Access to Care Essay
J Brown
Walden University
Having access to Insurance means that an individual has the financial resources available to them to have coverage. In the U.S millions of Americans are currently uninsured. The current unemployment rate as of March 2011 is approximately 8.8%. The impact of not having financial resources available to access insurance affects access to care and utilization of services. Having access to care means that there is a sufficient supply of services available when needed. The availability of these services should be adequate and easily obtainable when and if an individual’s seeks service. According to the Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality access to primary care is linked to fewer emergency room visits by Medicaid-Insured Children. This stat is notable because it reflects the positive affect the government sponsored program has on young children. (AHRQ, 2011)
Access to Insurance and Access to care is a public issue. Health care reform seeks to offer some level of coverage to all citizens. Health care providers and the government are working hard to ensure that access and quality health care is available. Although quality may defined differently depending on who you ask, the ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone seeking service has access and that they are provided with care regardless of financial status. A key population of individuals that suffer from both absence of insurance and access are those that live in rural areas. The absence of health insurance coverage for even the basic preventative care leads to serious conditions which leaves, low income families, susceptible to high medical bills. The absence of access due to geography reduces the opportunity to have services readily accessible and availability of advanced treatment options.
The health care reform address access to insurance in many ways to include tax credits to help individuals and their families buy health insurance. It also simplifies and expands
Walden University
Having access to Insurance means that an individual has the financial resources available to them to have coverage. In the U.S millions of Americans are currently uninsured. The current unemployment rate as of March 2011 is approximately 8.8%. The impact of not having financial resources available to access insurance affects access to care and utilization of services. Having access to care means that there is a sufficient supply of services available when needed. The availability of these services should be adequate and easily obtainable when and if an individual’s seeks service. According to the Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality access to primary care is linked to fewer emergency room visits by Medicaid-Insured Children. This stat is notable because it reflects the positive affect the government sponsored program has on young children. (AHRQ, 2011)
Access to Insurance and Access to care is a public issue. Health care reform seeks to offer some level of coverage to all citizens. Health care providers and the government are working hard to ensure that access and quality health care is available. Although quality may defined differently depending on who you ask, the ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone seeking service has access and that they are provided with care regardless of financial status. A key population of individuals that suffer from both absence of insurance and access are those that live in rural areas. The absence of health insurance coverage for even the basic preventative care leads to serious conditions which leaves, low income families, susceptible to high medical bills. The absence of access due to geography reduces the opportunity to have services readily accessible and availability of advanced treatment options.
The health care reform address access to insurance in many ways to include tax credits to help individuals and their families buy health insurance. It also simplifies and expands
References: Agency Healthcare Research and Quality http://www.ahrq.gov/research/childfind/chpbrf2.htm#access retrieved April 15, 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/cps/ retrieved April 15, 2011