Unit 1 Discussion Board - Essay Example

Unit Discussion Board The government – the legislative, executive and judicial branches – plays a major role in the planning, directing, and financing of health care services. Health policy includes a large body of decisions. Some are what we most often think of as laws, health care programs and other policy decisions found in the rules and regulations established by agencies in the executive branch as well as judicial rulings on health issues. Health policy occupies an important place in the domestic policy agenda of the United States.

The United States spends more money on health care than any other country in the world. Based on recent statistics, for instance, the national health care expenditure amounted to $1,299.5 billion. (Patel, Rushefsky & McFarlane 2005, p. 7) However, the situation today is far from the ideal and that many criticisms were voiced in regard to the decline of the entire public health system. Despite the current extensive coverage by the federal government in many aspects of health care, many programs have failed (such as the short-lived Clinton health care reform) and the national health care performance continues to deteriorate.

The argument is that financing is not the problematic area; instead, the problems include the unbalanced appropriation of the funds as well as the inefficient public health infrastructure brought about by organizational turmoil and fractionalized interest. These dilemmas are consequences of a politicized health care system, wherein politicians decide populist policies in order to be elected. According to a report made by the Institute of Medicine in 1988, many health departments suffer problems of health care delivery, financing and quality of personal health services.

It cited that public health services have fallen into disarray while the ability of the public health system to take effective actions to deal with continuing and emerging public health threats is questionable. A later report – one that has been published in 2002 - concluded that not a great deal has changed since the previous report, stressing that public health law at all levels of government is outdated and internally inconsistent creating inefficiency and lack of coordination. These developments underscore the role that the political system in the US plays in the public health system of the nation.

To illustrate: Instead of prioritizing the goals and objectives of an existing health care program, new directions and policies would be introduced because the tide of public opinion as reflected in the polls would influence the policymakers, or as new political administration takes charge. This aspect in health policy is very critical. The public health infrastructure is a very complicated system with an equally complicated processes and that piecemeal modification to them could disturb the stability and efficiency of the entire healthcare system.

As it is, there are those who argue that technology could address the disarray, inefficiency and the deteriorating standards of performance of the US healthcare system today. In suggested reform plans, technology is often mentioned in the improvement of healthcare delivery, clinical performance and the department that is not as much insulated from the political environment – healthcare administration. Particularly, there is an emphasis on the cost effectiveness dimension in this area, which proponents believe could be attractive to policymakers since there would be no increase in spending involved as there is an even bigger opportunity to save public funds.

ReferencesInstitute of Medicine. (1988). The Future of Public Health. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Institute of Medicine. (2002). The Future of Public Health in the 21st Century. Washington DC: National Academy Press.Patel, K., Rushefsky, M., and McFarlane, D. (2005). The Politics of Public Health in the United States. M.E. Sharpe.