Current and Future State of Healthcare Legislation Analysis

...

However, besides feats of medical technology innovation and a lot of funding, the U.S health care system underperforms when compared to other countries. In four studies carried out among the industrialized nations based on the quality of healthcare, the U.S. has ranked last in all occasions (Braithwaite 328). The most notable disparity of the U.S. system, when compared to other countries, is the lack of universal insurance coverage. Countries like Canada and Germany provide healthcare to all of its citizens but in the U.S., the government offers Medicaid to select groups. This reduces access to medical care in the U.S. as it costs more to get these services. The country also performs poorly regarding efficiency due to unnecessary emergency room use, high administrative costs and repetitive medical testing (Braithwaite 324). Also, the U.S. falls short on measures of equity. The low-income earners in the U.S. are less likely to not getting medical services than their counterparts in Canada and Germany. Furthermore, the high scores in mortality and infant mortality as well as a short life span place the U.S. as the last among industrialized countries regarding indicators of healthy lives.

Implementation of Health Care Changes in Management

Consequently, reforms in the U.S. healthcare system have to a large extent influenced management operations. Managers need to maintain the acquired expertise and undertake their professional tasks in the face of change, regardless of whether they are passive individuals or participants in these reforms (Lilley 348-349). The health care industry has been forced to cut costs while improving quality and this should make managers redesign care delivery in their institutions to fit with government plans. For example, the CEO of a hospital should increase the number of Medicare patients to meet the government mandated quota. This will make the hospital eligible for government incentives and subsidies as part of the Federal Budget.

The managers should also aim at increasing physician numbers in their facilities to cater for the expected high population of medical cover recipients. This would make it easier to implement health reform policies like the ACA. The administrators should also work with population health managers to generate strategies which would focus on changing from payments based on customer volumes to payment determined by delivery (Lilley 348-349). Health systems that have integrated programs such as the Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) have found it easier to implement these policies in their hospitals. Managers should, therefore, incorporate such programs in their institutions.

Nevertheless, some challenges emerge when managers try to fit these plans with their health care systems. The focus of value-based payment rather than volume-based payment has created an imbalance in the market competition. There has also been resistance by physicians to adapt to these changes due to varying views and cultural differences. Doctors in the 50-60 year age bracket have especially found it difficult to align themselves with change. Also, health care systems that are overly bureaucratic and hierarchical have not been able to adapt to change due to the large numbers of professionals involved. Additional problems facing health care managers include low employee morale, high absenteeism rates, budget costs and high levels of turnover. To overcome these challenges, managers need to be adaptable, committed and efficient when implementing change in the healthcare systems.

Conclusion

There have been substantial shifts in the U.S. healthcare environment. This paper has analyzed how these changes have molded the current health care system in the country. The Affordable Care Act has been adopted leading to improved numbers in medical cover, improved cooperation among industrial players and reformed the whole health care system. This has resulted in a number of emerging trends such as the formation of Affordable Care Organizations and emergence of new heath care platforms. In comparison with the health systems of other industrialized countries, the U.S. has underperformed regarding quality, efficiency, and medical coverage.

Managers have been required to integrate these reforms in their institutions to improve the quality and safety but at the same time save money. They have been faced with challenges such as competition, resistance, budgeting costs and absenteeism. Regardless of these difficulties, the managers are the focal point in making these reforms a reality. Future developments and improvements in the U.S. healthcare system are expected due to increasing medical innovations and economic advancements. This will eventually realize the country's dream of providing universal health coverage at sustainable costs.

Works Cited

Braithwaite, Jeffrey. Healthcare Reform. Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2015. Print.

Cutler, David M. "From The Affordable Care Act To Affordable Care". JAMA 314.4 (2015): 337. Web.

Fottler, Myron D, Naresh Khatri, and Grant T Savage. Strategic Human Resource Management In Health Care. Bingley, UK: Emerald, 2010. Print.

Health Reform In The 21St Century. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2009. Print.

Lilley, Roy. "Adapting Your Management Style To Health Care Changes". Nurs Residential Care 13.7

"Medicaid Expansion Under The Affordable Care Act". JAMA 309.12 (2013): 1219. Web. (2011): 348-349. Web.

Ruggie, M. "Markets And Medicine: The Politics Of Health Care Reform In Britain, Germany, And The United States". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 29.3 (2004): 525-528. Web.

"Worldwide Spending On Healthcare". Emergo. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 May 2016.