TERM PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

TERM PAPER - Essay Example healthcare system. The emergence of new diseases and continuous growth of the population have triggered the need to modernize disease prevention and public health systems. In the past, the clamor for a National Health Insurance was the outcry of many administrations – in the U.S. and many countries in Europe. Recently however, the Obama administration has pushed for the full implementation of its once a campaign platform but now has become a law, the Affordable Care Act or what is popularly known as the ObamaCare. The aim of this law is to implement within the next ten years an Information System for the healthcare sector and to invest $10 billion annually for the many programs about health insurance and address the problems and challenges of healthcare. Modernizing disease prevention and public health systems is a question of policies and political will. If there is political will, all things are possible under the sun. But what should be modernized? The Medicare and the Medi caid are two healthcare programs that insure U.S. citizens but the system is already rotten and needs to be reprogrammed to address healthcare problems of the people. Medicare was designed to provide healthcare insurance to seniors and the disabled. It was run by the government to focus on reimbursing healthcare expenses and financed by federal taxes but also shared by payroll tax from employers and their workers, to include individual enrollees. Medicare covers hospitalization expenses, physician fees, and expenses for drugs. Medicare Gaps The Medicare program has many gaps which need review and so-called modernization. For example, insurance lacks nursing services, inadequate preventive care insurance, and no insurance for dental, loss of hearing, or vision. Since there is lack of insurance, some enrollees resort to supplemental insurance and so more expenses for the citizens. This gap needs to be reviewed and covered by the ObamaCare, or the Affordable Care Act launched by the pr esent administration. The Medicaid is a government insurance program for the poor and the disabled. It is also the program for poor pregnant women, children, seniors, disabled, and poor parents. Although it’s a federal program, states are given the leeway to improve the coverage and eligibility options. (Chua, 2006, p. 2) Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Stakeholders in disease prevention should be provided with government incentives. Again this is a question of policies. Policy makers should be able to determine the areas where care is most needed, know the various stakeholders and identify their motivational factors where they could be effective in disease prevention, and develop systems in accessing the incentives. (Singh as cited in Committee on Living Well with Chronic Disease: Public Action to Reduce Disability and Improve Functioning and Quality of Life, Institute of Medicine, 2011, p. 240) Modernizing Disease Prevention and Public Health Systems Problems in healthcare require new ways of detection and prevention of illness. Aids and other virus-triggered diseases are considered new diseases that require new techniques and methods. A. Clinical and Community Preventive Services When there is improved collaboration among health professionals and the community, there is increased reduction in health disparities, deaths and morbidity. Public and private sectors should focus more on the 65-years-and-older sector as this is growing. This is composed of Baby Boomers who