s stress.
The choice of coping strategies
The levels of stress experienced by Maggie exceed her resources and require choosing appropriate coping strategy for adjusting to the situation of living with chronic stress, establishing a positive sense of self and building a harmonious relationship with others. Maggie selects problem-focused coping strategy to manage the demands of her situation and focuses on external coping resources.
Analyzing the plot lines of the film under consideration, it can be stated that Maggie does everything she finds necessary for rearing her children and managing the household and uses a problem-focused coping strategy (Barkway 2009, p. 192). Even when her efforts become harmful for her health and health of the baby she is carrying, Maggie continues to worry about the linen and keeping the house in order (The black balloon 2008). It clearly demonstrates that Maggie’s behavior is not driven with her emotions and she focuses on solving the problems. She finds effective methods for controlling the behavior of her autistic child Charlie and immature husband Simon. Maggie invents games for Charlie and enjoys spending time with him, fully accepting her child with his developmental disorder. She gives medicine to Charlie and wants him to participate in the concert. Additionally, she participates in numerous committees and motivates Simon to accompany her when she goes to the meetings of these committees. Maggie’s attempts allow the Mollisson to avoid absolute social isolation. Therefore, she uses external resources for overcoming their difficulties and meliorating the stress experienced by their family.
Along with formal coping resources, namely the social network, Maggie tries to use the informal support of her family. It may seem that Maggie overburdens her younger son Tom by asking him to care for his autistic brother. However, it can be explained with Maggie’s conscious or unconscious attempts to receive support of her son. Maggie also tries to establish a harmonious relationship with her husband. It can be clearly seen from the episode in which she is going to a meeting of one of her committees and asks Simon to accompany her even though he looks for childish excuses to refuse to go. She tries to be attentive and responsive to the needs of other family members even if their behavior is inadmissible, such as in the scenes of Simon speaking to Rex and Charlie going into the houses of their neighbors.
At the same time, Maggie who shows understanding to everyone’s needs lacks support of her family. She understates the importance of expressing her own feelings which leads to the enormous levels of her stress, development of her preeclampsia and misbalanced dynamics of their family relationships in general.
Implications for healthcare practice
Maggie as well as the rest of the members of her family lack access to the formal support in the form of health care resources and professional consultations. The enormous levels of stress and overload in Maggie leading to her preeclampsia and misbalance in the family dynamics clearly demonstrate the negative consequences of deficiencies in the health care system of Australia.
Taking into account the fact that Maggie gives preference to external resources for coping with her psychological distress, it can be stated that the lack of formal support of health professionals had a significant impact upon her distress and well-being. For instance, Maggie does not believe that Charlie will be able to speak in the future (The black balloon 2008). It means that instead of consulting a health professional concerning the necessary care and Charlie’s outcome, Maggie makes guesses and learns from her own mistakes. Maggie knows about the special needs of her autistic son, but frequently lacks knowledge for providing the necessary care. Therefore, an important step in improving the existing health care practices is to provide families with autistic children with all the necessary information on special needs of children with developmental disabilities.
Another deficiency in the healthcare system can be seen from the fact that Maggie lacks awareness on the existing coping strategies which can be used for meliorating her own stress. She even understates the importance of her psychological well-being in general, focusing on problem-focused coping strategies. Meadan, Halle and Ebata (2010, p. 8) noted that psycho-social well-being of mother can have a significant impact upon the levels of stress in other family members, including the child with autism. Therefore, one of the most important implications of Maggie’s case to healthcare practice is to improve the access of families raising autistic children to healthcare resources which can become an effective mediator of their stress. Creating awareness of the existing strategies might be helpful for reducing the stress of family members and improving the condition of an autistic child at the same time.
Thus, the main implications of Maggie’s case for healthcare practice include improving the access of families raising autistic children to healthcare resources to create their awareness on the special needs of children with disabilities and existing coping strategies for meliorating the stress of other family members.
Conclusion
Depicting the daily routines of a family caring for an autistic teenager, the film under analysis reveals the difficulties faced by family caregivers and the high levels of stress they experience. Applying the psychological theories of lifespan development to Maggie’s case, it can be stated that the peculiarities of her personal development, her son’s autism and high-risk pregnancy are the main predictors of the chronic stress and anxiety the woman experiences. Additionally, the woman lacks formal and informal social support which can be explained with the deficits ion healthcare system and the dynamics of her family. Therefore, along with producing impression upon the audience and evoking empathy in them, the 2008 film The black balloon can have a number of implications for Australian healthcare practice.
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003, Carers in Australia – Assisting frail older people and people with disabilities, Web.
Barkway, P (ed.) 2009, Psychology for health professionals, Elsevier, Australia.
Black, K 2007, ‘Stress, symptoms, self-monitoring confidence, well-being, and social support in the progression of preeclampsial gestational hypertension’, Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, vol. 36, pp. 419-429.
Coussons-Read, ME, Okun, ML & Nettles, CD 2007, ‘Psychosocial stress increases inflammatory markers and alters cytokine production across pregnancy’, Brain, behavior and Immunity, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 343-350.
Hastings, R & Beck, A 2004, ‘Practitioner review: Stress intervention for parents of children with intellectual disabilities’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 45, no. 8, pp. 1338-1349.
Hendry, L & Kloep, M 2002, Lifespan development: Resources, challenges and risks, Thomson Learning, Stamford.
Lee, G 2009, ‘Parents of children with high functioning autism: How well do they cope and adjust?’ Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, vol. 21, pp. 93 –114.
Meadan, H, Halle, J & Ebata, A 2010, ‘Families with children who have autism spectrum disorders: Stress and support’, Exceptional Children, vol. 77, no. 1, pp. 7 – 36
Tehee, E, Honan, R & Hevey, D 2009, ‘Factors contributing to stress in parents of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders’, Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, vol. 22, pp. 34-42.
The black balloon 2008, motion picture, Neo Classics Film, Icon Entertainment International.
Universal healthcare “refers to a system where the country’s government manages the healthcare network in order to make basic care available to every citizen” (Runzheimer & Larsen, 2010, p. 110).
Universal healthcare is also referred to as social health protection, universal coverage, universal health coverage or universal care. The main objective of universal healthcare is to enhance the accessibility and affordability of healthcare.
A majority of developed countries have implemented sound healthcare policies; however, the US lacks a well defined universal healthcare policy.
This paper aims at evaluating how universal healthcare has been approached in the UK and Canada, and compares their approach with the US.
Relevance of Universal healthcare: An analysis of the importance of having universal healthcare
Universal healthcare offers specified health benefits that are effective, easily affordable and accessible to members of the society. Universal care is governed by the extent of coverage. That is, the cost of the cover, services covered and the people covered.
In countries with healthcare systems, governments come up with committees to manage the healthcare system. Difficult but practical decisions, such as deciding how much to pay for an extra year of life, are made. Payments for procedures, surgeries and drugs are discussed and set by committees.
Universal healthcare provides for equitable distribution of resources for all people. Thus, everyone is guaranteed of some level of healthcare; a feature that enhances the general life expectancy of the people covered.
Most importantly, patients have access to primary care and basic health screening tools. Therefore, diseases that can be prevented or treated early are identified and managed accordingly.
Historical and Present Policies and Programs Addressing the Universal Healthcare: Examples from the US, UK, and Canada
Due to the high cost of medical care and low life expectancy, most countries formulated universal healthcare programs to address these issues. As indicated earlier, universal healthcare enables citizens to access basic healthcare and screening tools thus preventing the occurrence of preventable disease.
Thus, universal healthcare requires adequate funding in order to manage and implement its set objectives. Most countries employ mixed models in generating funds for the healthcare plan (Bramley-Harker & Mcdonald, 2007). The majority of the funds come from general taxation.
Other models include private payments either directly or via insurance agencies for services not offered in the public system scheme. A majority of universal healthcare systems in European countries like in the UK is funded through mixed models that incorporate public and private contributions.
A significant amount of the non governmental funding comes from employers and employees in the form of regulated, non profit funds. Such contributions are mandatory, and they vary according to one’s income.
Britain’s National Health Service generates its funds by using various schemes. A good example is community based health insurance. Community based health insurance is a private health plan that has emerged in settings where financial risk protection systems have a limited plan.
The community in involved is given the mandate to run the scheme. In addition, contributions are flexible and not risk related. Private insurance scheme is another method employed in the UK.
This insurance scheme is voluntary. The scheme encompasses policies sold by insurance firms to companies, associations, organizations and community health insurers.
Social health insurance and tax based financing are other forms of funding available in the UK. Social health insurance is compulsory. It encompasses contributions from social workers, the government, the self employed and enterprises (Bramley-Harker & Mcdonald, 2007).
The compulsory contributions are then pooled into a single or multiple funds. The scheme involves a combination of public and private providers who provide defined health packages.
Government parastatals are involved the execution of functions in this type of scheme. However, on rare occasions, private insurers may be given the opportunity to run or execute the functions.
In tax based financing, individuals are taxed on their salaries, capital gains, purchases, and a variety of various items and activities (Bramley-Harker & Mcdonald, 2007). The money gained is directed to the health scheme. The scheme involves a pooled fund across the whole population. Canada has a different approach.
Medicare in Canada, which is often called medicare, is privately run but publically financed (Irvine et al., 2002). Canada’s medicare is governed by five key components.
First, medicare ensures that care is universal. Secondly, medicare aims at providing portable healthcare. Thirdly, accessibility of healthcare is a must. Fourth, the healthcare must be comprehensive. Fifth, healthcare should be publicly administered.
Medicare in Canada is characterized by three main components. Consumers are free to choose their healthcare provider, allows for local control, and doctor autonomy. Therefore, Canadians are at liberty to choose where they intend to go for medical check up.
Canada has ten provincial governments, which are the main policy makers. They take part in planning, financing, and evaluating the provision of medicare (Irvine et al., 2002). In addition, the provincial governments have the constitutional mandate to regulate physicians’ fees and negotiating salaries for professionals in the healthcare industry.
This phenomenon however results into slight differences in the way medicare is implemented in each province. Differences arise in the provision of services beyond the hospital or physicians’ coverage. Healthcare in Canada generates its funds mainly from taxes.
Canada’s federal government regulates the disbursement of funds collected. In addition, to the taxes collected by the federal government, provinces are permitted to levy their own taxes so as to generate extra funds.
In Canada, universal healthcare is provided by medical professional in the private sector although the scheme is publically funded through provincial budgets.
Universal healthcare in the US: The patient protection and affordable care act (PPACA)
The patient protection and affordable care act is the equivalent of universal healthcare in the US. The act aims at ensuring that all Americans have a medical insurance and reducing the cost of medical care. In the US, provision of universal healthcare uses multi payer system mainly from the public and private sector.
The federal government is the chief financier of pubic health schemes while employers are the main financiers of private health schemes. Other forms of covers like compulsory insurance are enforced through legislation by encouraging residents to purchase insurance cover.
However, in actual sense it is the government that pays for the insurance. Currently, PPACA funding is generated mainly from medicare taxes. The US has the most advanced medical technologies in the world and yet accessibility to healthcare is poor due to the lack of medical insurance and administrative waste.
Medical insurance in the US is provided by both private and public insurers. However, private insurers are the major insurers.
The federal government is the chief insurance provider in public healthcare insurance. On the other hand, employers are the main private insurers. Healthcare funds are generated from taxes.
Successes and Failures of universal healthcare in the US, Canada, and UK
People should realize that healthcare affects the government’s cost. This system does control the government’s expenditure on healthcare and may lead to higher taxes.
Currently, the US spends 16 percent of its gross domestic income on healthcare, and the figure will have doubled come 2035 according to the congressional budget office (Zirkle & McNelles, 2011). Amazingly, the U.S does not have a defined universal healthcare system.
Thus, it is still not clear whether the adoption of universal healthcare system in the U.S will burden taxpayers. Taxes for healthcare are much higher in countries that have established universal healthcare systems than in the U.S. The lack of a well defined universal healthcare in the US is attributed to false driven policy debates (Light, 2003).
For example, some believe that the US cannot manage to cover the uninsured. Medical professions believe that they might lose more power in case healthcare is managed by corporations. Others only believe in the single payer scheme and yet other alternatives are available.
In addition, some argue that the US is large and diverse and that lessons relating to healthcare which, are draw from lesser countries, are irrelevant (Light, 2003). However, the US boasts of low infant mortality and high life expectancy.
In the UK, the National Health Service has significantly enhanced the quality and accessibility of healthcare (Light, 2003). This is attributed to extraordinary leadership and a solid political system that gives great control to the party in power.
The UK’s parliamentary governance structure allows for consultations between major stakeholders (Zirkle & McNelles, 2011). The National Heath Service of Britain is arguably the most successful healthcare scheme.
Although Canada has a convincing medicare scheme, it was ranked number 24 out 27 OECD countries 2002 in terms of the doctor-patient ratio (Irvine et al., 2002). This has been attributed to the failure by the federal government to provide basic equipment.
In addition, many diagnostic and therapeutic products are inaccessible. In 2008, reports from the Canadian medical association indicated that screening and treatment of selected diseases is due inaccessibility to diagnostic and therapeutic.
These diseases include cancer, heart attack, and bone and joint diseases. Furthermore, some experts warn that Canadian system of healthcare has several disadvantages.
According to Irvine et al. (2002), the system lacks accountability owing to the federal government structure. Irvine et al. (2002) also argues that decision making is politicized and that single payer government control is limits innovation.
When the three country’s healthcare schemes are compared, UK’s National Health Service tops the list followed by Canada’s medicare. UK’s healthcare is said to be free at the point of use.
Canada’s medicare is also readily accessible and affordable. However, in the US, medical care is only readily available to the insured. Due to the lack of a well defined universal healthcare plan, accessibility to medicare by the uninsured is extremely difficult.
Stakeholders Involved: A comparison
In the US, Congress is the chief policy maker. The provision of healthcare brings together both private and public healthcare providers and insurers. Thus, there is a need for consultations between policy makers in Congress and other stakeholders such medical professionals and insurance companies.
In the UK, the parliamentary system of government is the main stakeholder because it controls most of the country’s decisions including healthcare decisions. The solid parliamentary system of government encourages consultations between major stakeholders in the healthcare industry ranging from private to public.
Key stakeholders include the parliament, which formulates policies, government owned and private insurers, and healthcare providers. UK has overcome professional opposition and has set up various schemes. They include voluntary insurance schemes and limited national insurance. Others are public health services and charity care.
Canada has ten provincial governments, which are the main policy makers. They take part in developing healthcare policies. They are involved in planning, financing, and evaluating the provision of medicare.
In addition, the provincial governments have the constitutional mandate to regulate physicians’ fees and negotiating salaries for professionals in the healthcare industry.
Healthcare in Canada generates its funds mainly from taxes. Canada’s federal government then disburses the collected funds to all the ten provinces in the country. Apart from funding, medical professionals are the other key stakeholders in Canada’s medicare.
As indicated earlier, medicare is provided mainly by medical professionals in the private sector. Canada’s medicare scheme gives the consumer the freedom to choice where he or she goes for medical care.
Ethical, Social, and Moral Considerations of Universal healthcare
Universal healthcare has the social and moral responsibilities of ensuring that healthcare is readily available, accessible, and affordable. This ensures that the society is healthy thus reducing mortality rates. In ethical terms, universal healthcare enhances the quality of life through the provision of equitable healthcare.
Recommendations
The US suffers mainly from massive uninsurance meaning that healthcare is less affordable and accessible to the uninsured. Healthcare can be made accessibility and affordability through two approaches. The first step should ensure that the public health sector gets enough funding (American Hospital Association, 2008).
Secondly, the patient protection and affordable care act should be amended in order to allow for a close working relationship between healthcare providers (American Hospital Association, 2008).
Conclusion
Universal healthcare endeavors to provide easily affordable, accessible and effective basic healthcare to the community. Funding for universal health care plans may take various models.
However, in most cases the government plays a key role in raising the required funds for the citizen’s healthcare plans. Most importantly, taxation is the common source of these funds. The government alone might not succeed to provide healthcare to all citizens singlehandedly.
Both the private and public sectors need to collaborate in the provision of universal healthcare. The success of universal healthcare systems relies on proper governance and non political interference.
Universal healthcare has been proved to reduce mortality and morbidity. It is a high time the U.S government considered establishing a national, universal healthcare plan to enable all Americans access basic healthcare.
When the three country’s healthcare schemes are compared, UK’s National Health Service tops the list followed by Canada’s medicare. UK’s healthcare is said to be free at the point of use.
Canada’s medicare is also readily accessible and affordable. However, in the US, medical care is only readily available to the insured.
Other developed countries such as the UK and Canada have sound universal healthcare policies owing to their reputable policy making processes. The US government should borrow a leaf from these nations.
Bramley-Harker, E., and Mcdonald, N. (2007). The Cost of Fairness in the Healthcare System. Journal of Management and Marketing in healthcare, 1(1), 19-28
Donald, Light. (2003). Universal Health Care: Lessons From the British Experience. American Journal of Public Health, 93(1), 1-10.
Runzheimer, J., and Larsen, L. (2010). Medical Ethics For Dummies. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Zirkle, M., and McNelles, L. (2011). Nonattendance at a hospital-based otolaryngology clinic: A preliminary analysis within a universal healthcare system. ENT: Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, 90(8), 32-34.
Health care is considered to be one of the important issues in the life of each person that provides the necessary treatment and health preservation through dental, nursing, medical, and laboratory services. There are so many people, who need medical consultations and help, but, unfortunately, they do not have enough money to provide themselves with such a chance.
This is why it is crucially important to think and clear up whether health care should be a basic right of Americans or it is just a privilege of only some people. To answer this very question, it is better to analyze the situations, people get into because of absence of medical insurance.
“It is well known that the gap between those who receive the best health care in the world and those who receive the worst is staggering and that which side of the gap one is on makes a significant difference in the length and quality of one’s life.” (Green, 2005)
Is it fair that one person can easily get any kind of medical help just because he/she has enough money support, even without medical insurance, while another person suffers from some unknown disease and cannot find financial support to get the necessary treatment? Hardly such inequality can be just! To my mind, health care should be one of the most important interests of our society.
The point is that government should use taxpayers’ money in order to fund health care, and make it available for everyone. If it is so, then health care should be a right of all Americans. However, if health care and best medical services are available to only some people, health care is not considered as a basic right, but as a privilege.
To explain the importance of the health care right, it is possible to take some examples, which ordinary people share with the readers. Karen Tumulty from San Antonio presents an educative story, happened to his older brother Patrick, who always put off his visit to doctors because of medical insurance’s absence. In order to clear up what happened to him, doctors spent much time and Pat’s money. “Patrick needed help quickly, and we didn’t have a clue where or how to start looking for it.” (Tumulty, 2009)
Health care should be a basic right for all Americans. However, this suggestion may cause lots of questions: how to provide all this, how to pay for it, what issues should be covered at first and which ones should be covered later, etc. Of course, it can be said that there are many other industrialized countries, which have already solved this problem, and American government may just analyze their policies and use them as models.
In my opinion, it is obligatory to create a policy and consider health care as a basic right, at least, because of social justice. When people altogether are interested in this very right, it may serve as good as it can only be. When people try to think a bit about the other people and about their problems and needs, it will be easier to create a really powerful nation and prove to everyone that unity is something that can save people and present really safe future.
“The American health care system, the way our nation pays for care and organizes it, can be changed in fundamental ways, but only if we choose to do so.” (Richmond and Fein, 2005) If Americans are interested in such prospects, health care should be a basic right of all Americans.
Reference List
Green, M. J. (2005). Global Justice and Health: Is Health Care a Basic Right? Public Health Policy and Ethics by Boylan, M. Springer.
Richmond, J. B. & Fein, R. (2005). The Health Care Mess: How We Got into It and What It Will Take to Get Out. Harvard University Press.
Issues on health care policy have soured in the recent past. This is mainly because citizens are dissatisfied with the kind of health care benefits provided. The United States ranks first in health care budget. However, this does not count on service delivery. Moreover, it is estimated that about 20% of Americans lacks health insurance. This has prompted heavy criticism of political leaders to make reforms. The United States offers a hybrid health care system which encompasses two choices.
The first involves funding of healthcare through private insurance companies while the second involves health care programs. The latter includes programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP, which provides health insurance to three groups. These are retirees, the poor and children from low-income families. This paper will explore healthcare policy, its effect on the industry and reforms (Morrisey 1).
Health care policy
Health care policy refers to rules, guidelines and regulations that are aimed at financing and shaping delivery of healthcare. It encompasses various issues that relate to health. For instance, it includes financing of health care, disability, mental and public health, among others. Its area of operation is unlimited within the health sector.
Health care policy also works to prioritize specific health care problems. For instance, in 1971, the former United States President Nixon avowed war on Cancer. Moreover, health policy may involve focus on specific activities aimed at improving health care system. These include research and sensitization on critical health issues such as AIDs and Cancer, among others.
When the government makes it a policy to conduct such activities, they are given priorities and are hence financed from budget allocations. Other issues that have drawn special attention include small pox, substance abuse, cigarette smoking and suicide prevention among others.
Such activities and programs are always targeted for reducing health risks, which are in health policies. Health care policies may involve behavior-changing programs such as public advertising, information, sensitization programs, among others. It is also necessary to note that these programs usually encompass support systems for victims of targeted issues. In essence, health care policy encompasses a wide area of network with uncountable rules, regulations and programs aimed at improving service delivery (Laszewski 1).
Financing of health care has been a major issue in the U.S. This is mainly because of the hybrid system employed in health care policy. In fact, numerous debates have been raised on heath care system. It is quite important to note that this system favors the rich since they have what it takes to access quality health care services. On the other hand, middle-income groups as well as the poor find it difficult to pay for health care insurance.
For instance, statistics show that about 45 Million of Americans lack access to health insurance. This is quite a large number given that health policies should work to encompass all citizens. It is therefore very surprising that the government insists on remaining with current healthcare system instead of making ways to improve quality of life.
The republicans are much more comfortable with current health system. This is quite interesting because they need support in the upcoming elections. It should be clear to everyone that when 45 million are left out of healthcare policy, then reform is mandatory (Morrisey 1).
Various legislations have been enacted to improve health reform. In fact, Medicare, which provides health insurance to those aged 65 years and above was introduced to supplement the overburdened population. It is important to note that provision of universal health care would have minimized such expenditure in government budget. Federal government’s budget on health care has been expanding uncontrollably; in fact, it is now the highest globally.
This is contradictory given the fact that countries like Canada, Japan and Germany, among others provide better health care benefits than the United States. Introduction of the government programs to support the overburdened taxpayers have only worsened achievement of goals of health care policy. This is because it has increased government spending and hence the need to increase tax. A section of politicians has suggested an increase in tax for middle and high-income earners to help fix health issues (WHO 1).
Democrats have emphasized the need to provide universal healthcare like other nations. However, this is yet to pass. Republicans cite increase in middle-income earners’ tax and future uncertainties as the reason for their stand. In essence, politicians are playing blame game instead of acting on the underlying issue (Pauly and Hoff 24).
As much as the government has tried to provide health programs, these are inadequate to support the large population of America. Unemployment rate is at its all time high, meaning that some people cannot access health care insurance through employers. Moreover, Medicaid is only provided to special groups of people, for instance the disabled and those that get welfare payments. This restricts a large number of people from accessing necessities in life.
The United Nations declared health care a right to every individual irrespective of his/her country of origin. Therefore, as a permanent member of the United Nation, the United States should follow suit in their declaration. This would mean strategizing on the best way forward, with national budget in mind too (United States History 1).
Health care industry
Healthcare Industry is considered to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Its growth has been widely witnessed in recent times with advancement in technology. For instance, it provided over fourteen million jobs to the population. Moreover, it is projected that the industry will provide over three million jobs by 2018. This would be more than any other sector. This projected rise is mainly due to ever-increasing population of the aged.
It is also quite important to note that among the 20 fastest careers and occupations, about ten come from Healthcare industry. In addition, the industry employs workers from different fields. These include those working in medicine, IT, finance, education, franchise, sales, and engineering, among other fields.
The industry employs people with different levels of qualification. While some take courses that surpass four years, others attain their qualifications in two years. These include skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled workers. This paper will explore the Healthcare industry, changes in the last 10 years, and possible changes in future as well as financial and economic issues in that period (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1).
Healthcare industry involves combination of both human touch as well as medical technology to diagnose, administer drugs, care and respond to patients’ needs. The industry serves millions of people in the United States alone, this ranges from terminally ill people to newborn babies.
Healthcare industry is composed of over 595 800 establishments in terms of its organization. These vary highly in size, pattern and organizational structures, as well as staffing. It is also quite important to note that most of the establishments in the Healthcare industry are offices, which have been established for health practitioners such as dentists, physicians and doctors, among others.
Interestingly, hospital constitutes just about 1 percent of establishments in Healthcare industry even though it employs more than 35 percent of the industry’s workers. In essence, the industry consists of a variety of establishments. These range from private practitioners in small offices to public hospitals that employ thousands of workers. The industry is therefore very large. Moreover, it has embraced technology to help in its development as well as efficiency (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 1).
Healthcare Industry has enjoyed transformation since its inception to provide Healthcare products and services. It was based mainly on reactionary type of practice. Tests were done on plants to determine their effects concerning treatment of human ailments. The industry started to make headway later on, when various cultures started emphasizing on purposeful study of plants for medicinal use.
The 19th century saw an advancement in technological understanding of biological as well as chemical elements of plants for medicinal use. The last 10 years has witnessed continual advancement in technological, chemical as well as biological methods of analysis that aid physicians in diagnosis as well as treatment of such ailments.
Moreover, this period has seen evolution from medicinal practice to modern Healthcare, which is continually evolving with further advancement in technology. Despite the positives, Healthcare industry is becoming more expensive day by day. This is worrying to American population who value Healthcare services (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1).
The last decade has seen evolution of modern Healthcare. Some of the changes include prepaid services, which has come in to overshadow insurance. Other changes that took shape during this period include administration. It is quite important to note that the next 10 years will see several changes as Healthcare industry seeks to address ever-increasing number of infections. In addition, prepaid plans are increasing, especially in PPOs and HMOs, which generally emphasize on preventive measures.
The plans are relatively cheap as compared to insurance as they work to reduce cost of treatment. The future looks bright although there is an uptrend in cost of Healthcare. United States has put in place measures aimed at reforming the industry, with its focus on improving quality of life at an affordable cost to all. This shows a positive outlook for the future of Healthcare industry (Michigan State University 1).
Health care reforms
As much as technology advances, several costs are incurred in research and development. These costs need to be accounted for, and this has driven the cost of Healthcare. However, it is also quite important to note that various reforms are set to be rolled to help address the cost of Healthcare.
Ultimately, reduction of these cost lies with the general population, who should ensure preventive measures taken to reduce on other costs. Nonetheless, the future looks bright as technological advances work to improve quality of life (Michigan State University 1).
The industry has continued to embrace advances in Technology, which are also aimed at improving quality of life. For instance, it currently not only helps physicians to diagnose diseases, but also treats patients in a better way that earlier done by human.
For instance, advances in technology have enabled treatment of ailments such as cancer, which were formerly seen as untreatable. Moreover, laser technology has been vital in reaching out for internal organs, which were difficult to treat in the olden days. Technology therefore presents a bright outlook for Healthcare industry and is set to continue improving quality of life (Michigan State University 1).
Social security act and health insurance
It is estimated that about 20% U.S. citizens lacks health insurance. Moreover, the level of disparity in this respect is higher than that of other countries. Interestingly, the United States has the most advanced technology in Health care services. It is therefore quite surprising that a good chunk of its population cannot access state of art treatment due to health insurance policies.
Moreover, its elimination from the Social Security act was catastrophic. This paper will explore the effects of excluding Health Insurance from Social Security Act. It will also ascertain how we could have changed our future in this respect (Morone, Litman and Robins 16).
More than 45 Million Americans lack an access to health care insurance of any kind. This number would be greater, save for government programs such as SCHIP and Medicaid, which provide a cushion for low-income families, especially children. This is mainly due to the exclusion of health care insurance from the Social Security Act.
The Social Security act was amended in 1965 after its initial enactment in 1935. It was signed into law by the former president Franklin Roosevelt. Its funds were deposited in the Social Security Trust fund. This was to be made available for access after retirement. President John Kennedy anticipated provision of health insurance to elderly through the Social security Act reforms in 1962. This bill continued even after his assassination in 1963.
It was passed in 1965. This was mainly aimed at providing health insurance to the elderly and unemployed. However, it is quite important to note that nonelderly population was left out of the bill. This is because institutions like the Congress and medical industry such as American Medical Association opposed the move citing significant increase in social security expenditure (Vladeck 16-19).
In essence, health insurance for nonelderly people in the United States has been from their own pockets. This has placed great pressure on individuals since they have to pay for it themselves. Moreover, health insurance premium are very high causing people to live unsustainable lives as they struggle to pay for health insurance. It is also quite necessary to note that people lack access to quality healthcare because they cannot afford it.
To make it worse, the United States has one of the best medical facilities globally. This is unacceptable as about 45 million non-elderly people struggle to access quality health care. Interestingly, some insurance companies have been found guilty of fleecing individuals of the high premiums by reneging on their tasks of providing quality health care.
Exclusion of health care from the Social Security Act has also caused a big rift between the population and their government as they contemplate changes. In fact, health care reforms have been fore front in political limelight as Americans try to force their leaders into resolving this mess. Universal health care has been the desire of most American as they envision relief from the soaring insurance premiums (EBSCO Publishing 1).
Reversal Strategies
Health sector has witnessed mixed results. This is mainly because use of reversal strategies has had an improved effect on its stocks. Many issues plague health sector. These range from politics, industrial development, infrastructure, natural calamities, global warming and microeconomics, among others. Of great effect to health sector is microeconomic stability. This factor impairs growth of the sector whenever microeconomics is unstable.
Moreover, origin, duration as well as extent of instability usually determine the repercussions on health sector. This, among other factors makes it unique and prone to instability. It is in this regard that reversal strategies help to ensure growth and continued return on profit albeit, on a small proportion. When such events occur, microeconomic adjustment policies are usually employed in implementing short-term austerity actions.
Long-term measures are also researched for ways of minimizing risk. Health sectors also get involved in sectorial adjustment as laid out by international financial institutions such as IFIs (International finance institutions). The scope of such implementations is usually found to be impractical and draw various criticism and debate on their pupated effect on economy. This makes health sector unique and increases volatility in its stocks, which eventually cause investors to employ reversal strategies for sustainability (Soros 15).
Investors count on heavy research and experiences for stock valuation. This enables them to time when to act on different stocks. For instance, some investors buy stocks that perform well for higher profitability. At the same time, they minimize risks by selling stocks that perform poorly.
Reversal strategies involve initiating techniques to protect stocks against unfavorable factors such as downward turns. Similarly, it shields stocks from very high profits since risks are well maintained to manageable levels. This is very important in health sectors as it enables investors to be assured of a given profit.
On the other hand, since heath sector often goes against economies of scale and other fundamental factors that stabilize stocks, it is important for investors to consider reversal strategies. Furthermore, given the high risks involved in health sector, investors do not have alternative options but to shield their capital.
Factors such as microeconomic instability, among others have the capacity to derail development in health sector. It is therefore quite necessary for investors to plan well on reversal strategy, in order to achieve full potential of their investments. In essence, Health sector involves several risks, which range from systematic to microeconomics. These together with others make the overall system highly volatile and hence demanding (Conjecture Corporation 1).
Conclusion
Health care policies are regulations, rules and guidelines aimed at improving service delivery. Moreover, they are aimed at sustaining health care system as well as reducing its risks. Most health care policies in the world encompass a wide range of issues. These include structures and facilities of health care service, financing and specialized programs, among others. Unlike other countries, the United States works on a hybrid health care system.
This involves financing of health services through private insurance companies and government programs. In other countries, a universal health care is usually provided. The federal government has put in place three main programs that serve to assist in financing health care.
These include Medicare, which serves the aged, Medicaid, which serves the poor and SCHIP, which serves children from poor backgrounds. This however, is still inadequate as 45 million people find themselves without health insurance. It is therefore necessary that reforms are made to improve health care service. To achieve this, health care policy must be reformed to align with expectations (Morrisey 1).
Healthcare Bill 2010, also known as Obamacare has remained one of the most controversial issues in the American society for the past four years. A section of the society strongly believes that this Bill came at the appropriate time when people needed affordable quality healthcare for all the Americans irrespective of their financial capacities.
On the other hand, a section of the society members believe that this was a retrogressive Bill that was designed to punish the hard-working Americans. This debate has been raging on for years, and it has been difficult to come up with a convincing explanation for either of the two differing opinions. This research seeks to analyze this issue with the aim of finding the truth about the impact of Obamacare to the lives of the citizens of the American society.
Discussion
Healthcare is one of the basic needs within a country, and the citizens of this country always expect the government to come up with policies focused on improving it. The current regime came up with the Healthcare Bill 2010, and it would be important to determine if it meets the expectations of the society. The research seeks to find an answer the following question.
Was Obamacare relevant in improving health standards in the American society?
In responding to the above question, the researcher will use two contemporary theories in order to help explain why different people have taken different approaches when analyzing this Bill.
Conflict theory is one of the most appropriate theories that can be used to explain why different people have taken different approaches when analyzing this Bill. Johnson (2008) says, “Conflict theory emphasizes the role of coercion and power in producing social order.” This scholar explains that this theory has generally been associated by governments when trying to come up with policies considered unpopular.
Those who have been critical of this Bill have always believed that because of the influence had on the congress, he was able to prevail upon it to ensure that the Bill sails through without much opposition. This is despite the contradicting views that a section of the society had towards the Bill. As explained in Conflict theory holds that coercion and power can be used to bring social order.
As the president of the United States, Obama was convinced that it was necessary to have a Healthcare Bill that was able to cater for all the American citizens irrespective of their financial backgrounds. However, he was aware that a section of the society were opposed to it, especially the elites who considered this move as a way through which the government would force them to help in paying healthcare cost for the poor.
Given that the elites are influential, they managed to convince the society against the Bill. However, it was able to sail through the Congress, and the president assented to it immediately. This displeased those who were opposed to it as they considered that the government used its power to coerce them to accept this Bill.
According to Tate (2012), many Americans who have been criticizing this Bill may not have substantial reason to consider the Bill inappropriate. However, they feel that they were coerced by the government, and this has made then very keen on identifying any convincing mistake from the Bill. The figure below shows a report by one of the journalists showing the rising cost of Obamacare.
Source (Tate, 2012)
Such critics have failed to be objective in their analysis of this Bill. It is a fact that this Bill has a number of weaknesses that needs to be addressed. One of the obvious disadvantages that this Bill had was the increased taxation it brought on Americans. However, we should take an objective approach; analyze both the benefits and the weaknesses of the Bill in order to come up with a way forward in its implementation process.
Critical theory is another appropriate theory that can be used in explaining why this Bill has had varying views in this society. Buchanan (2010) says, “Critical theory is a type of social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole, in contrast to traditional theory oriented only to understanding or explaining it.”
This theory focuses critiques that are meant to change the way of thinking, or the approach taken by members of the society towards a given issue. A section of the society has taken this approach with this Bill. As mentioned above, the above Bill may not be the best that this country could have. Close to half of the Americans do not approve of this Bill (Tate, 2012).
However, the most important thing is to define the way forward and find a way in which the Bill can be beneficial instead of being oppressive to the Americans. Taking the critical theory approach in analyzing this Bill, it is clear that Obamacare was a bill that was well-intended to help the poor members of the society who are unable to get access to affordable healthcare within the country. America remains the most admired nation in the world, and the government has been keen to ensure that the country remains attractive.
This country has the largest economy in the world, and the country has been extending a lot of support to various countries around the world. It is therefore, unfortunate that in this land of plenty resources, a section of the society are still dying of simple diseases because they cannot afford medical costs.
This means that there is no difference between this society and that of the third world countries where such incidents are common. The Bill was intended to eradicate this. When using Critical Theory to analyze the Bill, it would be clear that the main problem has been the implementation and the attitude of the members of the society. A section of the society members have made a lot of effort to frustrate proper implementation of the Bill.
Both the Conflict Theory and Critical Theory looks at some of the weaknesses of this Bill to the society. However, while critical theory seeks to find an approach that can be used to make the Bill more beneficial to the society, the focus of Conflict Theory is to find justifications to reject the Bill.
Conclusion
The analysis of Obamacare reveals that people have taken different approaches when analyzing this Bill based on what they want to believe. The two theories explain why we have different views on the Bill. However, the fact is that Obamacare was relevant in improving health standards in the American society if the implementation is done appropriately.
References
Buchanan, I. (2010). A Dictionary of Critical Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Johnson, D. P. (2008). Contemporary sociological theory: An integrated multi-level approach. New York: Springer.
Tate, N. J. (2012). ObamaCare survival guide. West Palm Beach: Humanix Books.