Americas Uninsured: A Nurse's Role and Perspective Americas Uninsured - Term Paper Example

America’s Uninsured: Report and Analysis; A Nurses Role and Perspective America’s Uninsured Introduction The current health care and economic crisisis a phenomenon which is threatening the health and economic security of every American. The difficulties which every American is facing in almost all aspects of his life seem to fuel the increase in the number of uninsured individuals. Trends have also shown that fewer Americans are seeking medical care because of the fact that they are uninsured and they can hardly cover the cost of their medical care. These practices among the uninsured have also led to the decline in the health and in the general lifestyle of the people. With these considerations, this paper now seeks to evaluate the facts regarding the uninsured in America; to assess the main challenges in health care; to identify the most significant challenge surrounding this health care issue; to evaluate the obstacles which interfere with progress in the resolution of health care issues; and to describe the plan in the care, according to public health nurses’ role in the resolution of these health care issues. Report and Analysis Based on 2005 figures as released by the US Department of Health and Human Services, there were about 45.8 million uninsured Americans in 2004. Based on who was covering the insurance, figures further indicate that employer sponsored insurance covered about 174 million Americans in 2004; and directly purchased insurance was pegged at 26.9 million or 9% of the population (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Such privately purchased insurance is covered mostly by enrollees, especially the elderly. The rest is often covered by Medicare insurance. The public coverage program is mostly covered by the Medicare with about 39.7 million enrollees and most of them are elderly or disabled. The next largest public insurance coverage is the Medicaid which mainly covers children, pregnant women and the disabled. They comprise about 37.5 million or 12.9% of the population (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). The smallest coverage is the military coverage which provides insurance for about 10.7 million or 4% of the population. In classifying the population of the uninsured, about 45.8 million are poor (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Half of the uninsured are actually below 200%, 25% are below the poverty line and 28% are between 100% and 199% of poverty. Most of them are not working and hence cannot afford insurance. Based on their age, the uninsured in America are young. About 21% of the uninsured are below 18, with 63% under the age of 34 (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). This scenario is more likely because most individuals in the below 18 age have lower incomes; hence, they can hardly afford to buy or pay for insurance. Based on parental status, these uninsured are also more likely to be childless adults than parents (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Of the 45% of adults without children, 57% are uninsured and childless adults are often less likely to be eligible for any government coverage because of their status (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Based on ethnicity and race, most of the uninsured in America are white – they comprise about half of the uninsured American population. A good number of Hispanics are also likely to be uninsured because even as they make up 14% of the general population, 30% of them are not insured (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Figures also indicate that about 30% of uninsured Americans are less likely to seek medical consult for their illnesses; and more often these uninsured adults are diagnosed in the late stages of their disease. Uninsured individuals with long-term health problems often receive less care than those who are insured. These figures all indicate that uninsured adults and even children are more likely exposed to greater health risks, even death, because they cannot afford insurance or because they are not adequately covered by their insurance. Challenges and Obstacles In the years and months leading up to the recent health bill passed by the House of Representatives, the health insurance problem in the United States reached a crucial impasse with many Americans believing that the government should step up and help implement healthcare for all, and the rest, firmly opposed to the idea of healthcare coverage for all. As President Barack Obama took his seat as president and with majority of the democrats favoring the idea of health coverage for all, significant commitments were called for to define and decide on the crucial issues in health care. So far, the solutions being presented in aid of the health care crisis is on comprehensive health coverage. And as the number of the uninsured has managed to increase to overwhelming numbers, the problem has been reevaluated and assessed based on the challenges it has managed to present. Based on an analysis by Davis (2007), he believes that even if the President and the members of congress are keen on solving the health care issue, they are not likely to table or discuss it as a legislative proposal. Davis pointed out several reasons why this may be so. One may be because the uninsured are not politically united and organized in lobbying the congress for their right to health care; another reason is that the current budget is not ideal for the passage of a health care bill; and lastly, the congress itself is not united and is deeply divided in terms of parties and voting blocs. Consequently, each party is most likely to support his party regardless of the soundness (or unsoundness) of the solutions being presented by their parties. With these considerations, there is a lack of unity within the American people and among the legislators in the evaluation and the implementation of firm solutions to this issue. Consequently, this issue remained at a standstill until the government was able to come up with certain common grounds in the health care bill. A Plan within a Nurse’s Role The nurse has a crucial role to play in this health care issue. Her role in the health care practice involves mainly on how the nurse can help those who are uninsured and how the nurse can help eliminate the issue of health insurance. As for the first question, nurses can help the uninsured by coordinating with government and community health agencies in the creation of programs which will allow nurses to run public health facilities for the indigents and the uninsured. Through these efforts, the nurse can help insure that the patients who cannot afford insurance and health care can still receive health or any type of medical care. As for the second question, the nurses can help by taking on a more active role in health care issues by planning events within the community through community forums and seminars; by helping distribute information about possible affordable coverage for indigent families; by staying informed about the current health issues and being vigilant in pushing these issues to the forefront of public and government concerns; by participating in the establishment of approaches to the different and emerging practices in nursing care; and by lobbying congress for the different health policies which may be introduced for the benefit of the people. Conclusion There are millions of uninsured individuals in America and most of them belong to the unemployed and the lower income group. These uninsured Americans are mostly uninsured simply because they cannot afford it. The problem seen before the passage of the health care bill was on the lack of political will and unity among the uninsured and among the legislators. This lack of unity made the passage of effective legislation for the resolution of the issue nearly impossible to carry out. However, with the leadership skills and the participation of the nursing profession, it is possible to help those who are uninsured through the implementation of community health services. These solutions will help ensure that those who cannot afford health insurance will still receive adequate health services. The advocacy of the nurse as a leader within her profession and in front of the concerned authorities is also another clear solution to the problem. Now that the new health care law is in place and helps to cover millions of uninsured Americans, there is still no clear guarantee that health issues would still not be at the very forefront of our problems and issues as a nation. Nevertheless, throughout this analysis of the issue and of the parties concerned, it was established that, only with firm political will, unity, collaboration, and cooperation from the government and from the people can this issue be firmly resolved. Works Cited United States Department of Health and Human Services (2005) Overview of the Uninsured in the United States: An analysis of the 2005 Current Population Survey. ASPE.HHS. Retrieved 13 May 2010 from http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/05/uninsured-cps/index.htm Read More