Nursing and Health-Care-Policy

Between the mid-1700s and early 2000, the healthcare system in the United States started evolving from a basic system of natural medications and peripatetic healthcare professionals with less experience to a more scientific, complex, governmental, and technological structure popularly it is referred to as the “medical-industrial complex.” The acceptance of the “germ theory” as the origin of disease, the increasing competence of doctors, technological developments in the treatment of diseases, the rise of important medical training programs and treatment amenities, in addition to the introduction of health insurance, have all contributed to the development of this complex (Keirns, 2023). The controls of the health care system, medical insurance, health care rules, and programs, and the government all changed during this period. In the recent years, the healthcare system of the U.S has significantly seen a transformation in its organizations.

Even though the U.S health care system does not offer people universal coverage, its structure is a mixed system with Medicaid and Medicare supported by the government. These public health care coverages go along with private health insurance plans in the market (Rich & White, 2019). By 2019 about half of the population in the United States received private health coverage through their employers. About 6% of the population got health coverage through marketplaces (Tuohy, 2019). This means that about 20% relied on Medicaid, non-group insurance, 1% chose other insurance plans and about 14% were insured through Medicare.

The healthcare system of the U.S is quite unusual unlike other developed countries in the world. The U.S does not have a system of universal health care, and only recently did it enact legislation requiring almost everyone to have health insurance (Mason et al., 2020). The U.S system of healthcare is best characterized as an integrated system, as opposed to a public health service, a public health coverage scheme with one payer, or a general health cover fund with multiple payers. As of 2014, approximately 48% was accounted for by private funds in healthcare spending (Porche, 2021). Families contributed to this by about 28% and 20% came from private organizations. About 28% was accounted for by the federal government while municipal and state governments accounted for approximately 17%. Even though it may be funded publicly, private entities provide for most of the United States’ healthcare.

To comprehend healthcare policies in the United States, it is also necessary to take into account the legacy of various non-health aspects and how they interact with health and the political process (Porche, 2021). These past occurrences, together with other sociological, economic, and societal variables, frequently have a significant influence on the public’s perceptions, political activity, and healthcare inequity. In certain situations, these historical occurrences also present a window of opportunities for advancing substantial healthcare changes. Healthcare politics in the United States are influenced by several important factors, including the makeup of American political organizations, the divisions of political parties, the characteristics of elected officials or policy business owners, and the influence of stakeholder groups, especially private actors in the delivery of healthcare.

Political participation should be encouraged by nurses’ families and friends. The academic programs of nursing institutions ought to incorporate instruction on healthcare policy, and they should encourage nursing students to get involved in politics.  Additionally, nursing school professors ought to take part in legislation changes so they may set an example for the learners they teach (Mason et al., 2020). Businesses must also offer staff nurses the time, resources, and chances they need to influence local, state, and federal legislation. After all, the law governing healthcare affects us all.  The election process requires that registered nurses always participate completely to advocate for their rights.

References

Keirns, C. (2023). History of Health Policy: Explaining Complexity through Time. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 78(1), 34-45.

Mason, D. J., Perez, A., McLemore, M. R., & Dickson, E. (2020). Policy & politics in nursing and health care-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Porche, D. J. (2021). Health policy: Application for nurses and other healthcare professionals. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Rich, R. F., & White, W. D. (2019). Health care policy and the American states: issues of federalism. In Health Policy, Federalism, and the American States (pp. 3-35). London: Routledge.

Tuohy, C. H. (2019). Variation in Health Care Policy in the American States: The Dog that didn’t Bark. In Health Policy, Federalism, and the American States (pp. 203-219). Routledge.