The Problems of Rising Health Care Costs
Introduction
In the recent years, the high cost of medication and treatment has led to the surge in healthcare insurance costs. The primary drivers of high health care cost include technological and treatment options advancement, physician services, and aging populace and prescribed drugs. the high rate of uninsured persons is characterized by individuals who are unable to afford health insurance and thus their health issues are less likely to be addressed leading to poor health status. According to Kumar (2011) there is an over dependence on medical technology in the current generation to the extent that certain services such as pediatric health care are out of reach of the average citizen. High healthcare costs have also been as a result of increased pricing of prescription medicine because of branding. The resultant effect, according to Kesselheim (2013) is that patients, as well as that of health, insures is strained further contributing to the problem. The adverse effects of high cost of healthcare are that it impacts on the health care professional ethics, social as well as political well-being. Health care rinsing cost is therefore a major economic and social issue that affects developments and national stability.
Overview of the Problem
Rising healthcare cost is considered as a major issue because it results in adverse health outcomes. One major problem associated with high cost of medication is that it results in reduced or lowered adherence to necessary medication in cases where they cannot afford such (Kesselheim, 2013). The primary drivers associated with increased health care costs over the years have been attributed to healthcare technology, wasteful spending in the medical sector as well as unhealthy lifestyles that have seen increases in a condition such as obesity. Annually, the government spends close to 850 billion dollars on health care which outweighs the economy. The rising gaining populace and the intensifying healthcare cost drives health spending even higher as health initiatives and social security has increased by 10 percent which is expected to increase up to 16 percent in the next few years. There have been reforms to address these problems such as the Affordable Care Act, but according to Thorpe (2005), most reforms are usually targeted towards insurance based solutions. The multiple causative factors associated with increased healthcare costs call for a need to come up with various solutions to adequately address the problem.
Healthcare Costs as a Social, Political and Ethical Problem
The rising cost of healthcare is considered as a moral problem because it impacts on the ethical decision making of healthcare providers. The major issue that arises with increased health care costs is that healthcare institutions are faced with a challenge of balancing their profits while at the same time providing holistic healthcare to their patients. These institutions operate on a limited budget and hence the need to make profits to sustain their business operations. Another ethical challenge that might arise with the high cost of healthcare is when health care practitioners are faced with the dilemma of caring for patients who are under-insured. While this often results in stretching the institutions' resources, it is an ethical obligation for healthcare providers to provide service to patients regardless of their economic status. Riley and Moy (2012) are of the opinion that moral conflict often arises when there are financial factors in play that place barriers in the provision of the best possible medical care to patients. The rising cost of healthcare means that the cost of healthcare insurance is also affected and the majority of the population end up not being able to access these services. Provision of health care to these individuals, therefore, creates moral dilemma to health care providers who are required by their profession to provide holistic care but at the same time face challenges caused by high costs of healthcare provision.
The rising cost of healthcare is also a social problem because it limits access to health care services to individuals by class and race. In the U.S, for example, health disparities have often existed based on class and race, and this is considered a social problem. Inequality in the provision of healthcare as well as social inequality which is exacerbated by racial discrimination is a major social issue and the leading cause of illnesses among vulnerable populations. Race and class identification is a system of socioeconomic stratification whose impacts on the cost of healthcare provision cannot be underestimated. Minority ethnic communities are often marginalized when it comes to access to essential amenities such as healthcare. The high cost of healthcare implies that these populations are likely to be negatively affected because the majority of individuals are poor (Kawachi, Daniels, & Robinson, 2005). Access to quality healthcare as well as to healthcare insurance services is limited to minority ethnic groups as a result of an increase in health care costs. The high cost of healthcare, therefore, contributes more to the problem of as social inequity by further limiting access to essential amenities by persons belonging to a lower ethnic community and the poverty stricken.
One of the key areas of government spending is in the healthcare sector. The rising healthcare costs are viewed a political problem because it impacts government spending and more importantly increases the cost of government spending. In the U.S in particular, it is estimated that the government has expanded spending on healthcare over the years in a bid to curb the high costs of medication, but this has not been effective in controlling the cost increase (Brown, 1992). The problem seems to lie in the financing system employed. Reforms in the health care insurance policy, through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have tried to minimize the gap in insurance provided to American citizens and to increase healthcare insurance coverage across the growing population. High health care cost is a political problem because it calls into question the role of the government in streamlining healthcare provision and making it accessible to all the citizens. The primary debate surrounding the role of government as far as health insurance is concerned is whether there should be a public health insurance program to supplement those offered by private companies or the government should come up with a universal public healthcare insurance to replace those provided by private insurance companies. The debate surrounding these issues often tends to delay the establishment of appropriate government policies to curb the problem, and this contributes further to the escalating cost of healthcare provision.
Conclusion
In summing up, the high cost of health care is attributable to various factors and successfully tackling it requires the adoption of multiple strategies. Government efforts in lowering the cost of healthcare have been one dimension focusing mostly on insurance based policies. Despite the implementation of such policies, the continued increase in health care costs poses social, ethical and political challenges to all stakeholders involved as well as the public. Practical approaches to addressing the problem of rising healthcare costs would include the adoption of public health interventions as well as shifting focus on promoting health. There is also need to ensure and promote cost effective medical care.
References
Brown, E. R. (1992). Problems of health insurance coverage and health care in the United States: public and private solution strategies. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 8(3), 270-286. Doi: 10.1590/s0102-311x1992000300007
Kawachi, I., Daniels, N., & Robinson, D. E. (2005). Health Disparities by Race and Class: Why Both Matter. Health Affairs, 24(2), 343-352. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.24.2.343
Kesselheim, A. S. (2013). Rising Health Care Costs and Life-Cycle Management in the Pharmaceutical Market. PLoS Medicine, 10(6), e1001461. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001461
Kumar, R. K. (2011). Technology and health care costs. Annals of Pediatric Cardiology, 4(1), 84–86. http://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2069.79634
Riley, E. C., & Moy, B. (2012). Ethical Challenges: Caring for the Underinsured, Geographically Disadvantaged Patient. Journal of Oncology Practice, 8(4), 215-218. doi:10.1200/jop.2012.000603
Thorpe, K. E. (2005). The Rise in Health Care Spending and What to Do About It. Health Affairs, 24(6), 1436-1445. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.24.6.1436
