Universal Healthcare The Pros And Cons

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Universal Healthcare is being strongly considered in the United States. Universal Healthcare basically means that every citizen will be eligible for health coverage, regardless of their ability to pay for it. There are pros and cons of such a system.

First of all, let’s take a look at the pros of Universal Healthcare (also known as Socialized Medicine). The benefits are fairly obvious. If we cover each and every citizen with affordable or free health insurance, they will be able to maintain their health regardless of their income.

One major advantage of such as system is that it can literally save lives. People die in our country each day because they cannot afford healthcare. And that includes working Americans. That is a travesty! It’s heartbreaking that there are millions of people who are contributing tax dollars to our national economy who are not in turn given their most basic need: maintenance of their health.

It almost seems obvious that it’s time to take the cue from Canada and implement Universal Healthcare. Their citizens seem to be fairly happy with the system, and it has been saving lives there on a daily basis.

However, as is true with any system (no matter how good a system it is), no healthcare solution is without fault. There are some notable disadvantages to Universal Healthcare which are worth acknowledging.

One negative side effect to providing universal healthcare is that spreading something too thin causes it to lose its inherent value. If we try to spread out our healthcare, it is possible that the quality of care will go down. Why? Because the hospitals and doctors offices will have more patients to deal with!

Naturally, no doctor would deliberately decrease his or her quality of care. Unfortunately, however, if your patient count multiplies, it can be hard to keep up. This could be overcome by the increased funding from the government under a socialized system, since that could cover a boost in medical staffing.

The other disadvantage that could result from Universal Healthcare is a lack of availability of care, causing a decrease in access to healthcare for everyone, including those who could afford to pay for it. There could be waiting lists that could prevent people from getting the care they need.

At the end of the day, we have to decide if the few drawbacks are worth it, in order to help out our fellow Americans who cannot afford to have any care whatsoever.

Healthcare Reform Rising Costs of Benefits Puts Onus on Employees

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Up to 159 million Americans (52 percent) are covered by employer-sponsored plans. The Affordable Care Act is changing the group health insurance scenario. Employers are concerned about the rising cost of per-employee benefit costs and are expecting their employees to contribute more out of their pay checks to the benefits package. This is borne out by the results of several studies, including ERCs recently published 2011/2012 Policies & Benefits Survey covering Northeast Ohio employers.

Recent Deloitte and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ISCEBS) research1 indicates that 85% of employers expect new health insurance law to raise per-employee benefit costs. Employees are expected to help employers face this challenge by paying more out of their pay checks to their benefits package. In fact, the focus on controlling healthcare costs is evident: 73% of the employers surveyed said that health care reform will push them to reevaluate their benefits packages over the next 12 months in light of health reform changes. Sixty-two per cent of employers have already made cost-sharing a part of their benefits packages.

Two-thirds of the Deloitte employer respondents are making no immediate changes to their benefit programs and adopting a “wait and see” approach for final healthcare reform provisions that may reduce plan design flexibility.

More controversial was the recent McKinsey & Company survey2 of 1,300 employers in early 2011 which found that 30% said they would “definitely or probably” stop offering employer coverage after 2014. Nearly half of the employers said they would consider alternatives to their current plans, including an insurance option that would only offer coverage only to certain employees.

A survey conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Urban Institute3 last year showed that in 2010, employees with coverage contributed a greater share of the total premium, a significant change from the steady share they paid on average over the last decade. In 2010, covered employees on average contributed 19% of the total premium for single coverage (up from 17% in 2009) and 30% for family coverage (up from 27% in 2009).

According to ERCs 2011 survey, Northeast Ohio employers report that the average health insurance deductible paid by employees has risen significantly since 2009. As organizations strive to cope with the increase in costs, they are resorting to greater cost-sharing with employees. The survey indicates that employees’ co-pay amounts and contribution to group health insurance premiums also increased in the last two years.

Competing objectives are complicating matters. Deloitte/ISCEBS rates employers top five total reward priorities as:

Cost of healthcare benefits Employees willingness to share more of the benefit Ability of the benefits program to attract, motivate and retain talent Ability to comply with and adjust to PPACA’s mandate Clear alignment of total reward strategy with business strategy and brand

Rising Cost of Healthcare

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The cost of healthcare treatment in worldwide continues to rise rapidly, an no where is this more demonstrably true than in Hong Kong. At current rates of medical inflation, Hong Kong will soon rival the USA as the worlds most expensive location for medical care.

Hong Kong is currently experiencing a high level of economic buoyancy, having been quick to recover from the global financial crisis of 2008 2009, and this is driving more and more people to seek a higher standard of private healthcare. As a result of this increased demand, the availability of high quality private medical treatment has become limited, and this in turn has served to increase the overall costs of private healthcare in Hong Kong.

Unfortunately for healthcare consumers, these increased costs of medical treatment are now being passed down in the form of increased medical insurance premiums.

Hong Kong is currently listed as the second most expensive place in the world to receive medical treatment after the USA, and the costs associated with medical treatment in Hong Kong are likely to continue to rise in the short term.

A standard general practitioners (GP) consultation in the USA will cost a federal average of US$100 approximately. By contrast, a patient choosing to utilize the private healthcare system in Hong Kong will often be charged over US$100 simply for walking through the door. The Matilda hospital, for example, has an average GP consultation charge of US$ 102, while the Sanatorium hospital prices are typically closer to US$153 for the same services.

It is true that the number one cause for personal bankruptcy in the USA is an inability to pay costly medical bills, and when examining the cost associated with a number of typical medical procedures it is easy to see why a large portion of the population has a difficult time affording quality healthcare. The average cost associated with a Routine Maternity delivery, for example, will be an estimated US$ 7,600 in America in many cases a significant portion of a familys annual income. That same procedure in a Hong Kong hospital can cost between US$ 7,197 to US$ 8,500. While it is understandable that medical fees will trend upwards over time, it is also clear that the rise of these costs is getting slightly out of hand.

While President Obama has made significant process towards the reformation of the American Healthcare system, there are still some fairly major issues to be addressed not the least of which is the actual cost of medical services rather than the insurance coverage for the same.

Healthcare IT Solutions A Win-Win for All Stakeholders

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Information technology (IT) has helped change the face of many industries. It is because of IT, that many organizations have had to face a strategic inflection point in their business cycle, for the better. Sure, the change was initially difficult but eventually IT has only proved to be an excellent solution to the many challenges that an organization faces.

When it comes to the field of healthcare, industry professionals are better off focusing on their core competency, rather than channel their energies to other functions of the organization in order to ensure completion of tasks. This is the reason why outsourcing of hospital IT infrastructure is taking place across the industry. There are immense benefits once this activity is outsourced, since the hospital administration can then dedicate its focus to the patient’s well being.

Healthcare IT solutions provide benefits like the application of industry best practices, control of operating costs, ease in coordination between various functions of the organization, eventually leading to superior customer service, etc. Healthcare IT provides valuable information on a real-time basis, and patient records can be viewed by the stakeholders with ease. Outsourcing of healthcare information technology will also help the organization have an effective IT strategy in place that is in alignment with organizational goals. Also, outsourcing of IT-related services makes a lot of business sense for the organization, since upfront investments in IT and the creation of IT infrastructure is an expensive undertaking.

Medical IT is beneficial for patients, too. Electronic Health Records, which is one of the technologies, ensures that patients can conveniently access their medical reports online, thus reducing paperwork. The same reports can be viewed by their doctor which helps them make quick decisions. This can come in handy, especially during emergency situations. In cases where a patient may have to see multiple specialists for a particular illness, each of them can view the same report, once they have access to view it.

Hence, the emergence of IT in healthcare is a boon for all the stakeholders and helps a healthcare organization achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in the industry.

Healthcare Environmental Services Management Program Offers Practical Application On And Off Campus

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Did you know that healthcare environmental services management is a combination of healthcare environmental service knowledge with business and human relations skills? As such, post-secondary institutions are challenged with seamlessly integrating both into their curriculums.

One school that does a great job of balancing both aspects in its healthcare management program is Centennial College. The program, Healthcare Environmental Services Management, takes two years to complete during which students study from Morningside Campus. Because this location houses School of Community and Health Studies programs, it is outfitted with large, well-equipped industry specific laboratories and computer labs with industry specific software. As such, students obtain plenty of hands-on practice with a realistic spin before heading on two field placements (one in second semester and one in fourth semester). These experiences allow students to apply what they have learned in their classes and gain knowledge of the role and tasks related to entry-level positions in the Healthcare Environmental Services Department, which will lead to better comprehension in how to manage these positions.

Here is a look at some of the standout courses within the offering that prepare students for both placement and their future careers.

Infection Control 1 & 2: The first of these two courses establishes principles and practices of infection prevention and control in the healthcare setting. Students learn to identify relevant industry and governmental regulations, standards and best practices with regards to infection control in healthcare as well as quality assurance methodology. The second course, meanwhile, sees students apply planning, implementation, management and evaluation practices of an infection prevention and control program, while learning to effect applicable quality assurance principles.

Communication and Interprofessional Collaboration for Environmental Services: Because implementing infection control measures is a collaborative process, students learn to communicate verbally and non-verbally with co-workers, supervisors and clients. Interprofessional and collaborative care models in healthcare are examined using practical examples.

Math Application for Environmental Services: It is not enough just to learn general math equations. Thats why all of Centennial Colleges math courses are specifically designed. This one, for example, covers mathematical concepts and methods used in healthcare environmental services management. Emphasis is placed on the application of methods, concepts, vocabulary and problem solving strategies used in the industry.

Purchasing and Materials Management: Managers in this field must know the process of purchasing cleaning, linen and related supplies. As such, students examine how to apply quality standards for various environmental services categories and understand central procedures used in healthcare environmental services operations.

After completing each healthcare management course, students are prepared for employment in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, commercial buildings, schools and residential buildings. It is worth noting that the diploma students earn after they graduate reflects high standards of learning and offers them transferable skills.