Healthcare: The Effects of Rising Costs on the Middle Class
The rising cost of healthcare and the effects on the middle class

Healthcare

Effects of Rising Costs on Middle Class

The purpose of this paper is to define the income and social levels of the middle class in the United States and to examine and determine the effects that the rising costs of healthcare have had on the middle class. Further this work will examine the hospital closures in the State of California in relation to the trending which appears to be lessening the availability of the individual in attaining care while at the same time increasing the costs and access to healthcare effectively barring many in the United States Middle Class from receiving proper care for their health.

Introduction:

Healthcare costs have inflated to the point that no longer can every individual feel that healthcare is available for them and their family because indeed…...

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Bibliography:

Griffey, Virginia (2001) Study Examines Hospital Closures: Monetary Hardships Cited as Primary Cause 2001 May 15 The Daily Californian [Online] located at:  http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=5577 

California Healthcare Association: Letter to California Governor Schwarzenegger (2004 Sep 24) [Online] at: / www.calhealth.org/public/press/Article%5C103%5CLetter%20to% 20 Governor%20Schwarzenegger%20More%20Hospital%20Closures.pdf.

Hunter, Derek; Beach, William (2003) How Much Will the Senate Drug Bill Cost a Family of Four? WebMemo #306-2003 Aug 12[Online] available at:  

Rising Health Costs
Perception or Deception: The public face of rising health care costs

The Obama administration worked its way through the political minefields and signed into law its healthcare reforms in 2010. Some of the changes are underway, bringing about systematic modifications and other changes said to directly impacts costs. The expected result is a system that serves more people at reduced costs. And yet, as recently September 2011, when the reforms were beginning to take hold, the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation was already projecting that consumers would begin paying at least 9% more in their premiums than in 2010 -- a tripling of the standard increase from the past. Various explanations were offered, including linking 1% to 2% of the rising cost to Obama reforms. But what of the other cost differences? Why were they going up so much more? Are these increased being added because of true system costs,…...

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News and professional accounts (journalism) of some of the operational issues that states and localities are facing as a result of the changes that are underway; and,

Public or private (non-professional) postings of issues and topics of significance (this will include various websites, blog posting, personal or organizational commentaries, etc.), which are generally more subjective and often advocacy oriented.

Then, covering the period of April 2012, a similar targeted selection of postings will be made exclusively from the last group, the public and private discussion

(Menzel, 1990, p. 3) Fisher, Berwick, & Davis alude to the idea of integration in health care, with providers linking as well as creating networks of electronic medical records and other cost improvement tactics.
The United States and other nations over the last twenty or so years, have begun a sweeping change in health care delivery, regarding the manner in which health information is input, stored and accessed. Computer use in the medical industry has greatly increased over the last thirty years the culmination of this is fully networked electronic medical record keeping. (Berner, Detmer, & Simborg, 2005, p. 3) the electronic medical record trend began in the largest institutions first, as hospitals and large care organizations attempted to reduce waste and improve patient care, while the adoption has been much slower among physician's practices and smaller medical institutions. (Hillestad, et al., 2005, pp. 1103-1104) Prior to this time medical…...

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Resources, and Utilization

In fact Congress should pass a bill that gives that prescription drug benefit to Medicare patients.
QUESTION NINE: In the United States, healthcare is so expensive that over 45 million people are without health insurance. It is a broken system, leaving out many people, especially children. Recently the executive branch vetoed a bill that would have provided health insurance to millions of middle and low-income children, indicating a lack of government concern for the well being of the population. Bush said it was too expensive, yet it's not too expensive to continue spending billions on an unpopular war in Iraq. Meanwhile, for the past 45 years, Canada has had a "government-funded, national healthcare system..." based on these five principles, according to www.medhunters.com.One, it is universally available to permanent residents; two, it is comprehensive; three, it is available regardless of income; four, it is "portable within and outside" Canada; and five,…...

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Works Cited

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2007). Fact Sheet: Nursing Shortages.

Retrieved Feb. 7, 2008, at  http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media/factsheets/nursingshortage.htm .

Duke, Elizabeth. (2004). Report to Congress. The Critical Care Workforce: A Study of the Supply and Demand for Critical Care Physicians. U.S. Department of Health & Human

Services / Health Resources & Services Administration. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2008, at http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/criticalcare/cc1.htm.

Healthcare spending and GDP
With the renewed comprehensive healthcare system, the obvious challenge that came with it is how to finance it. The huge projections of the financial inputs needed to efficiently run the program portends a challenge to the government and is likely to spin out of control and be unaffordable in the long run after a few decades from now. This is informed by accompanying supplies and services increasing in cost like the essential original drugs that have been noted to have increased in prices among other services within the healthcare. In many countries people are expected to pay for their own health care. Therefore the ability of people to pay for their health care or the affordability of the healthcare has become a policy issue in many countries and especially an issue of urgency. The issue of healthcare spending has been a topic for debate over the past…...

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Rise in healthcare spending can also be attributed to the use of improved technology, vaccine improvement, antibiotics, introduction of disease care as well as advances in surgery. There have also been improved medical devices like CT scanners, MRI, ultrasounds and defibrillators that can be implanted. At the same time there are developments in pharmaceuticals and administration costs have also contributed to the rise in costs of healthcare. Mostly the heath care costs are due to medical technology which is approximately over 200 billion per year (Wayne, 2012).

The Americans lifestyles also impact the health care industry in significant measures, almost sixty percent of the population is overweight and childhood obesity is rampant. Other factors that have an impact on the healthcare spending are; poor diets, high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise, drugs and drinking. It is the people themselves who have pushed the costs of health care up. The high healthcare spending ahs effects not only to families but also to businesses and public budgets. Expenditure on healthcare is seen to rise at a rate that is fast even faster than the state of the economy entirely and the wages of the working people.

In 2011 spending on medications, hospital visits as well as other medical care went up with an estimated percentage of 3.9 this consumed about 17.9% of the GDP. This is more than three times the deficit. Much of the money is considered to be spent appropriately which is keeping people alive and healthy but of

Healthcare
Why access to healthcare has become an issue in the U.S.

According to a 2010 Gallup Poll, Americans named access to services the "top issue" in health care ("Americans Name Healthcare Access Top U.S. Health Issue," 2010). Empirical research also reveals that access is the top problem in the American health care system at the moment, as "tens of millions of adults under age 65 -- both those with insurance and those without -- saw their access to health care worsen dramatically over the past decade," (Galewitz, 2012). The reasons for the problems related to access stem from social justice and cost barriers (Galewitz, 2012). Health care is simply too expensive for most Americans. As a result, many are delaying seeking treatment. The situation is as true for the insured as the uninsured, showing that health care access is a systemic problem (Young, 2012, p. 1). The 2010 Patient Protection and…...

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References

"Americans Name Healthcare Access Top U.S. Health Issue," (2010). Gallup. Retrieved online:  http://www.gallup.com/video/144902/americans-say-healthcare-access-costs-top-health-issues.aspx 

Galewitz, P. (2012). Access to health care in U.S. worsens, study finds. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 10, 2012. Retrieved online:  http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/access-to-health-care-in-u-s-worsens-study-finds/article_84fad081-8f9e-523a-a24f-0c19403430c0.html 

Young, J. (2012). Health care access worsens. Huffington Post. May 7, 2012. Retrieved online:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/health-care-access-urban-institute_n_1497658.html

Drug costs have gone from 26% of health care spending by private insurance companies in 1990 to 44% in 2006 (Kaiser Foundation, 2008). This issue has not been adequately addressed by health care reform. Instead, a deal appears to be made for $80 billion in concessions from the pharmaceutical industry in exchange for its support of health care reform (Kirkpatrick, 2009).
The underlying trend in each of these major issues in health care reform is controlling the rising cost. Malpractice reform seeks to control the cost of insurance to health care providers, so that they can pass those savings along to consumers. The public option provides a plan for affordable health care coverage for uninsured and underinsured Americans. This is deemed necessary because private insurers will not offer insurance to those it feels will demand too much in terms of health care costs going forward. Reducing the cost of health…...

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Works Cited:

Carey, Nick. (2009). Uninsured Americans hope reform brings health coverage. Reuters. Retrieved October 7, 2009 from  http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE58F0NO20090916 

The White House. (2009). The Obama Plan: Stability and Security for All Americans. Retrieved October 7, 2009 from  http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/obama_plan_card.PDF 

New York Times. (2009). Malpractice and Health Care Reform. New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2009 from  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/opinion/17wed2.html 

Kaiser Family Foundation. (2008). Prescription Drug Trends. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved October 7, 2009 fromhttp://www.kff.org/rxdrugs/upload/3057_07.pdf

Healthcare Costs
A number of factors have affected the costs of healthcare in the United States over the past 3 decades, and there has been a corresponding impact on the nursing field as a result. To determine the facts about these issues, this paper reviews the literature to identify those factors that have had an effect on increasing healthcare costs over the past 30 years following by an analysis concerning how nursing has been impacted by efforts to contain costs. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning factors affecting healthcare costs and their impact on the nursing field are presented in the conclusion.

Factors Affecting Healthcare Costs in Past 30 Years

Although the $2.8 trillion healthcare industry in the United States has become more efficient over the past 30 years, there have been some forces at work that have continued to drive increases in the costs of the provision…...

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References

Fischer, K. M. (2016, January 1). How the educational funding provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will affect the nursing shortage in the United States. Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, 11(1), 54-57.

Medical cost trends: Behind the numbers 2015. (2014). Price-Waterhouse-Cooper: Health Research Institute.

The facts about rising healthcare costs. (2016). Aetna. Retrieved from  http://www.aetna.com/health-reform-connection/aetnas-vision/facts-about-costs.html .

Schreuders, L. & Bremner, A. P. (2012, June 1). Nurse perceptions of the impact of nursing care on patient outcomes: An exploratory study. Contemporary Nurse: a Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 41(2), 190-193.

The topic on "Social Marketing in Healthcare" advances how social marketing tool predominantly used in marketing consumer items can be effectively applied in the healthcare field. In addition, the development of social marketing research is an effective means by which information can be collected from consumers. This adds weight on this subject. In today's age, all activities are caught up in the information technology web. This is possible through the creation of systems of collecting, analyzing, and sharing information. This opportunity is now available to the healthcare workers because they can conduct consumer research through social marketing avenues. The information collected will then be used to develop efficient healthcare programs for consumers (Aras, 2011).

The key Points

The key points in the article include the need for health workers to use social marketing tools in conducting consumer research prior to developing and implementing healthcare programs. In this case, the article advances that…...

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References

Aras R.Y. (2011). Social Marketing in Healthcare. Australasian Medical Journal, vol. 4(8): 418

424, http//dx.doi.org/10.4066/AMJ.2011.626

Leslie, a. (2004). The Rising Cost of Health Care, Strategic and Societal. HR Magazine, vol.

49(9): 1-10

These needs are only beginning to be addressed in Canada and while there do not appear to be many well-established initiatives there is a growing recognition of the need for such if Canada's healthcare sector is to gain and retain the necessary workers to deliver optimal healthcare in Canada.
ibliography

Polls & Research (2006) Health Care, Environment Top Issues in Canada. 1 Nov 2006. AngusReid Global Monitor. Online available at: http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/13653

ack, Chris (2008) Current and Emerging Trends: Occupational Health and Safety in the C Healthcare Sector. 19 Sept 2008. Prepared for the OHSAH Stakeholder Meeting. Online available at: http://www.ohsah.bc.ca/media/240-OHS-Current-and-Emerging-Trends-full.pdf

Canadian Institute for Health Information, Workforce Trends of Registered Nurses in Canada, 2006 (Ottawa: CIHI, 2007).

Canadian Nursing Advisory Committee, Full-time Equivalents and Financial Costs Associated with Absenteeism, Overtime, and Involuntary Part-time Employment in the Nursing Profession, February 15, 2002.

Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, What's Ailing our Nurses? A Discussion of the Major Issues…...

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Bibliography

Polls & Research (2006) Health Care, Environment Top Issues in Canada. 1 Nov 2006. AngusReid Global Monitor. Online available at: http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/13653

Back, Chris (2008) Current and Emerging Trends: Occupational Health and Safety in the BC Healthcare Sector. 19 Sept 2008. Prepared for the OHSAH Stakeholder Meeting. Online available at:  http://www.ohsah.bc.ca/media/240-OHS-Current-and-Emerging-Trends-full.pdf 

Canadian Institute for Health Information, Workforce Trends of Registered Nurses in Canada, 2006 (Ottawa: CIHI, 2007).

Canadian Nursing Advisory Committee, Full-time Equivalents and Financial Costs Associated with Absenteeism, Overtime, and Involuntary Part-time Employment in the Nursing Profession, February 15, 2002.

reputed "health crisis" currently facing Americans. The author explores several aspects of the health care crisis and analyzes the validity of those claims. The author presents an argument that there really is not a health care crisis and it is a fallacy. There were six sources used to complete this paper.
Why do People Believe the Crisis is eal?

What Evidence is There That it is Not eal?

What are some of the things giving the appearance it is...shortage of students etc.

What are some of the ideas that can help the problem?

For several years now Americans have been inundated with information about the health care crisis. News channels cover the crisis and pipe it into living rooms. Magazines publish articles about the causes and history of the health care crisis and politicians use the health care crisis to sell their platform and garner votes. It seems that everywhere one turns one can…...

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REFERENCES

There. (U.S. health care crisis and crime problem)

St. Louis Journalism Review; May 1, 1994; Blumenthal, H.T.

Health Care Crisis Is Not a Misnomer

Newsday; November 30, 2002; Robert Reno

Human esource Management in Heath Care
ole of HM in Health Care

Impact of Human esource Management in Health Care

HM and Strategic Plan of Organization

ole of HM in Health Care

The various types of staff I the clinical and non-clinical sections who are responsible for intervention in individual and public health is known as the human resources in health care system. The knowledge, skills and motivation of the employees and the staff of the health care system who deliver health services are responsible to a great extent for the performance and the benefits that people can derive from the health care system.

While the health care system is also dependent on various other forms of physical resources like medicines and machinery, there needs to be a balance between the physical and the human resources in the system. However, what is more important is the management of the human resources in the system in a…...

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References

Elarabi, H., & Johari, F. (2014). THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCES Management ON HEALTHCARE QUALITY. ASIAN JOURNAL OF Management SCIENCES & EDUCATION, 3(1), 3-7. Retrieved from http://www.ajmse.leena-luna.co.jp/AJMSEPDFs/Vol.3(1)/AJMSE2014(3.1-02).pdf

Karstadt, L. (2012). Human resources for health care: a global issue?. British Journal Of Nursing, 21(19), 1178-1178.  http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2012.21.19.1178 

Munda, S. (2015). Work-Family Supportive Strategy: A Perfect Remedy to Manage Human Resources in Indian Health Care Organizations. ANVESHAK-International Journal Of Management, 4(1), 11.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15410/aijm/2015/v4i1/59872

At which point, the overall costs of care will be passed on to the tax payer in the form of higher taxes. This leads to a decrease in the overall quality of care and it will not slow the price increases, as the government seeks to restrict access to these services. Then, when the program becomes broken (such as: what is happening to Social Security) removing or reforming the bureaucracy is nearly impossible. (Messerili, 2010)
A second argument that many critics make about universal health care is: it will stifle innovation. Whenever, the government is running any kind of program, they will place a large number of restrictions and regulations on the industry. When this takes place, you are causing some of the best and brightest minds to seek careers in other fields, as the restrictions from the government are too cumbersome. A good example of this would be: the…...

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Bibliography

Trends in Health Care Costs and Spending. (2006). Retrieved March 13, 2010 from Kaiser Foundation website:

 http://www.kff.org/insurance/upload/7692_02.pdf 

Andersen, R. (2007). Changing the U.S. Health Care System. Washington D.C: National Academy Press.

Gratzer, D. (2002). Better Medicine. Toronto, on: ECW Press.

"Studies of the relationship between managed care penetration in the health care market and expenditures for Medicare fee-for-service enrollees have demonstrated the existence of these types of spill over effects" (Bundorf et al., 2004).
Managed care organizations generate these types of spillover effects by increasing competition in the health care market, altering the arrangement of the health care delivery system, and altering physician practice patterns. Studies have found that higher levels of managed care infiltration are linked with lower rates of hospital cost inflation and lower physician fees are consistent with competitive effects. "Other studies demonstrate the impact of managed care on delivery system structure including hospital capacity, hospital admission patterns, the size and composition of the physician workforce and the adoption and use of medical equipment and technologies. More recent evidence has linked market-level managed care activity to the process, but not the outcomes of care" (Bundorf et al.,…...

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References

Altman, D.E. And L. Levin. (2005). The Sad History of Health Care Cost Containment as

Told by One Client. Health Affairs, 24(1).

Bodenheimer, T. (2005). High and rising health care costs. part 1: Seeking an explanation.

Annals of Internal Medicine, 142(10), 847-54.

Healthcare Economics
When considering the ever-changing and highly competitive economic landscape of the modern world; governments, businesses and institutions must remain diligent in their care and compassion for their citizens and staff members. With the current exponential growth and advancement of technology and the computerization of business and learning, voters, workers and consumers have become much more connected to the organizations they patronize (Kurzweil). Accordingly, these important groups are faced with the continuous task of finding new ways to understand and subsequently accommodate the needs of their followers, while simultaneously securing lucrative business models and job environments. One of the most important needs presented in all demographics is reliable healthcare. Thus, with the inelasticity in the demand for healthcare, countries need to determine an applicable system, whereby citizens can have access to the medical services they will inevitably need. Collective access to healthcare represents the main problem in field of healthcare…...

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Bibliography

Blumenschein, K. And M. Johannesson. "Economic Evaluation in Healthcare. A Brief History and Future Directions." Journal of Pharmacoeconomics 10.2 (1996): 114-122.

Cox, Malcolm, et al. "Health Care Economics, Financing, Organization and Delivery." Family Medicine January 2004: 20-30.

Hamburger, Tom and Kim Geiger. "Healthcare Insurers Get Upper Hand." The Los Angeles Times 24 August 2009.

Jeremiah Hurley. "An Overview of the Normative Economics of the Health Sector." Journal of Health Economics 1.1 (2000): 55-118.