How the Uninsured Effect Health Care
There are several issues concerning the uninsured and underinsured patient population in America. There are many areas of concern the congressional efforts to increase the availability of health insurance, the public image of the insurance industry illustrated by the movie "John Q", the lack of good management tools, and creating health insurance coverage for all low income Americans. Since the number of uninsured Americans has risen to 43 million from 37 million in the flourishing 1990s and could shoot up even more severely if the economy continues to decrease and health care premiums keep increasing (Insurance No Simple Fix, 2001). In order to fully understand the uninsured and underinsured problem that hospital administrators face the cause must be examined. The health outcomes of uninsured individuals are generally worse than those who are insured. Uninsured persons are more likely to experience avoidable hospitalizations, diagnosed at later stages of disease, hospitalized on an emergency or urgent basis, and more seriously ill upon hospitalization (Simpson, 2002) Because the uninsured often lack an ongoing relationship with a health-care provider, they are less likely to receive preventive care and diagnostic tests (Kemper,
In addition, about 58 percent of health care costs were paid out-of-pocket for children who were uninsured throughout 1996 in the United States, according to a new report by the researchers at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Harvard University. In comparison, about 23 percent was paid out-of-pocket for children who were covered by private health insurance. The average total expenditures for all health care services for uninsured children were $369, while the average total expenditures for children covered by private insurance was $1,100. The report was published as an article in the inaugural issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics (.Simpson, 2001). Kemper, V. (2002). The Nation: Those without insurance die prematurely; health study concludes that the uninsured are treated differently from those with medical coverage with deadly consequences. The Los Angeles Time. Retrieved from http:// proquest.umi.com/pqbweb. In expectation of the John Q movie release the health-insurance lobbying group bought full-page ads in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. This is the first time the health insurers' group has ever advertised in such showbiz publications. The ad reads, in part: "John Q. It's not just a movie. It's a crisis for 40 million people who can't afford health care"(Martinez, 2002, p. B. 1). The ad goes on to blame Denzel Washington for failing to address the problem of the uninsured or like the fictional character John Q., the underinsured. The insurance industry got a glimpse of just how damaging "John Q." could become to their public image when Mr. Washington appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to promote the movie. "Imagine being told that your insurance will not cover the only treatment that could save your child's life," Ms. Winfrey tells her audience. "It happens in the movie `John Q.' and it happens to real people every day in this country (p.B 1).
Some common words found in the essay are:
Medicaid SCHIP, AHA HFMA, Hedgpeth Becker, Participation SCHIP, Ms Winfrey, Simple Fix, , Hospitals Corporations, Scanlon GAO's, Management Association, health insurance, retrieved http// proquestumicom/pqbweb, http// proquestumicom/pqbweb, retrieved http//, health care, public programs, feder 2001, anonymous 2001, hedgpeth becker 2002, eligibility standard, insurance coverage, uninsured children, health insurance coverage, review retrieved http//, lack management tools,
Approximate Word count = 2256
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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