HEALTH CARE SYSTEM 4
HealthCare System
Medicareis a healthcare system for people who are 65 years or older, peoplewith disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal disease, that is,permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant. Theprogram also provides clinical preventative services likepneumococcal and influenza vaccines, screening mammography, andcertain cancer screens for these populations.
Theprogram has proved effective and can be considered a huge success. Onaverage, Medicare covers about half of the overall healthcare costfor those enrolled (Andresen Bouldin, & Wager, 2010). It has thusmarkedly improved the health of the elderly in the United States asit has been helpful in providing quality healthcare for the elderly.In terms of the impact on the jobs, Medicare has proved to be themost reliable payer for some physicians (Andresen Bouldin, &Wager, 2010). It can be generally considered as one of the mostsuccessful health and social program as it not only providesaffordable health care, but also, it is a huge player in the economy.It influences the pricing of the private insurers. A 10% reduction inMedicare pricing yielded a 3 or 8 % reduction in private prices(Andresen Bouldin, & Wager, 2010).
Publichealth involves organized measures to prevent diseases, promotehealth and prolong life among the population as a whole (AndresenBouldin, & Wager, 2010). Therefore, public health involvesensuring all population have access to quality and cost-effectivehealth care, formulation of policies to solve health problemsaffecting the general populations, and assessment and monitoringcommunities’ health problem. The governments take responsibility ofensuring general health of the populations.
Privatehealth on the other hand involves healthcare provided by entitiesother than the government. Individuals get private health treatmentso long as they can pay for it, even in private hospitals. Thepatients are usually considered customers who have legal consumerrights for the services. Compared to public healthcare provision, theprivate healthcare is more expensive although it provides fastertreatment.
Publichealth can address any condition as it focuses to improve the healthand quality of life through treatment of diseases and physical andmental conditions. Trained and qualified public health practitionersand highest level of ethical standards are important requirements inpublic health practice.
Reference
Andresen,E., Bouldin, E. D. F., & Wager, K. A. (2010). Publichealth foundations: Concepts and practices.San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.