Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Your End of Course Project Paper for this class will center around the “Practice of Cost-Shifting” within our system of healthcare. The student will be expected to adequately answer the questions listed below while weaving the response into the proper format as earlier defined by King University.

In your paper, you will address the issues/questions listed below, citing sources and while properly footnoting and listing sources.

Premise- Unlike other providers, hospitals cannot turn away people needing medical care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA); this law requires hospitals to provide care in the emergency department (ED), and hospital if medically necessary, regardless of the ability of the individual to pay for the care received. To cover the costs of care provided to individuals who are unable to pay, or whose insurers pay less than the cost of care, hospitals increase the price charged to privately insured individuals (Cost-Shifting), since all costs of providing care in the facilities must be covered if the hospitals are to remain financially viable. A successful paper will include:

1. Definition of Cost-Shifting and its application to hospitals and insurers in the United States. Is it fair, unfair, ethical?

2. History of Cost-Shifting since the early 1970’s to date. To ensure your full understanding of the topic, introduce the terms Uncompensated Care, Charity Care and Bad Debt, Self-Pay, Medicare, Medicaid, Third Party Payers their meanings and impact within the overall concept of “Cost Shifting”.

3. Describe the concept of “Cost Shifting Hydraulic”, the application of the theory and a brief examination of purpose and meaning.

4. Explain the impact uncompensated care and cost-shifting has on Private Insurers

5. Define the major issues which brought about Cost Shifting

6. Finally, provide your perspective on payment based on volume, to payment based on value. Value is driving a fundamental reorientation of the healthcare system around the quality and cost-effectiveness of care, for, as in any industry, value in health care is defined through the relationship of these two factors: the quality of care and the price paid for it. Will it have an impact significant enough to impact Cost-Shifting.

Defend your position with literature citations.

Paper will be 7 to 10 pages in length, double spaced, 12 fonts.  AP Format including title page and reference page.  No abstract page is needed.