Implications of Economics and Policy for Health Professionals
Health is critical and a matter of concern to any nation of the world, considering that a healthy population contributes significantly to the economy of the nation. It has been noted that a significant number of nations are sensitive in matters of human rights philosophy in setting the policies regulating health care. Health care professionals support curing of illnesses and also in fulfilling social, personal, mental and physiological attributes that play an important role in the health care setting.
Surveys have indicated that the constitution of WHO (World Health Organization) has pegged health to issues of physical, social and mental wellbeing in the processes of curing diseases (Henderson, 2011). It is argued that health is generally irreplaceable, and a change connected to the health of a population affect the value of many products and services with the market, which in return affect the economy of the region.
Managed care and insurance organizations to some extent control the healthcare of the United States, a model that has checked the expenditures related to the health care. The system currently faces increasing costs related to health care, a model that is affecting the economy of the region (Henderson, 2011). The health care industry was worst hit by the recession, administrators in the health care are engaging health choices and decisions that are connected to the decisions of the individuals in the system, health policy decisions, regulatory decisions, health action decisions, decisions influenced by the external environment and decisions influenced by the micro-level health.
Health economics concentrates on the effectiveness, efficiency, behavior and value in the consumption and production of health care. Health economics have been critical considering the systems involved in the health care. Health economics are influenced by the government intervention, uncertainty in the external environment, barriers to entry, asymmetric information and on the presence of third parties in the health care industry (Henderson, 2011). Health economists in most cases are involved in evaluating financial information relating to the expenditures, costs and charges.
Government intervention in health care is critical in the delivery and financing of the health care services to the target market. Considering United States in the 1960s, the period was characterized with price inflation, a model that increased the costs of health care due to increased medical prices. The government responded by increasing regulations in the health care industry and by increasing the competition in the health industry. Policymakers have been concerned at the reduced quality of the health care (Henderson, 2011). The government of the United States has responded to the declining quality of the healthcare on increasing costs of the health care. The government resolved on taking more responsibility in health care quality and costs.
Physicians in the United States have been supporting a national health care program which is similar to a national health care system of the United Kingdom and also on the Canadian national health insurance program. The program is in place to make sure that the government controls the medical costs and also in making sure that the quality of the healthcare is inclined to acceptable standards (Henderson, 2011).
Health policy is concerned with the plans, decisions and actions engaged in achieving health care goals within the society. WHO argued that a health policy is critical and has diverse benefits. A health policy defines the future or the vision of the health care system, outlines the intended priorities and sets the rules that govern diverse groups in the health care system in attaining the desired goals, a health policy also informs and builds consensus in making sure that the desired objectives of the health care are attained (Henderson, 2011).
Surveys indicated that there are diverse categories of the health care polices, identifying with public health policies, personal health care policies and pharmaceutical policies among others. Health care policies are mainly concerned with the delivery and financing of the health care services to the target population.
The main challenge is based on the modalities of facilitating the quality of the health care, delivery systems of the health care, ways of fostering health equity and in facilitating the quality of the heath care (Henderson, 2011). Economics and policy are connected in a complex pattern, it is argued that policy options regulating the personal health are pegged on the philosophy focusing on the right to health and on the economics focusing on the financing of the health care. The world is globalized and widely connected as compared to decades before, in the same context, merging global health care to the United States health care is complex due to many variables (Henderson, 2011).
Understanding health economies are complex since it involves a number of economic principles that are directly and indirectly related to the delivery of health care to the target population. In the United States, the government has developed managed health care to its citizens, the model is cost effective and efficient in making sure that the American citizens are healthy, which is part of improving the economic status if the nation. Funds that could have been directed to the health care are used in the development of the nation once the population is healthy.
References
Henderson, J. W. (2011). Health Economics and Policy (with Economic Applications). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
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