Recent orders
Healthcare Spending And GDP and Factors leading to high costs of healthcare
Healthcare Spending And GDP
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc380752513” Introduction PAGEREF _Toc380752513 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380752514” Factors leading to high costs of healthcare PAGEREF _Toc380752514 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380752515” Solution to the healthcare expenditure problem PAGEREF _Toc380752515 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380752516” Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc380752516 h 3
IntroductionEveryone knows that the cost of health care is a very serious problem and none of the people have no power over the issue. In many countries people are expected to pay for their own health care. Therefore the ability of people to pay for their health care or the affordability of the healthcare has become a policy issue in many countries and especially an issue of urgency when it comes to a particular household problem when it comes to essential services like education, health and water. The issue of healthcare spending has been a topic for debate over the past few years. Today, there is a lot of concern on healthcare issues one of them being the healthcare spending. The cost of healthcare has been going up and it is still projected to rise. Presently it is about a fifth of the economic activity of the U.S. this paper will look at the causes of high healthcare costs and tools that can be used to address economic challenges in the heath care industry. It will finally determine the most effective solution.
Factors leading to high costs of healthcare There are many factors that contribute to the rising costs of healthcare. This include first the fact that many people in America lack health insurance at any costs and they cannot even manage to afford what is termed as the most basic health coverage. There has been a rise of people who are not insured due to the fact that the per capita healthcare spending has gone up. It can also be attributed to the fact that many people have lost their jobs and the fact that the economy is poor. Rise in healthcare spending can also be attributed to the use of improved technology, vaccine improvement, antibiotics, introduction of disease care as well as advances in surgery. There have also been improved medical devices like CT scanners, MRI, ultrasounds and defibrillators that can be implanted. At the same time there are developments in pharmaceuticals and administration costs have also contributed to the rise in costs of healthcare. Mostly the heath care costs are due to medical technology which is approximately over 200 billion per year (Wayne, 2012).
The Americans lifestyles also impact the health care industry in a big way almost sixty percent of the population is overweight and childhood obesity is rampant. Other factors that have an impact on the healthcare spending are; poor diets, high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise, drugs and drinking. It is the people themselves who have pushed the costs of health care up. The high healthcare spending ahs effects not only to families but also to businesses and public budgets. Expenditure on healthcare is seen to rise at a rate that is fast even faster than the state of the economy entirely and the wages of the working people.
In 2011 spending on medications, hospital visits as well as other medical care went up with an estimated percentage of 3.9 this consumed about 17.9% of the GDP. This is more than three times the deficit. Much of the money is considered to be spent appropriately which is keeping people alive and healthy but of course this is a very big problem. If only the health care spending can be reduced to a certain level then the deficit will be offset and free by almost half-trillion dollars in a year which can be used to invest in other areas of the economy particularly economic growth.
Solution to the healthcare expenditure problemOne of the critical solutions to the runaway cost of healthcare is cutting down on spending in the high-cost medical care that produces no benefits to the society in general (Thorpe k., 2005). There is also need for competitive bidding for the healthcare commodities, in that the government should not have see prices for these commodities. The bidding trend should be expanded nationwide by the Medicare, this way there will be a market based pricing on items like medical devises and laboratory, hence getting a more affordable prices. There should also be a negotiated payment mode; this will give the providers and the payers the platform to negotiate payment rates that would be deemed binding for all the providers and payers within a given state. In essence, the negotiated pay will be one that fits within the global spending target favorable to both the state and the public (Center for American Progress, 2013). Providers should negotiate payment rates that would be binding for all payers and providers in a state. The privately negotiated rates would have to fit within a global spending target for both public and private payers in the state.
ConclusionThese increases in the expenditure will continue outpacing the projections of economic growth. It is projected that by 2020 healthcare spending will be about $4.64 trillion which is a representation of close to 20% of the GDP. This therefore means that health care spending commands a great percentage of the overall GDP.GDP will therefore continue to go up as long as the spending in healthcare goes up or continues to rise. If the trends that have been seen for the previous years go on then health care spending will eat up the GDP in the lifetime of the future generation. Health care spending will use up the federal government budget, the main source of the financing of the healthcare and yet is the root cause of the debt problem in the U.S. With health care spending eating too much into the GDP will mean that there will be no room for spending on security, defense or any other roles by the government (Hixon, 2012).therefore it is important to ensure that the healthcare system is well guarded so as to prevent any further increase in health care spending.
References
Center for American Progress, (2013). Cutting Health Care Costs. Retrieved March 28, 2013 from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/news/2012/08/02/11970/cutting-health-care-costs/
Wayne, A. (2012). -Care appending to reach 20% of U.S Economy by 202 BloombergBusinessweek.Health 1.Retrieved march 28,2013 from HYPERLINK “http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-13/health-care-spending-to-reach-20-percent-of-u-dot-s-dot-economy-by-2021″http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-13/health-care-spending-to-reach-20-percent-of-u-dot-s-dot-economy-by-2021
Hixon,T.(2012).The U.S Does Not Have A Debt problem….It has a Health Care Cost problem.retrieved march 28,2013 from HYPERLINK “http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddhixon/2012/02/09/the-u-s-does-not-have-a-debt-problem-it-has-a-health-care-cost-problem/”http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddhixon/2012/02/09/the-u-s-does-not-have-a-debt-problem-it-has-a-health-care-cost-problem/
Thorpe k., (2005). The Rise In Health Care Spending And What To Do About It. Retrieved March 28, 2013 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/516112
Prove of God’s Existence
Prove of God’s Existence
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
The argument to the existence of God has been in discussion for far too long. Somehow it can be traced to the centuries back. Both the atheists and the religious have been arguing to prove their position. The atheists have poked holes to the existence of God and the inconsistencies of the Bible. However, as the Christians note the Bible can defend it and it has sufficient proof to the existence of God. The Bible famously notes, ‘God is the Alfa and the Omega… through God everything was and by the word of mouth He created the world.’ Throughout this paper, we will prove God’s existence and the possible explanations that prove God’s existence.
To begin with, the moral laws that we practice as humans they have their origin in the Bible. The Ten Commandments that were given to children of Israel by God through Moses have influenced the moral laws in our societies. For instance, the outlawing of stealing and killing in the present societies has its influence on the Ten Commandments. The way the Ten Commandments were written to encompass any possible evil-doing is beyond human cognition. The fact that nations have made constitutions as the moral way in which societies should co-exist; the constitutions are pamphlets that try to build on from the Ten Commandments. The humans would not possibly condense the constitutions since they did not have the thinking of the supernatural thinking of the author of the Ten Commandments. It, therefore; explains that there is a supernatural being behind the Ten Commandments and that proves to the chance of the existence of God. Aquinas, a great philosopher of all time says that some things are good, true, and noble. He goes on to say that some good things are better than the good things and some are nobler than the noble. This way Aquinas says we compare things to the absolute standard.
And the absolute standard should be of the maximum quality. The Ten Commandments are of maximum quality according to Aquinas thus God is noblest. Aquinas notes that that which provides the means and the explanation of existences of good qualities it must be God according to Hughes (1989). God provided for the Ten Commandments which was the basis of human morals and constitution. Thus we can say, somehow God must have existed to provide for the moral laws that formed the basis of human morals.
Secondly, the argument of moral awareness and knowledge prove the existence of God. Richard Swinburne notes that moral awareness would only exist in the world where there is a God. Swinburne further notes that moral truths are absolute truths that have genuine ground for the moral good of the people. In the Bible, God provides for moral truths that are necessary for better human existence. Through the Bible, God tries to explain why humans should show compassion to the sick, needy, and those that need our assistance. The Bible also requires that we should love our neighbour as we love our self. This basic Bible tenets call for a better world that humans will co-exist peacefully. As humans, we are aware that the terrorists’ acts are inhumane and uncalled for thus, morally wrong. The fact that we can as humans distinguish between our self what is wrong and right calls for an explanation. How possibly would have humans understood good and bad if not for the supernatural power that has influenced them? It beats logic that humans would have possibly had this knowledge on their own. For instance, if we consider the animals they have no moral obligation, probably they feel nothing when they kill each other but for humans, there is always compassion in an event of such an eventuality. We can say that animals do not have moral believes that therefore such heinous acts that seem inhumane do not in any way bother them. According to Swinburne a supernatural
Being must have instituted in humans the moral awareness that makes them know good and bad. It was God is the intention that humans choose freely between good and bad so that they can develop a relationship with Him. Swinburne does not, however, believe this alone proves to the existence of God but it provides for an inductive reason to believe in the existence of God. Therefore; this gives a hint that god exists.
The cosmological argument provides for the existence of God. The cosmological argument says that whatever that exists must have a cause. Anything that exists must have a creator that made it to be. From the Bible reading, the Bible proves that it was through God that the universe was made and everything therein was made by God. This argument suggests that nothing can be the cause of itself; there must be something else that influenced the cause of things on earth according to Messer (1994). Thus it is within the rights of the Christians to believe that God was the cause of earth and everything that dwells on it. However, the Bible does not explain the cause of God which the atheists use to poke holes to the existent of God. God exists outside the universe according to the Bible, and this argument suggests that one can only create and exist outside of it. Hence its support to the argument that God exists. According to the believer’s God exists and is the cause of the earth. However, the cosmological argument is a victim of its own. It does not answer the questions on God. It fails to explain the existence of God but it explains what God can do. However; the cosmological argument proves to the existence of God by referring to him as the creator of the universe and the theory is a consistency to provide for the existence of God according to Smith (1992).
Furthermore, the ontological argument proves the existence of God. Saint Anselm (1033-1109) was the first to push for this argument to prove for the existence of God. This argument stipulates that the concept of God is an exception and that it needs to be correctly understood it satisfies the concept of God’s existence. The argument notes that there is nothing greater than God which can be conceived. God is the greatest thing to have ever happened and nothing can comprehend the existence of God. The argument says that God exists but it is beyond human nature to comprehend the existence of God. The ontological argument further notes that if we think God is non-existent then we conceive of something greater to God. To think that God does not exist is unimaginable because the ontological argument advances the idea that God exists and the fact that we cannot comprehend Him but feel His presence proves to the existence of God. According to this argument, it is unbelievable to imagine that God does not exist. The happenings around the world, the things that we can’t possibly explain reveal the existence of God accordin to Benzmuller et al. (2014). Immanuel Kant however, pinpoints to the shortcomings of this argument. He postulates that the argument is merely a wordplay that has proved itself but cannot be proved according to Martin (1995). The ontological argument, therefore; proves the existent of God through the following questions; what more can exist than God? What prove shows that God does not exist? These questions have not been fully answered by the critics of the ontological argument.
In conclusion, the fact that the Bible provides for proof for the existence of God, the moral laws that have streamlined the co-existence of human beings which influence the Ten Commandments. The fact that people can distinguish between bad and good is the influence of the supernatural being. The cosmological and ontological arguments prove the existence of God. The discussion above has proved and pointed to the existence of God to a large percentage.
References
Benzmüller, C., & Paleo, B. W. (2014, August). Automating Gödel’s Ontological Proof of God’s Existence with Higher-order Automated Theorem Provers. In ECAI (Vol. 263, pp. 93-98).
Smith, Q. (1992). A Big Bang Cosmological Argument for God’s Nonexistence. Faith and Philosophy, 9(2), 217-237.
Messer, R. (1993). Does God’s existence need proof?.
Hughes, C. (1989). On a Complex Theory of A Simple God: an investigation in Aquinas’ philosophical theology. Cornell University Press.
Martin, G. (1955). Kant’s metaphysics and theory of science. Manchester University Press.
Healthcare Service Administration HSA 515
Healthcare Service Administration HSA 515
Law of Healthcare Administration
“Law and Health Care”
Assignment #1
Strayer University
Write a 4-6 page paper based on your answers to the following questions. Utilize the Showalter textbook and at least two (2) other resources to support your answers. Identify and explain the four elements of proof necessary for a plaintiff to prove a negligence case.
Explain how the standard of care can be proven.
Explain the principle of “vicarious liability” (respondeat superior).
Explain why a corporation is considered an “artificial person” under the law.
4.Explain the functions and responsibilities of the governing board of a healthcare corporation.
ANSWER:
Explain how the standard of care can be proven.
In the standard of care, there is a certain and prudent kind of way that all persons involved should behave in a given circumstances. The duty of due care requires them to be prudent and act with care in order the patients to be safe. The definition given by a legal dictionary (Hill & Hill; 1981-2005) was that: “standard of care is the watchfulness, attention, caution and prudence that a reasonable person in the circumstances would exercise. If a person’s actions do not meet this standard of care, then his/her acts fail to meet the duty of care which all people (supposedly) have toward others. Failure to meet the standard is negligence, and any damages resulting therefrom may be claimed in a lawsuit by the injured party. The problem is that the “standard” is often a subjective issue upon which reasonable people can differ”. As the definition explained above whenever a person fails to behave as a reasonable and prudent person, he automatically commits a breach of duty. But in the other hand, a standard of care can be proven when there is duty of care which requires all persons to conduct themselves as a reasonably prudent person would do in similar circumstances (Showalter, 2008; PP. 47-48). Many ways can be used to found how a standard of care can be proven.
Indeed, the reasonable person also called the Helling standard is a legal fiction of the common law representing a fix norm against which any person’s conduct can be measured. It is employed to figure out if a breach of the standard of care occurred. Moreover, physicians are usually judged by how other physicians would have behaved under similar circumstances (Showalter, 2008; PP. 48-49). In the ‘Letric Law Library (1995-2011) also explained: “In reality, unless there is a factual question about what the defendant did, the proof of the standard of care also proves the defendant’s breach. For example, assume that the defendant admits that she did not counsel the patient about prenatal testing. If the patient can establish that the standard of care was to offer this testing, the defendant breached the standard. If, however, the physician claims to have done the counseling, the patient will have to prove both that counseling was the standard of care and that the physician did not do the counseling”. Therefore, with every evidence provided, a breach of the duty of care can be proven.
In the majority of the cases of medical misdeed (malpractices), the level of the care and its infringement are establish by the testimony of the expert witnesses to prove if there were standard of care. There are situations in which the plaintiff can be able to establish without experts to what extend the standard of the care and duty of care has been committed (‘Letric Law Library, 1995-2011). For the expert witness to show the appropriate standard of care and that there was not a breach, his testimony needs to have some qualifications. First, the witness must be familiar with the jurisdiction’s standard of care; therefore, he must practice in the same locality as the physician or at least be familiar with their jurisdiction. To finish, the expert must be professionally qualified which is for him to know the basics requiring knowledge of the standard of practice involved in the patient’s care (Showalter, 2008, PP. 54-55). Some other evidence of standard of care can be proven when the doctor can introduce all the required medical documents to show that he acted with extreme care while taking care of the patient. Common-knowledge, Res Ipsa Loquitur (When the thing speaks for itself) and Strict Liability are other procedures that can be used to prove standard of care (Showalter, 20008; PP. 55-57).
Explain the principle of “vicarious liability” (respondeat superior).
Vicarious liability is when you are being liable for other’s acts. The definition given by Vaidya, P (2011) is that: “Vicarious liability is a form of strict, secondary liability that arises under the common law doctrine of agency – respondeat superior – the responsibility of the superior for the acts of their subordinate, or, in a broader sense, the responsibility of any third party that had the “right, ability or duty to control” the activities of a violator. The liability is placed, not on the tortfeasor, but rather on someone who is supposed to have control over the tortfeasor.” Besides, a healthcare provider can be held responsible for the negligence of others, even though he was not the one who were negligent. The most common form of vicarious liability is the liability arising out of a “Master – Servant” (Employer – Employee) relationship. Therefore, respondeat superior means that it is the superior who will respond for the negligence of his agents or employees. Furthermore, a tort committed under the vicarious liability does not depend on whether the negligent person was employed by the superior or not; for example: the physician can be held liable from his nurse’s negligence if he is the one who ordered her. In addition, a physician in a legal partnership with other physicians is one being liable for his partners’ torts, as long as they acted within the area of the partnership (Showalter, 2008). In that case, every partner is an agent of the other partners that is why they are liable for the tort. Showalter (2008, PP. 68) mentioned: “The corporation would then have to respond in damages, although physicians who personally committed such torts would of course still be individually liable for their own wrongful acts”.
Explain why a corporation is considered an “artificial person” under the law.
Showalter (2008, PP. 90) stated that: “a corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible and existing only in contemplation of the law. Being the mere creature of the law, it possesses those properties which charter confer upon it, either expressly or incidental to its very existence”. What he meant to say by his definition is that corporation is considered an “artificial person” because he is behaving like a separate entity. Being an “entity” defines that the corporation is not tied to any one person or group of people because he can stand on his own (like a partnership or a sole proprietorship) (Small Business Ideas, 2011). Corporations may have many advantages such as limited liability for example: if you slip and fall in a store such as Giant, you can sue Giant which a corporation even if it looks strange to sue a corporation not a person. Then continuity., since the corporation is a separate entity; therefore, it can survive its founders, its shareholders, and its board of directors. Moreover, it creates continuity for investors and employees and allows the business to keep going, without being interrupted and without fear of killing the business. Finally, Limited rights because as a “person”, several rights that we would normally be considered to be an individual right would been given to corporations (Hossain Z, 2010). All those advantages are also why they are considered as separate entities or as an “artificial person” under the law. Hossain, Z (2010) also explained: “For example, corporations can own property and other assets, can buy, sell, or lease property, and have very broad commercial rights so that the corporation can conduct business independent of an individual person and maintain continuity”.
Explain the functions and responsibilities of the governing board of a healthcare corporation.
Governing boards are under a meticulous examination than ever before and are held on higher levels of the responsibility. Much of this was led by many well-publicized failures corporation which reduced the public’s confidence. Thus, the relation of council assembly effectiveness to hospital performance is a critical matter for many leaders in the healthcare (McDonagh, 2006). Indeed, the governing board of healthcare corporation has four major functions and responsibilities which include: developing policy and strategy, appointing senior administration and medical staff members, delineating clinical privileges, and oversee the professional performance of both lay administrators and medical staff. In order for those functions to be realizable, the board must ensure the proper organization of its own committee structure, management committees, and medical staff (Showalter, 2008; PP. 97).
In addition to the executive committee, other standing committee include: finance (having the authority of managing and investing hospital funds, and for the overall supervision of fiscal policies), buildings and grounds (overseeing the physical plant), personnel (developing for the employee policies regarding salaries, wages and so forth,… ), public relations or corporate communications (overseeing the messages being distributed to stakeholders and the general public), education (recommending training programs for employees), corporate compliance (ensuring that measures are in place to enable compliance with legal standards), and medical staff relations (promoting mutual understanding between the lay board and the professional staff). Every committee has the duty to offer recommendations and giving advices to the governing board, because the ultimate responsibility for all decisions mostly rely on the board (Showalter, 2008; PP. 98).
REFERENCES
Hill, G & Hill, K. (1981 -2005). Definitions: Standard Of Care. The Free Dictionary Definitions. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/standard+of+care” http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/standard+of+care
Hossain, Z (2010). Introduction of Illegal Street Race. The Lawyers & Jurists Article. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://resources.lawyersnjurists.com/articles-and-assignment/introduction-of-illegal-street-race/” http://resources.lawyersnjurists.com/articles-and-assignment/introduction-of-illegal-street-race/
‘Letric Law Library. (1995-2011). Standard Of Care. The ‘Letric Law Library Article. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.lectlaw.com/files/exp24.htm” http://www.lectlaw.com/files/exp24.htm
McDonagh, K. (2006). The Effectiveness of Hospital Governing Boards. Journal of Healthcare Management Article. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/corporate-governance/4109245-1.html
Showalter, J. (2008). The Law of Healthcare Administration. Health Administration Press. 5th. Ed., (PP.47-49, 57-58, 68, 90, 97-98).
Small Business Ideas. (2011). What You Should Know About Legal Forms of Business. Small Business Legal Structures Article. Retrieved from http://www.small-biz-ideas.com/small-business-legal-structures.html#top
Vaidya, P. (2011). Vicarious Liability. Vicarious Liability of State in Sovereign Functions Article. Retrieved from http://legalservicesindia.com/article/article/vicarious-liability-of-state-in-sovereign-functions-580-1.html