NR 451 Week 7 Discussion, Healthcare Economics

NR 451 Week 7 Discussion, Healthcare Economics What are some benefits of the healthcare reform that has been prompted by the Affordable Care Act (ACA)? The Affordable Care Act provides expansions of mental health and substance use disorder coverage, it forces insurers to cover everyone regardless of any pre-existing conditions, it encourages employees to be proactive in their care rather than reactive, and kids stay on their parent’s insurance plan until they are 26 years of age () Why is it important to be aware of changes in healthcare policy? It is important because our day to day practice is been guided by these policies. It’s important we know these policies in order to help us make better judgement when we care for our patients. Why do you believe we spend more on healthcare than any other country but have the worst outcomes? You would think having several different vendors selling insurance to millions of Americans will create competition thereby decreasing the cost of health insurance, but no. We spend a fortune on health care but I am not quite sure of the “worst outcome”. I look at this very differently, I come from a developing country where people die due to the lack of money. You have to pay cash before the doctor sees you, and there is no such thing as patient’s rights. The nurses and doctors tell you what they want to tell you, you either take it or leave it, there are no repercussions. In America, the law requires everyone to be treated by the hospital regardless of their insurance status. That’s a burden to the system because they need to compensate for all these people without insurance. We are always striving to be the first and best in new technology, this new technology is always very costly. “In part because of these newer technologies, health care costs have increased substantially in recent years” (Jama). In my opinion, we spend more but also deliver the best care. As a student doing my practicum in one of the biggest hospitals in MD, I happened to encounter a patient that was flown in from United Arab Emirate for treatment, which led me to believe that America has the best healthcare system. References: