NUR 325, Week 11: Health Care Reform Assignment

Health Care Reform

The healthcare sector constitutes one of the industries that experience rapid changes in structure and operations. Due to rapid demographic, social, and political changes, policymakers develop and implement new strategies to promote compatibility between the healthcare system and the prevailing environment. They develop reforms tailored towards broadening healthcare coverage among members of society to improve their lives and reduce their risk of contracting various health conditions. Such reforms are also developed to improve the responsiveness of the healthcare system to patients’ health needs and enhance the capacity of healthcare organizations to support public health initiatives. Moreover, due to emerging issues in the education sector and interprofessional collaboration between healthcare professionals and experts in other industries, health reforms are developed to outline the formal relationship between clinicians and other specialists in the strive to enhance the responsiveness of the healthcare system to the population health needs. This study seeks to demonstrate the role of healthcare reforms in refining the healthcare system to respond to health needs among members of society effectively. My healthcare reform would preserve current federal and state funding structures, introduce the consideration of queer people as marginalized groups in society, and leverage big data analytics and telemedicine to improve the healthcare system’s responsiveness to contemporary public health issues.

If I were designing a new healthcare system reform, I would retain the current structures for federal funding to ensure that members of society continue to access healthcare services despite various social and economic limitations. Different groups in society report an elevated risk of contracting various health conditions that require thorough medical interventions. Despite their increased predisposition to different health conditions, some members of society may lack the adequate economic potential to seek medical intervention. It is, therefore, important to preserve the existing structures for federal funding for healthcare services to promote access to care among members of society. Through Medicaid and Medicare, the federal and state governments provide comprehensive coverage and financial protection for many members of society who may lack the financial capacity to provide funding for their healthcare needs (Holahan & McMorrow, 2019, p. 11). Since their establishment by the United States government, Medicaid and Medicare have contributed to the fight against various chronic and infectious diseases in American society. While some policymakers have identified the need to reduce federal funding for Medicaid and Medicare to reduce government expenditure, I would maintain such funding sources in my health reform to ensure that less fortunate members of society have access to quality care services.

I would change the current structures for public health to introduce the consideration of queer people as a marginalized group in society. In today’s society, homosexual and transgender people experience elevated risks of contracting multiple health conditions than other members of society. For example, due to their sexual orientation, homosexual people often experience multiple forms of discrimination, including limited healthcare access. As a result, such individuals are more likely to develop advanced diseases due to a lack of healthcare services. Similarly, transgender people face social stigma and discrimination that limit their access to quality healthcare services. For example, according to Simpson (2018), gay people experience an elevated risk of violence and victimization that limits their willingness to associate with other members of society. As a result, such individuals may shy away from seeking medical intervention during illness due to the fear of anti-gay violence and discrimination. Moreover, due to their antisocial behavior and stigma, queer people experience a higher risk of contracting mental and psychological health conditions, which require the development of healthcare reforms that seek to increase access to healthcare services among queer people. I would, therefore, introduce the consideration of queer people as a vulnerable group in society that requires legal protection and increased access to care services. Such a reform would help to reduce the prevalence of mental health conditions among queer people and reduce their risk of disease progression whenever they fall sick.

The reform would also allow for the provision of federal funding for healthcare conditions facing queer people in society. In addition to social limitations, queer people in society experience challenges when accessing resources that could improve their financial well-being. For example, due to the existing stereotypes against queer people, such individuals have limited access to employment opportunities, exposing them to financial deprivation. As a result, many queer people are poor and cannot provide funding for their healthcare services whenever they fall sick (Kia et al., 2020, p. 21). Therefore, they refrain from seeking medical attention during illness, which exposes them to the risk of disease progression, leading to further economic incapacitation. It is, therefore, important to develop a healthcare reform that allows for federal funding for health conditions associated with queer people to improve their access to healthcare. The reform would include extending coverage for Medicaid and Medicare to include query members of society who lack adequate sources of livelihood. It would also include provisions for the legal protection of such individuals to address the existing inequality and anti-queer violence in society. Consequently, the reform would bring about greater access to care services among queer people in society.

I would also introduce the use of big data analytics and telemedicine to enhance the effectiveness of the current healthcare system. In the current digital era, many industries use technological innovations to advance their methods of operations. The use of such technologies attracts more efficient production as they make it easier to detect and respond to errors. I would, therefore, develop healthcare policies that encourage the use of big data analytics to transform the process of medical data collection, storage, and implementation to optimize diagnostic techniques used by healthcare professionals. Such technologies would also make it easier to analyze the unstructured and huge volumes of medical data to make useful inferences regarding the prevalence of different health conditions among diverse groups in society to inform public health initiatives (Wang et al., 2018, p. 3). The reform would also include the introduction of telehealth services that allow members of the public to use contemporary information technology to locate healthcare facilities and make informed decisions regarding the nature of services to seek for. Such innovative ideas would transform the current healthcare system and improve its responsiveness to public health issues.

To improve the healthcare system’s responsiveness to contemporary public health issues, I would develop a healthcare reform that seeks to preserve current federal and state funding structures, introduce the consideration of queer people as a marginalized group in society, and leverage big data analytics and telemedicine. The reform would maintain the current structures for federal funding to ensure that members of society continue to access healthcare services despite various social and economic limitations. The reform would also change the current structures for public health to introduce the consideration of queer people as a marginalized group in society and allow for the provision of federal funding for healthcare conditions facing queer people in society. To ensure the adaptability of the healthcare system to contemporary technological innovations, I would also introduce the use of big data analytics and telemedicine to enhance the effectiveness of the current healthcare system.

References

Holahan, J., & McMorrow, S. (2019). Slow Growth in Medicare and Medicaid Spending per Enrollee Has Implications for Policy Debates. Urban Institute, February 11. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99748/rwjf451631.pdf

Simpson, L. (2018). Violent victimization of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in Canada, 2014. Juristat: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 1-13. https://search.proquest.com/openview/bc5a7d7a528227a3c1d4bf82df22d81f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=44168

Kia, H., Robinson, M., MacKay, J., & Ross, L. E. (2020). Poverty in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) populations in Canada: an intersectional review of the literature. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 28(1), 21-54. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/jpsj/2020/00000028/00000001/art00002

Wang, Y., Kung, L., & Byrd, T. A. (2018). Big data analytics: Understanding its capabilities and potential benefits for healthcare organizations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 126, 3-13. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162516000500