Healthcare is quite a hot topic in the United States. With the aging baby boomers and rising healthcare concerns, the entire system is falling apart. After all, private healthcare facilities are only for people who can pay for it. Thus, with the ongoing concerns, creating healthcare reforms seems like the utmost solution to overcome problems.
Do you know what healthcare reforms are? It is more like a practice to implement a better system that caters to the need of all Americans. It helps in overcoming the faults in the existing system, making room for refined healthcare practices. Even though many presidents have made efforts for a better system, but the system fails to understand its importance.
Have a look below to see the reasons why the US needs healthcare reforms.
Increasing Health Costs
Do you know the US has been affected by medical bankruptcies? Well, this is quite rare for a developed country. There are many reasons for it, the aging population, global pandemic, incorrect diagnosis, over-testing, etc. Thus, people think they have to buy health due to the rising costs of quality healthcare. Private hospitals are running businesses intending to maximize profits, and as a result, the healthcare costs are touching the sky.
Therefore, healthcare reforms are needed to give basic health schooling to patients. For instance – training on how to check blood pressure and sugar levels by providing them free test kits. It would make sure that patients don’t head over to hospitals for minor problems. Similarly, reforms can include online apps where the patient can virtually consult the doctor for minor problems like flu and fever.
Healthcare Accessibility
These days, people are stressing about rising health concerns and overwhelming costs. It is one of the reasons why they are looking for family and individual health coverage. For this reason, people foot monthly insurance bills, which helps them escape all medical costs. However, some people face difficulties in this regard. Therefore, the healthcare reforms are focusing on increasing the availability of insurance.
Healthcare reforms would come up with state-based insurance and encourage companies to adopt competitive policies. It will ensure better accessibility for the citizens since, in the coming years, only healthcare insurance can make up for the increasing medical costs.
Incompetent Healthcare Programs
Every government tried coming up with some kind of healthcare programs like Medicare and Obamacare. But all these programs are no longer effective; instead, they are suffering from funding problems. Medicare has approximately $30 billion in funding obligations.
Therefore, the healthcare reforms would hold the bag for fixing current government programs. So, rather than catering to every individual, reforms can assist these programs. Thus, updating the programs would ensure certainty, and at the same time, help in reducing costs too. It may also guarantee that resources are being deployed for the right purpose.
Improves Quality Care
People with chronic illnesses fail to get enough support. It takes months to schedule chemotherapy, making the condition worse. It happens because of a lack of resources and expertise. The demand for the healthcare industry is increasing, but there is not enough supply of labor or resources.
Nevertheless, reforms would focus on providing quality care to patients. Alongside offering comprehensive coverage to families, it would also be beneficial for employees in the healthcare industry. Many new training and development programs would be introduced for them to polish skills and learn some ropes. Besides addressing the rising demand for medicare, reforms can also introduce short courses to develop a basic understanding of how the healthcare sector works. It won’t only create employment opportunities but would also provide sufficient resources.
Positive Impact on Economy
Honestly, rising healthcare costs are becoming a threat to the country’s federal budget. If you notice the last year’s stats, it clearly mentions that the healthcare sector contributes 17.8% to the total gross domestic product of the country. It is significantly higher than in any other developed country. Thus, it is putting the entire economy at risk.
Government healthcare programs are also an option to cushion the economy. However, considering the past, they remained functional until the government was in power.
Healthcare reforms would work towards the stability of the economy without adding to the debt. It would look for ways to generate revenue so the government can increase spending on healthcare. After all, introducing new technologies, efficient systems are the only way to reduce growing costs.
Eliminates Fraud
Unfortunately, even the healthcare industry reports many white-collar crimes every year. At times, hospitals make dishonest health claims to bag some profit. Otherwise, they ask patients for unnecessary pills as a part of the medical procedure and end up selling them. Surprisingly, even some practitioners are involved in frauds; they file duplicate bills for services never rendered.
Healthcare reforms seem like the only way out of this mess. It would take effective measures and policies to combat these frauds by introducing automated systems. The reforms would close doors for duplicate bills and unnecessary charges from the patient. Moreover, practitioners involved in such debauchery would face repercussions equally.
Inefficient Organization
Believe it or not, but the entire healthcare industry is disorganized. The practitioners are running their own clinics rather than serving in hospitals. Similarly, persistent high healthcare costs are not making room for any technological advancements.
Unsurprisingly, private hospitals have already implemented the internet of things by upgrading their systems. Healthcare reforms would ensure that everyone has access to the same level of healthcare with enhanced coordination and promising innovations. It would also offer higher compensation and benefits to encourage people to step into this field.
Final Word
Healthcare in the US was already weak to handle existing problems, while COVID-19 came banging the doors. Honestly, things are getting worse by every passing day, and only healthcare reforms can come to rescue in this situation. It not only helps to improve the quality of healthcare but also promotes healthcare insurance for the wellbeing of Americans. Further, you can look above to understand why the US needs healthcare reforms.