The Provision of Healthcare as a Right

Paper Info
Page count 4
Word count 1117
Read time 5 min
Topic Sociology
Type Essay
Language 🇺🇸 US

Healthcare as a Right, Financial Implication, and Additional Responsibilities

Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic background, an individual’s health is the most essential and fundamental asset. Therefore, access to health care by people is a right, and every person receives treatment tailored to their needs and preferences. The right to health is a basic aspect of human rights, as supported by various national and international articulations. Healthcare, as a right, was first articulated in the World Health Organization (WHO) constitution of 1946, whereby the preamble defined health as a state of mental, physical, and social well-being (Chatterjee & Noble, 2016). In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), through article 25, also supported healthcare as a right. Moreover, healthcare was acknowledged as a right by the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1966. Henceforth, other international bodies on human rights began to recognize health as a right. In the US, after adopting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, healthcare was made accessible to every inhabitant of the land (Haeder,2020). Thus, healthcare is a right, not a privilege, as stated by those believing falsehood speaking instead of research.

The right to healthcare concerns makes it adequately accessible to everyone, which must be subjected to cost-benefit analysis. Indeed, it may be possible to take relatively healthy persons and detach them from potential areas of contagion, but many will reject such plans after examining total utility trade-offs and avoid considering budget limitations. It is also an unrealistic plan to provide healthcare to every individual without any marginal benefits. Some rationing must be done to distinguish between relative need and demand (Mathonnat et al., 2019). Above all, the greatest challenge is that demand for healthcare at zero of-pocket price will be greater than the supply, causing healthcare systems to collapse.

Change comes with an added responsibility to stakeholders and the healthcare system alike. Every client is entitled to receiving good care, one that minimizes potential harm. As a result, customers have additional responsibility to watch nurses who discriminate against them based on race, age, gender, and socioeconomic background. They even have the responsibility of reporting such healthcare practitioners to the relevant authorities. Nurses, particularly advanced practice nurses (APN), have an additional role in providing equal care under moral considerations. Besides communicating clearly to prevent misunderstanding, as suggested by Bouquet (2019), APNs must also honestly represent customers’ wishes and perspectives. A sustainable care system has also been created, contrary to the conventional system that was burdensome to the patients based on financial spending. For instance, in the US healthcare system, routine care is accessible and affordable to those insured under Medicare programs, funded by the federal for those aged 65 years and above.

Comparing Costs of Healthcare in the US Concerning Health Approaches

The right to health care ensures that it is accessible to all, regardless of their economic status. The present healthcare system in the US is designed to meet goals such as increasing healthcare accessibility, equity, and affordability for everyone. Therefore, US healthcare facilities embrace approaches such as expanding insurance coverage, accelerating transition into value-based care or evidence-based care, advancing home-based care, developing a high-value workforce, and improving the affordability of drugs and other therapeutics (Shrank et al., 2021). It is possible to expand insurance coverage and improve drug and other therapeutics’ affordability, but it comes with cost-related challenges. Specifically, healthcare stakeholders find it onerous to finance the approach sustainably. Through revenue transfers, new revenue sources, and deficit spending to expand insurance coverage, public funding mechanisms are characterized by trade-offs and need bipartisan compromise. Provision of value-based care, developing a high-value workforce, and adopting home-based care, are among the approaches associated with lower costs.

The Most Cos-Effective Approaches

Although fostering transition into value-based care can be achievable since it is associated with less financing, it compromises the quality of care. Moreover, embracing home-based care is more affordable than conventional facility-based care. Developing a high-value workforce is also an approach that is associated with less financial budgets (Shrank et al., 2021). Thus, the most cost-effective approaches to providing healthcare as a right in the US include promoting value-based care, adopting home-based care, and developing a high-value workforce.

The Impact of Nursing Practice on the Cost Incurred in Every Approach

Nurses have a role to play, especially in ensuring the efficient use of healthcare resources. With efficient use of these resources, the costs associated with expanding insurance coverage and improving drug affordability can be reduced significantly (Mathonnat et al., 2019). Similarly, nurses can spend time in self-initiated learning through online research, consulting colleagues, and undertaking self-spoored further studies to improve their skills. This is the only way they can reduce the cost incurred by the government in developing a high-value workforce. Additionally, nurses have to develop a schedule for home-based care to make it effective. Moreover, nursing services must be based on the needs and preferences of patients to promote value-based care.

The Shortfall in the US healthcare System and How It Can be Redesigned

A significant shortfall in the health care sector is the shortage of health workers, mainly due to low wages. Many hospital waiting rooms are full of waiting patients who need to be attended to. However, due to a staff shortage, patients are not getting timely care, culminating in deteriorating their health (Koivunen & Saranto, 2018). The greater the number of registered nurses among the full-time care staff, the lesser the adverse effects of chronic and acute infections on patients’ health. There are differences in patient outcomes and staff. Skilled medical personnel should be involved for better treatment. More staff should be hired to redesign the system, which will reduce the likelihood of patients being taken care of and ensure that no one is overwhelmed.

The Future of Nursing Practice and How Nursing Knowledge Can be Used

The information available throughout the nursing program focuses solely on the skills, careers, and occupations of one’s ability to promote the prevention of diseases and treatment of chronic diseases. As a nurse, you need to communicate effectively with clients to provide specialized and ongoing care (Koivunen & Saranto, 2018). Patients with chronic diseases like cancer should be empowered to take care of themselves and manage their condition respectfully and healthily.

Nurses’ knowledge can further promote health promotion by designing and conducting health promotion campaigns. Nurses are one of the leading figures after several campaigns for fitness and health. Nursing techniques can also help prevent infection (Berkowitz et al., 2018). For example, as of 2020, nurses have played a vital role in educating the world on avoiding contracting COVID-19. Finally, nursing knowledge can help physicians treat patients with conditions under the control of chronic diseases.

References

Berkowitz, S. A., Terranova, J., Hill, C., Ajayi, T., Linsky, T., Tishler, L. W., & DeWalt, D. A. (2018). Meal delivery programs reduce the use of costly health care in dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Health Affairs, 37(4), 535-542. Web.

Bouquet, O. (2019). A bioethical dilemma case study: Lilly. Prim Health Care, 9(327), 2. Web.

Chatterjee, H., & Noble, G. (2016). Museums, health, and well-being. Routledge.

Haeder, S. F. (2020). Political science and U.S. health policy in the era of the Affordable Care Act. Policy Studies Journal, 48(S1). Web.

Koivunen, M., & Saranto, K. (2017). Nursing professionals’ experiences of the facilitators and barriers to the use of Telehealth applications: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 32(1), 24-44. Web.

Mathonnat, J., Audibert, M., & Belem, S. (2019). Analyzing the financial sustainability of user fee removal policies: A rapid first assessment methodology with a practical application for Burkina Faso. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 18(6), 767-780. Web.

Shrank, W. H., DeParle, N., Gottlieb, S., Jain, S. H., Orszag, P., Powers, B. W., & Wilensky, G. R. (2021). Health costs and financing: Challenges and strategies for a new administration. Health Affairs, 40(2), 235-242. Web.

Cite this paper

Reference

NerdyBro. (2023, January 25). The Provision of Healthcare as a Right. Retrieved from https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/

Reference

NerdyBro. (2023, January 25). The Provision of Healthcare as a Right. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/

Work Cited

"The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." NerdyBro, 25 Jan. 2023, nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.

References

NerdyBro. (2023) 'The Provision of Healthcare as a Right'. 25 January.

References

NerdyBro. 2023. "The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." January 25, 2023. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.

1. NerdyBro. "The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." January 25, 2023. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.


Bibliography


NerdyBro. "The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." January 25, 2023. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.

References

NerdyBro. 2023. "The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." January 25, 2023. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.

1. NerdyBro. "The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." January 25, 2023. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.


Bibliography


NerdyBro. "The Provision of Healthcare as a Right." January 25, 2023. https://nerdybro.com/the-provision-of-healthcare-as-a-right/.