Healthcare Program or Policy Evaluation Assignment
Healthcare Policy
Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you. Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described. Post an evaluation topic and a brief description of the evaluation. Discuss how social determinants impact this issue. Healthcare Program or Policy Evaluation Assignment
An existing healthcare program of interest is Medicare, a health insurance program for persons who are 65 years of age and older as well as disabled persons with multi-morbidity and limited resources. It is presented in four parts to match the coverage needs and budget. Part A provides hospital insurance for inpatient care at hospices, skilled nursing facilities, and hospitals. It is free for those who have a Social Security number and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. Part B provides medical insurance for preventive services, durable medical equipment, home healthcare, outpatient care, and services from healthcare providers. Users pay a monthly premium to access part B. Parts C and D provide medical insurance for private companies including dental, hearing, and vision insurance, as well as prescription drug costs (Social Security Administration, 2023).
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Medicare is intended as an affordable health insurance program for the public as enrollees contribute a small portion of the total healthcare costs through cost sharing and premiums. However, an evaluation of the program reveals that it has a cost-sharing requirement that may discourage enrollees from seeking care by imposing financial hardships. The program requires that enrollees make substantial payments when seeking healthcare. This cost-sharing approach threatens the US health goals as it acts as a barrier preventing many enrollees from getting care. The enrollees who proceed to get care either end up with major medical cost debts or deplete their household resources to the extent that they cannot afford other necessities of life. The enrollees in the Medicare program have modest incomes and a relatively large illness burden, making it difficult for them to afford the heavily subsidized healthcare costs. For instance, in 2016, the average out-of-pocket expenditure for Medicare enrollees was $5,460, approximately half of Social Security income (Madden et al., 2021). In this respect, Medicare may be subsidized, but economic stability continues to limit access to the program. Healthcare Program or Policy Evaluation Assignment
References
Madden, J. M., Bayapureddy, S., Briesacher, B. A., Zhang, F., Ross-Degnan, D., Soumerai, S. B., Gurwitz, J. H., & Galbraith, A. A. (2021). Affordability of Medical Care Among Medicare Enrollees. JAMA Health Forum, 2(12), e214104. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.4104
Social Security Administration (2023). Parts of Medicare. Healthcare Program or Policy Evaluation Assignment
Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.
Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.
Post an evaluation topic and a brief description of the evaluation. Discuss how social determinants impact this issue. Healthcare Program or Policy Evaluation Assignment
