Health Policy Values
My life is a simple lifestyle. My approach of matters in life is open-minded. Also, my belief is rooted in the concept of right and wrong and the application of common sense in all that someone does. The principles of rules and laws apply to me, they help maintain the peace and order, and without them, we would all just descend into chaos. My faith is Christianity, having been raised and schooled in the Roman Catholic doctrine. I, however, do not hold anything against other denominations within Christianity. Similarly, I have nothing against other religions that worship in peace and tranquility.
Important to clarify is my opinion regarding other faiths or people acting in the name of religion. Religion is a matter of choice and free will, its doctrines and ideologies should therefore never be imposed upon someone. My belief in the fact that religion should also not be used to harm other people is staunch. Should this happen, it immediately ceases to be religious practice; it becomes the evil that should be condemned in the strongest terms possible. Ethics are the guidelines by which people should live.
The cost of health care in the United States is still too high. Though there is medical insurance cover for more Americans, one gets the feeling that the country is investing a lot of money into health care as compared to other big economies in the world. As earlier noted my belief common sense and logic is strong, if the government is going to put in over 3 trillion dollars into health care, then Americans should be the healthiest people in the world (Porter, 2010). That, however, is not the case, far from it, cancer morbidity and mortality continues to be an issue for our country. Other chronic conditions similarly continue to plague our people in proportions that I feel does not reflect the funds we are channeling into better health care.
It is for this reason that one gets the feeling that the cost of health care will seem too much for us because we are reaping no fruits from the system. The quality of health care in the United States is slowly improving. That said, the country is still lagging behind other nations in the quality of health care that it is providing (Milstead, 2013). Takes me back to the issue of some funds that the state is putting into the course of health care; despite it being an increased cost the quality is still below acceptable. Issues such as life expectancy at birth, barriers to healthcare related to cost and burden of disease are indicators of the quality of health care in this nation that is still behind (Rocco, Kelly, Béland, & Kinane, 2016).
There are a couple of social issues too that are dogging our health care industry. The doctor shortage is starting to bite and if it has not it will soon. The government should hire more doctors and look into cheaper means of covering the deficit. One would feel the nurse practitioner has been underutilized. NPs can cover the doctor shortage and perform the role of physicians in prescription, diagnosing, treating and discharging patients. However, rules are rules and the NPs should not break them; the legislative bodies should change them; at state and national level. The legalization of medical marijuana to is a step forward for the healthcare industry (Rocco, Kelly, Béland, & Kinane, 2016). One only needs to take a look at the health benefits of medical cannabis to agree. I like how states like Michigan are changing their laws to legalize the use of the drug.
The issue of illegal immigrants is trending now especially with the new administration’s stance to deport them. Fair to say that providing medical cover for 11 million undocumented immigrants will most certainly take a huge toll on the country’s health care budget. I would, however, find it compelling to provide quality health care to all people; it is their right. Denying health care services to the undocumented immigrants would be unethical. My view is that the government should relax the laws to allow the undocumented immigrants to get health care services up to that time the government will legally document or deport them (Chen, 2013).
More of the do it yourself apps are surfacing, I live they are helpful for the diabetic patients. They learn self-care. The health care in the country should be driven more by the ethical principles. Non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, fairness and equality should continue to be depicted by all health care providers. Medicare policy states that the patient should receive care regardless of race, religious background, sexual orientation, etc. The health care system should embrace the LGBTI community; the health care system should be trained on how to handle these particular groups in America. The country is a diverse nation in race, religion, culture and sexuality; in an era of patient-centered care the system should be tailored to meet the patient’s needs and not vice versa, that is ethics (“U.S. Health in International Perspective”, 2013).
Another controversial issue that has been debated for a while now is the issue of abortion. Abortion is legal in America. There are, however, some states that can limit abortion or develop trigger laws that can make abortion illegal in the first and second trimesters (Block, 2014). Being a Christian and a Catholic, I am bound to ascribe to the doctrine that abortion is a sin since it takes away human life. In the interest of professionalism, it is in the best interest of the woman whose pregnancy compromises her health status to have an abortion. Patient-centered care means the care provider should give care that is culture specific. Imposing my religious beliefs to the client would go against the patients’ rights and be an unethical practice. It also bodes well with my conservative personality.
Being a Catholic in schooling and upbringing, the virtues and doctrines of love, care and kindness have always played a key role in my decision to be a nurse. As a nurse one gets to give care to the sick, one shows kindness and compassion for the patient’s suffering. Such empathy to the patient is doctrines I have learned in my role in the health care industry, and my upbringing and religion have enforced them. Professional experiences have also shaped my personal view on healthcare policy (Porter, 2010). As a key member of the health care team nurses know first-hand which systems work for the better and which ones should be scrapped off the system. My political alignment is towards the conservative political ideologies. I think it helps especially in a highly diverse health care industry.
Health care policies and the industry have not been in synch with my beliefs and values. Common sense would question the fact that health care plans continue to be retained despite some of them not working efficiently. Common would have the policies changed for the better. Another inconsistency I have with the health care industry is on its adherence to ethics. Access to health care should be equal to all groups of people (Milstead, 2013). The LGBTI communities still face substantial stereotyping by the health care industry. That does not show fairness and equality in health care.
In conclusion, this paper has provided a description of my personal values and beliefs. These views have been used to give my views on health care policies, touching on aspects of cost, quality and the social issues within the health care industry. The paper has further provided an insight onto how my personality shapes my views on the health care industry. My religion and my upbringing have significantly shaped my perception of the health care industry in this nation; its shortcomings and its strengths towards patients.
References
Block, W. (2014). Should Abortion Be Criminalized? Rejoinder To Akers, Davies And Shaffer On Abortion. FBIM Transactions, 2(1), 33-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.12709/fbim.02.02.01.04
Chen, J. (2013). Prescription drug expenditures of immigrants in the USA. Journal Of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 4(4), 217-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jphs.12034
Milstead, J. (2013). Health policy and politics (1st ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Porter, M. (2010). What Is Value in Health Care?. New England Journal Of Medicine, 363(26), 2477-2481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/nejmp1011024
Rocco, P., Kelly, A., Béland, D., & Kinane, M. (2016). The New Politics of US Health Care Prices: Institutional Reconfiguration and the Emergence of All-Payer Claims Databases. Journal Of Health Politics, Policy And Law, 42(1), 5-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/03616878-3702746
U.S. Health in International Perspective. (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/13497
