Running head: MEDICAID PROGRAM 1
MEDICAID PROGRAM 7
Medicaid program
Brittany Ranck
Rasmussen College
Medicaid program
PART ONE
a. Purpose of the program
The US government established the Medicaid healthcare program with intentions of making healthcare accessible and affordable to the citizens. The program was perceived as one of great importance because in the US there are a high number of people who belongs to the low-income class and hence could not afford healthcare services which are relatively high. After the establishment, different US states embraced the program into their respective healthcare industry and the program is normally operated independently in various US states. For example, I come from Illinois, and in this state, the Medicaid program that offers health care assistance has been branded as Illinois Medicaid Program. The program is jointly funded by the US national government and the federal government program. The program's main purpose is to pay for necessary medical individuals who cannot access or afford health care services, and they are citizens or legal aliens of Illinois (Thompson, 2012). The Illinois Medicaid program pays for medical services for children and their caregivers, parents, pregnant women, persons with disability, the blind, and also citizens older than 65 years. The services that are catered for by the Illinois Medicaid program is the physician bill, hospital bill, long-term care, drugs, medical equipment, laboratory tests, family planning, x-rays, and transportation among other health care services.
b. Effectiveness of the program
The Illinois Medicaid program cannot be classified as one that is very efficient. The reason is that, despite the program being targeted to help low-income earners and people in need of medical assistance like the disabled and the old, the program has not been able to prevent people from middle-income class to enjoy free health care services. In Illinois, there are a big number f people from the middle-income class who are not supposed to benefit from the program, but they end up benefiting. The reason is that the program has not set limits on the extent that the program can accept when it comes to the classes of people that should enjoy the services. For example; the program allows pregnant women to enjoy the service. The program does not put into consideration whether the woman is financially capable or not and this paves the way for fraud to take place in the Illinois healthcare service delivery (Rudman, et al., 2009). This is also the same case when it comes to caring givers or parents of a child who has been born disabled. The reason is that despite the child being with a disability, the parents might have ample financial ability to take care of their child's medical bills and the program only left for the low-income earners and those extremely poor individuals.
Luckily, according to Quinn, et al., (2016); the Illinois Medicaid program cannot be said only to have failed. The program has achieved numerous goals especially when it comes to making healthcare affordable not only to the low-income earners but also to the middle and high-income earners (Thompson, 2012). The reason is that the program has also strived to make sure that the government funds has been used to provide quality medical services available at different healthcare facilities. Thus, the funding has made it possible for the industry to lower the cost of healthcare in Illinois. But for the people, who fall under the set required income level, they enjoy free medical services, and this has made over 85% of poor people in Illinois to be beneficiaries of the program.
c. Viewpoints or opposing views to the program
Since the Illinois state government established and implemented the Illinois Medicaid program, different stakeholders have shared different viewpoints and ideas about the program. There are individuals who have been in support of the program while others have emphasized that the program is not good enough and that it should be amended. For example; the people under the poverty level support the idea that the Illinois Medicaid should be for the low-income people who unfortunately happens to occupy a big percentage of the population as compared to middle and high-income earners. The reasons provided for this viewpoint is that the middle and high-income earners can afford the high cost of healthcare and also the amount demanded by the insurance companies (Pressman, 2015). Thus, the program should target only the individuals who cannot afford healthcare and only relies on the government for assistance. The people who are from the low-income class, as well as humanitarian agencies, have been in the front line claiming that the program should work only for the poor individuals as they are the ones in dire need of medical assistance.
Another reason why the Illinois Medicaid program is said to be a good program and that should continue supporting the low-income earners is because the middle and high-income earners heavily rely on low-income earners. The latter is in the sense that the middle and high-income earners search for low-income earners to work for them and hence the health of the low-income earners should be the state's priority. The reason is that when the low-income earners are of bad health, and they cannot afford medical services, the middle and high-income earners would also be affected because they would not have enough people to hire and this economic status will be compromised (Pressman, 2015). This is an opinion that was once shared by the Illinois State governor. By making the program to be only for the low-income, disabled, and the aged was a way that the state and national government was trying to bridge the wide gap that has always existed between the rich and the poor. This is not forgetting the reality that diseases further makes the level of poverty to exceed and hence offering medical services to the poor people is also a way of making sure that the poor are in good state of health so that they can be empowered to improve their livelihood.
Some individuals share a different point of view that Illinois Medicaid program should not only be for the poor and the aged. Some people from the middle and high-income earners claim that the Illinois state government has the ability and resources that can enable them to establish a program that can cover even the individuals from the middle and upper-income earners (Pressman, 2015). These people claim that the fact that they have worked hard to improve their economic status is not a good enough reason to lock them out of the program. They share the feeling that they are also a part of the Illinois community and establishing a program that offers services to a particular group of people is a form of segregation.
PART TWO
From: The Managing Director
Cc: Head of the department
To: All the staffs
Date: April 19, 2017
Subject: Healthcare programs
Since the healthcare programs were established and implemented into the system, we as health care professionals can do little to avoid the programs and hence it is our duty to make sure that the programs work efficiently. The reason is that effective working of the programs would help us to perform even better and have medical bills that have affected the industry and as paid through the programs. I am on the realization that it is tough for healthcare professionals to keep up with all the programs offered through the government. But, in every challenge, there is always a solution, and this is the reason why I am providing you with important tips that will help you deal with healthcare programs challenge.
As you all know, there are different programs, but the difference is that they do not work the same. Some are easier to operate as compared to others. This is information that even the patients are not aware of, and hence it is our duty to inform the patients. Comparing the many health programs that there is in the industry today, Medicaid is one of the most effective and easy to use programs. Also, it is a program that has many benefits that the customers can benefit from regardless of the social and economic backgrounds. The reason is that the program has diverse options and this means that it is for every member of the society. With a Medicaid program, patients can enjoy low cost services, and the program is available in almost all the medical facilities including our facilities. Thus, when offering services to clients, it is important that you offer them advice so that they can choose the Medicaid program as their selected health care program. This way, the patients will be able to enjoy the benefits that come along with the program, and we as healthcare providers will be able to experience the convenience of the program.
Thank you
References
Lee, N. R., & Oral, O. P. (2014). The Changing Face of Healthcare Fraud and Abuse in America
Pressman, S. (2015). Defining and Measuring the Middle Class; https://www.aier.org/sites/default/files/Files/Documents/Standard/WP007-Middle%20Class.pdf
Quinn, K., Weimar, D., Gray, J., & Davies, B. (2016). Thinking about clinical outcomes in Medicaid. The Journal of ambulatory care management, 39(2), 125.
Rudman, W. J., Eberhardt, J. S., Pierce, W., & Hart-Hester, S. (2009). Healthcare fraud and abuse. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 6(5)
Top of Form
Thompson, F. J. (2012). Medicaid Politics: Federalism, policy durability, and health reform. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Bottom of Form
Running head: LEGISLATIVE ACTION 1
LEGISLATIVE ACTION 6
Legislative Action in Health
Brittany Ranck
Rasmussen College
Author’s Note: This paper is being submitted on Sunday, April 9th, 2017 for Laura De La Cruz class Healthcare planning and policy management.
Legislative Action in Health
Part I
The health care sector has been awash with the various health policies aimed at benefiting the citizens of the United States. One of the policies in the area of health and which shall form the backbone of the discussion is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Manchinkati, Caraway, and Parr et. al. (2011) observed that the officiating of the Act was the signing of the same by President Barrack Obama on 23rd March 2017. The authors highlighted that the Act brought about changes in the health system after the Medicaid and the Medicare. The Responsible Reform (n.d.) added that the policy aimed at making sure that the American citizens received the health care that they could afford, and that which was quality health care.
The Responsible Reform (n.d.) as revealed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) highlighted that there was the full payment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Act where there would be the provision of coverage to a significant section of the American citizens amounting to 94% of them while still within the set limit. According to this source, the Act comprised of nine sections that sought to ensure that there was a sense of reform in the health care system. Feldman, Buysse and Hubner et. al. (2015) outlined that some of the purposes of the Act was to ensure that there was a reduced number of the American citizens who were not under any form of insurance and ensure the affordability of the health care and health insurance. Also, the Act designed to ensure that there was increased results and performance of the health care system.
However, as Selker and Wesser (2014) highlighted, the embracing of the Act was not entirely automatic. According to the authors, there were a lot of political rumblings before the enactment of the Act. The extent to which the political divide remained in disarray was something not experienced in quite a long time. The main bone of contention was "to what extent the nation should expand healthcare coverage to 30-plus million currently uninsured citizens" (Selker & Wesser 2014). The authors added that there was a view of the legislation as one of those that had experienced a lot of challenging in the history of American. One of the reasons for this resistance was because there was a regard of the Act as an experiment that sought to "portray the American citizens as the guinea pigs in the research facility cages" (Selker & Wesser 2014).
The other viewpoint of the Patient Protection and Affordable Act was that with its implementation, there was a minimal degree of consideration for the unique needs that children might have. Feldman, Buysse and Hubner et al. (2015) outlined that the children and youths with special needs or dealing with disabilities are the lots that were likely to experience the benefits of the Act due to their high use of health care. Selker and Wesser (2014) described the Affordable Care Act as one of the most expansive and innovative ventures ever pursued by the country, as it sought to cover a significant section of the American citizens. Besides, it ensured that the healthcare system was economically sustainable to ensure that the citizens experienced the full benefits of the healthcare sector.
With this Patient Protection and Affordable Act, the employees of Desmon Mills sought to benefit. They shall rest assured that there is the catering of their health needs by their government.
Part II
Memorandum
TO: The Supervisor
CC: Head of Department
From: Human Resource Manager
Date: 10/4/2017
SUBJECT: Patient Protection and Affordable Act
This memo is with regards to the Patient Protection and Affordable Act. The Act best coincides with the facility for myriad reasons. First things first, most of the employees do not have insurance covers due to their meager earnings that render them incapable of affording one. Therefore, with this Act, the health needs of the employees would be covered by the government, where the employees would be able to access quality care taking into consideration the aspect of affordability.
As there is a clear stipulation in the facility's strategic statement, one of the core values is ensuring the well-being of the employees. This particular legislation aims at improving the health needs of the citizens. With the improvement in the access to health care, there is the likelihood of the improvement of the well-being of the employees. The Act is good for the business operation. With most of the health needs catered for, the employees will work having peace of mind knowing that there would be a resolution of their health needs. The company also gets to save on costs as there is the reduced burden of having to cater to the employees' insurance needs. It is worth noting that the Act is in line with the ethics of the facility which is promoting human dignity through the provision of health care.
References
Feldman H., Buysse C & Hubner L. et. al. (2015). "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs." Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Vol. 36 Issue 3: 207-217. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387205/
In Selker, H. P., & In Wasser, J. S. (2014). The Affordable Care Act as a National Experiment: Health Policy Innovations and Lessons
Manchinkati L., Caraway DL. & Parr AT. et. al. (2011). "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: reforming the health care reform for the new decade." Pain Physician, Vol. 14 Issue 1: E35-67. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21267047
Responsible Reform. "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." Retrieved from https://www.dpc.senate.gov/healthreformbill/healthbill04.pdf.

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