role of federal government in health care

ROLE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT- HEALTHCARE

United States has faced more vociferous criticism for its national healthcare policies than any other country around the globe , yet it is the only country that spends more than 2 .2 trillion on healthcare each year . That figure far exceeds the expenditure on healthcare by any other developed country but strangely other countries boast a much better healthcare system that we have in the US . It is true that while United States federal government spends more than 16 percent of its GDP on healthcare , Canada spends only

10 percent and still Canadian healthcare is much cheaper , covers a larger majority of the population and comes with better quality services

Role of federal government in healthcare cannot be overlooked or underestimated . Through some important public programs like Medicare and Medicaid , the federal government seeks to provide healthcare insurance to its people and is thus the largest financier of healthcare in the country . But these programs , as ambitious as they were envisioned to be have failed to provide adequate coverage to the people who need it the most namely children under 18 and people in lower income areas Uninsured have reached an alarming 45 million people which means that a large section of the population has no healthcare insurance but is as vulnerable to healthcare risks as any other section

Some important efforts by the federal government in the area of healthcare must be discussed because government is still the strongest pillar . Medicaid is an important program that differs from state to state . It is a federally funded program for people in lower income groups who cannot afford private insurance . There are some eligibility requirements that must be met before a person or family is taken under Medicaid protection . Medicaid provides coverage to 51 million Americans which means 1 out of every 5 American is covered by this program

Medicare is a separate federally run program that is meant for senior citizens , disabled and people with kidney failure . Unfortunately Medicare is not a very reliable program since it doesn 't cover the cost of prescription drugs , which are very costly in the US . Most people would cross b and get their prescription drugs from neighboring countries where they are much cheaper

After much criticism and deliberation , a program was started for children under 18 . This program is called the State Children 's Health program and it was started in 1997 . The main objective of the program is to provide healthcare coverage to children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid and yet these children have no adequate coverage

Nursing shortage in the country has sparked another tirade of criticism against federal government . Many feel that the government has not adequately nurtured this profession and hence serious dearth of qualified nurses has resulted . The most serious recent effort made by the federal government to counter nursing shortage was the introduction and ratification of Nursing Reinvestment Act of 2001 . this legislation was designed to promote the profession among younger...