Nursing 6050 Week 3,Nursing Policy and Advocacy for Population Health Essay

Week 3: Initial Post
While the cost of healthcare in the United States is rising, the quality of care is not improving. The higher cost of healthcare does not mean a better quality of care. The high cost of healthcare is related to the waste and overconsumption of test, procedures, and referrals to specialists that are not necessary. Healthcare services are primarily paid by the government, through Medicaid and Medicare.nurs 6050 Essay Assignments The government is attempting to decrease the cost of healthcare by decreasing the use of defensive medicine, choosing less costly treatments, paying fixed amounts for procedures, using electronic health records, value-based purchasing, reducing the cost of end-of-life care, and changing individual’s behavior (Knickman & Kovner, 2016, pp. 265-267).Nursing 6050 Week 3,Nursing Policy and Advocacy for Population Health Essay

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Decisions made by the government or health insurance companies whether to pay for certain health care services or not can lead to ethical and economical challenges. For example, in “Review of prostate cancer Provenge renews medical cost-benefit debate”, the decision on whether the first vaccine for prostate cancer, Provenge, should be covered by the government is under debate due to its high cost (Stein, 2010). It is unethical for Medicare’s decision to be affected by cost because “Medicare is not supposed to take cost into consideration, when making such rulings” (Stein, 2010). Provenge, in this case, cost $93,000 per patient and prolongs life for about four months (Stein, 2010). Paying for Provenge would not be economical for Medicare. Some believe that Provenge should be covered because it prolongs life, while others believe that the treatment is too costly and can be used elsewhere. “At some point, if we keep paying these very high prices for treatments that provide very limited benefit, we’re going to reach the point where we can no longer afford health care,” said Alan Garber (Stein, 2010). Public and private health insurance companies cover the cost of health services they believe will increase the quality of life of the patient and would be cost-effective in the long run.Nursing 6050 Week 3,Nursing Policy and Advocacy for Population Health Essay
“The four goals of good healthcare are to relieve symptoms, cure disease, prolong life and improve quality of life” (Maharaj & Paul, 2011). For a patient to receive medical services recommended by the physician, the government or health insurance company must agree to pay for the services. It is done to reduce the cost of healthcare and prevent waste and overconsumption of medical services.nurs 6050 Essay Assignments “The denial by payers of requests for newer drugs or for diagnostic or surgical procedures, although quite often justified on legitimate medical grounds, can create the impression that financial considerations outrank optimal patient care” (Ethics in forefront of move to control medical costs, 2013). The policy decision making-process that determines what type of care is covered by public and private insurers is not an easy one. There are ethical and economical challenges that must be balanced. A policy may be ethical, but not economical, and vice versa. To meet the goal of increasing quality of care, we must all work together, including patients and healthcare workers. We must work to decrease the cost of healthcare while providing necessary care. Patients and physicians play a major role in decreasing the cost of healthcare. Patients must work towards changing their health behaviors and, providers need to reduce the number of unnecessary services. Nursing 6050 Week 3,Nursing Policy and Advocacy for Population Health Essay