two classmates responses, 125 words each with two references each

one: The growth in health care costs is a real concern for the United States. It is already the most expensive regarding cost in health. According to Knickman & Elbel, “Most other developed countries have a system that involves a set of services to which every citizen is entitled (2019).” However, patient health outcomes do not reflect well to the high costs. There are many other industrialized countries whose costs are reasonable compared to the high influx of the United States (Feldscher, 2018). The most interesting part is that the outcomes were relatively the same, if not better. Another factor that will contribute to the rise of health care costs in the United States is the aging of the baby boomer generation. There will continue to be a larger elderly population than ever before in the U.S. According to Martini, E. M., Garrett, N., Lindquist, T., & Isham, G. J., “Understanding the differential impact of aging on costs at clinically specific levels is important for resource planning, to effectively address future medical needs of the aging U.S. population (2007).” Also, since medical advancements are continuing to improve, this will result in longevity for the population.

References

Feldscher, K. (2018, March 13). U.S. pays more for health care with worse population health outcomes. Retrieved from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/03/u-s-pays-more-for-health-care-with-worse-population-health-outcomes/

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A. R. (2019). Jonas and Kovner’s health care delivery in the

United States (12th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Martini, E. M., Garrett, N., Lindquist, T., & Isham, G. J. (2007). The boomers are coming: a total cost of care model of the impact of population aging on health care costs in the United States by Major Practice Category. Health services research, 42(1 Pt 1), 201–218. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00607.x

Two: The growth in health care costs is a real concern for the United States. There are still many Americans uninsured or underinsured. There is a high demand for affordable and accessible care for individuals of all ages. Health care spending in the U.S. has increased much faster than economic growth over the last few decades (Knickman & Kovner, 2019). By 2018, health expenditures such as administration of insurance, health research, and public health are part of the $3.6 trillion spent on healthcare and health-related activities (Kamal, 2019). The concern continues to grow as more baby boomers exit the workforce and enter a time of need in health care. Until we address the immediate needs of Americans both uninsured and underinsured, we cannot resolve the issue of increase of healthcare in the U.S.

Health care is already a stressful business and it’s only going to continue to grow and advance. Americans have an opportunity to relieve the burden of healthcare costs by offering preventative care at no cost so individuals can be seen by a physician and have their healthcare needs taken care of. Many alternative options like Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants have been made to help with the needs of the growing population at a much lower cost. As the growth continues, if we can utilize other healthcare professionals to meet the needs of these patients, this can lower the long term costs of healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured.

References:

Kamal, R. (2019, December 20). How has U.S. spending on healthcare changed over time? Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A. R. (2019). Jonas and Kovner’s health care delivery in the United States (12th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.