During times of labor scarcity, workers have less of an incentive to take low-paying jobs, and employers have more of an incentive to provide benefits, to attract a higher-quality workforce. During times of high unemployment, workers are more desperate for jobs and will accept work at lower wages and lower benefits. But over a long duration of time, poor health status can actually result in higher rates of unemployment and lower wages, as conditions become more chronic and impede a worker's ability to labor: for example, 64% of males with diabetes and 40% of women with diabetes between the ages of 50 and 60 were employed; versus 82% of males and 60% of female without diabetes (Jacobs & Rapoport 2002: 259). Diabetes is a condition often associated with the working poor and very poor, and if the disease goes unmanaged it can become more chronic and impede the ability of workers to obtain both labor and benefits. The impact of a recession upon the healthcare industry is thus generally a 'contracting' effect, although certain aspects of the industry may see expanded demand and certain worker's employment status and health may be impacted in a permanent fashion that affects them even during...
Occasionally, demand for natural healthcare products may increase, given that people may be more apt to use those types of remedies, versus expensive conventional medicine. And one trend noted by members of the industry is that there is a spike in knee and gum surgeries immediately after an economic downturn. When workers fear losing their jobs, they try to make sure to get as many expensive, invasive procedures as possible while they are certain that they still have insurance (Arnst 2011). But as a final note, certain factors not directly pertinent to the economy can affect demand for healthcare. For example, for some workers, the incentive of working at a particular job with benefits can be higher because of their desire to obtain benefits, such as workers with children, while other workers may simply seek out a high-paying cash job.
Canada is even further behind in its access to high tech equipment, including machines used for MRI's and CAT scans. This shortage of equipment affects wait time for diagnostic tests, which in some provinces can run well over three months (Beaudan, 2002). According to Michael Decter, chair of the national board of Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian health care system is dazed but he still believes that modernized
Overall, 8% from the control group completed testing and counseling versus 23% from the intervention group, which is a "modest increase" according to the researchers. None of those who completed testing was positive for HIV. With the results controlled for race/ethnicity, i.e., meaning, within the same race/ethnic group, the turnout from the incentive-driven group was significantly higher than the control group. It was also found that whether or not they
Healthcare Economics Overall Healthcare And Economics Healthcare economics: Current challenges from a nursing perspective Although the subject of healthcare economics has been hotly-debated, on one issue there is widespread agreement: the aging of the population will substantively increase the demand for healthcare in the near and far future. As the population worldwide is aging and living longer, the need for essential services over a longer lifespan will generate more costs for an already-beleaguered
Health Care Past, Current, And Future The health of any nation should be a top priority for leaders and elected political representatives, but in the United States it took several centuries for the nation to begin to come to terms with providing health care for its citizens. This paper covers the gradual implementation of health care services and doctor training facilities in the U.S., and also covers the recent attempt by
Health Care Changes and Trends The healthcare industry in currently undergoing a highly necessary phase of reform. Following the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hospitals, physicians, patients and economists are working to determine what the legislation could mean for them. The reality though is that the myriad changes on the horizon are difficult to predict because they are determined by the intercession of a wide variance of independent forces.
Transparency empowers consumers to become better shoppers. Economists assert that transparency stimulates productivity, for example, in exchange for money, one individual obtaining fair value. In every aspect, except healthcare, Davis points out, transparency, is supported. The contemporary dearth of transparency in healthcare has led to many Americans not being able to effectively shop for the best quality of service at acute care hospitals. Davis argues that transparency permits consumers,
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now