Research Paper on How Politics Makes Healthcare Policies Very Hard

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Research Paper on How Politics Makes Healthcare Policies Very Hard

 Diseases have been on the rise in the US due to unhealthy lifestyles. It has therefore led to formulations of bills that will make healthcare affordable and of high quality. The body responsible for creating and passing such laws is the Senate which is made up of politicians. Therefore making of healthcare policies as well as their implementation is influenced mainly by the current political wave.

     President Trump once acknowledged that health care is a complicated issue after the collapse of the Senate health care bills. The health bills were hotly debated as some senators argued that it has cost citizens a lot. In addition, the proposed programs would not make healthcare of high quality and only favored insurance firms.

   The healthcare market has not yet met the law of demand and supply in a free market. Health policies have been known to be vexing hence bound by the externality phenomena. Vaccines are known to prevent one from catching a particular disease or make one a carrier of that disease. However, many people tend to ignore the benefit of immunization until the government promotes it.

   Medical research is also another factor affecting healthcare policies. Physicians and pharmacists may discover a new treatment which later is absorbed by the medical society. Very few medical practitioners would be ready to commit their resources to such research unless with an incentive from the government.

    Health products and services are not like other products since in most markets the consumers have a pre-determined type of product they like using. However, when seeking medical attention, the patients have difficulty in making decisions hence depends on the advice of the physician.

      As a result of such difficulties in decision making, the government has to intervene to regulate the quality and cost of healthcare given to its citizens. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists have to be licensed.  Regulatory bodies also must be created to supervise the effectiveness, safety, and quality of pharmaceuticals.

    Another major issue is the uncertainty of the much one would spend on healthcare. It has not been easy to predict for health care costs, and at times one may find medical expenses taking much than what one earns. A disease like cancer and kidney problems cost Americans millions of money leaving the entire family drained.

    Such costs led to the introduction of a bill popularly known as Obama care where every America citizen was supposed to buy medical insurance to cater for such vast and unexpected costs. It was a bill that was hotly debated by both the political left and the political right. Some argued that the Insurance firms were overcharging their policies while others claimed that hospitals were exploiting insurers by adding dubious value since the company will foot the bill.

   It has been a challenge to the insurance companies in the pricing of health policies to its consumers since some are suffering from chronic diseases while others are leading healthy lives. If it charges a standard cost to all persons, the health one may find it not worth undertaking.

      The government role must, therefore, be seen in neutrality its main agenda is to protect the ordinary citizens. Politicians should and must as well have the interests of the citizens they are representing to reach equilibrium between the health providers and the health consumers. However, even the policy wonks admit that health policies are complicated.