Policy Priority Issue Essay

Policy Priority IssueThose who employ the Medicaid dodge range from low income families to the over 65 age group. in spite of appearance this population is also those who atomic number 18 disabled due to physical or mental paradoxs. This is among the sickliest of our Ameri good deal population. A paper found on a study in operating theater stated that Medicaid signifi bunstly increased the hazard of being diagnosed with diabetes, and being on diabetes medication as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.(Baicker et al., 2013, p. 1715).Much of this is due to the struggle that the Medicaid beneficiary has to accessing all of the benefits of the program. This mostly consists of medical appointments, especially those related to a specialist physician. This paper will identify the importance to make uncommitted proper wellness wield to those who receive Medicaid. Not neverthe slight with distinguishing characteristic doctors unless also with their own primary physic ians. The need to transfer the ownership from the giving medication to the tolerant is necessary for better healthc atomic number 18 outcomes. This is directly correlated to the mete out received and expected by the patient. This will result in a better outcome both(prenominal) medically for the patient and fiscally for the government.The limited problemMedicaid is a government sponsored and run program, it supplys care to over 53 million low income Americans yearly and has an average operating budget of $349 cardinal dollars (OShea, 2007). This increasingly high expenditure has ca make use ofd much strained to the budgets of not merely the federal government scarcely also the state budgets as well. With the transfigures to the steering we view healthcare and the use of evidence based practice in the care delivered it is evident that the prime(a) of care attached to those with Medicaid is missing. Evidence has shown that patients with Medicaid receive inferior care th an those with private insurance based solely on the access they have to the Medical providers, especially those who provide specialty care (OShea, 2007).In a survey conducted in 2003, it highlighted that the recurrent problem is the reimbursement rate from Medicaid to the physician (OShea, 2007). The Center for Studying Health body Change (HSC) show that 21% of physicians that state they read Medicaid have account they will not accept a new Medicaid patient in 2004-2005(OShea, 2007). This number would wholly logically be assumed to have lift in 2013 A survey conducted by the U.S. National Health describe that researchers have found two standout trends among Medicaid beneficiaries they have much difficulty acquiring primary care and specialty care and they visit hospital requirement departments more often than those with private insurance (Seaberg, 2012). The leave out of primary and specialty care access is mostly contributed to the following barriers unable to reach the M D by phone, not having a timely appointment with the MD and in the end unable to find a specialty MD that will accept Medicaid.In a recent report released by the Partnership to support Chronic Disease, it stated that about 30% of Medicaid patients experience extreme unorganised care, there is a strong correlation between this place and higher Medicaid spending and less quality of care given (Bush, 2012). afterwards January 1st 2013, healthcare providers have experienced a 2% lessening in payments for Medicaid beneficiary, this will only create more of a problem for these patients to seek the care thy desperately need. The question must be asked, how can we give the care necessary to those with Medicaid and also make this as approach effective for the providers seeing the patient as well.Steps to Change on that point is much conversation in government today that would expand the Medicaid program, but there is no discussion on payment to physicians, hospitals and other provider s, which is the briny problem at hand. A system that would most be in effect(p) is one that is centered on the patient-doctor relationship (Felland, Lechner, & Sommers, 2013). This would not only improve the standard of care given to the patient but aid with the fiscal decline related to a very broken system that is salutely in place. Our aim should be to stop the decision reservation from the government, and transfer this power to the individual as well as advertise individual responsibility for healthcare choices. A insurance that would restructure the funding of healthcare to assist low-income families and medically needy Americans to purchase coverage that would best meet their needs and their medical situations.This approach would need to be comprehensive and would be a great undertaking to accomplish. The rational approach assume would be the model of choice for this type of change. It would take many historic period to accomplish based on financial barrier as it pertains to the mingled budgets at the state and federal levels. However, the end result would be that a personal ownership of health insurance, and control over the flow of dollars in the health care system, this will enhance personal responsibility. Another panorama it would accomplish would be that patients would demand and receive better value for health their care dollars.This ownership of their own care would raise much sensation in the patients and facilitate many quality conversations with their healthcare provider. This is an opportunity presently unavailable to patients enrolled in the Medicaid program and has resulted in a system that does not give quality care and the costly price to the government is evident.Until we can have all 50 states participating in this policy change Nationwide, there are some steps that can be interpreted with the present system in place. These would involve the use of technology in interesting situations. If you cannot get the patient to t he physician, regardless of primary or specialty, strike the physician to the patient. Using telehealth programs would benefactor identify problem before they are in need of emergency attention (Felland et al., 2013). Kentucky used this system to help with the overpopulated Medicaid system and this state was able to save money and provide quality care to those who are in need of it (Ungar, 2013).Another solution would be to expand the primary role of the primary provider. Utilizing the Advanced Registered Nurse practician (ARNP) to take on the care of patients in the role of the Primary provider would help ease the burden for the dwindling Medical Community (Felland et al., 2013). With only 7% of the graduating physicians choosing primary care a large strain is evident on the medical community to provide care to patients (Sellers, 2013). Both the in a higher place policy changes would best be suited under the stage-sequential model. Putting both of these changes in to place at th e same time in duplex areas then re-evaluating the need for changes in order to define a dish up that could be utilized Nationwide would be important for success. Both of these policy changes would give way to better care for the Medicaid beneficiary, better outcomes and a use of funds that would be cost effective as well.ConclusionIn conclusion this paper has reviewed the importance of change needed to the present Medicaid system. The present system has shown to take away the ownership of healthcare from the patient and given it to the government. In doing so several areas for needed improvement have been identifies cost, lack of resources among physicians and most important below quality care. All resulting in a system that is not able to deliver quality care to those who are in desperate need of it the most. By implementing the changes outlined in this paper, it will be able to change and improve these barriers for the better, resulting in better patient care outcomes, better f inancial outcomes and a healthier America. ReferencesBaicker, K., Taubman, S., Allen, H., Bernstein, M., Gruber, J., Newhouse, J., Zaslavsky, A. (2013, May 2, 2013). The Oregon Experiment Effects of Medicaid on clinical outcomes. The New England Journal of Medicine, 368, 1713-1722. Bush, H. (2012, November 2012). lovingness for the costliest. Hospital and Health Networks, 156-162. Felland, L., Lechner, A., & Sommers, A. (2013, June 6, 2013). Improving access to specialty care for Medicaid patients policy issues and options. The Common Wealth Fund. Retrieved from http//www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Fund-Reports/2013/Jun/Improving-Access-to-Speciality-Care.aspx OShea, J. (2007). More Medicaid means less quality health care. Retrieved from http//www.heritage.org/research/reports/2007/03/more-medicaid-means-less-quality-health-care Seaberg, D. (2012). Medicaid patients go to emergency room more often. Retrieved from http//www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=21732 Sel lers, A. (2013, July 23, 2013). Nurse practitioners aim to fill care gap.