U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released statistics showing that close to 50 million Americans do not have health insurances (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services par. 1). Although the data is for 2011, it is representative of what is happening now. Millions of people throughout the United States are at risk of being rejected medical care in hospitals in case of a disease. Aside from those 50 million Americans, one also needs to take into account millions of Americans who only have basic insurance which may cover only minor ailments and does not safeguard them from serious risks.
The biggest problem with uninsured patients is that they view a doctor’s appointment and a hospital visit as a last resort. It is true that according to US medical regulations hospitals are required to provide medical care in emergency cases to everyone irrespective of insurance. This has led to situations when patients put off doctor visits until their disease or condition gets out of control and results in an emergency. First help will be rendered to patients in critical condition, but further treatment is out of the question and they will be left on their own. Uninsured Americans neglect routine medical checkups and problems which might have been detected and prevented in early stages aggravate and often lead to irreversible consequences.
Taking the above into account, a comprehensive intervention needs to be developed to mitigate and tackle problems regarding the lack of insurance. The intervention needs to be multi-faceted so that it will address all aspects of the problem. The intervention program to be carried out and results should be disseminated and made public knowledge.
The major problem preventing people from purchasing insurance is a lack of money. It is true that few people may find a large amount of money to be paid immediately. With this in mind, a yearly intervention may be introduced by the Good Samaritan Hospital.
It is known for various programs aimed at providing medical care for all, irrespective of their status. Rather than paying a large amount, the hospital may introduce a reasonable monthly fee in exchange for a limited number of consultations, checkups, and doctor appointments. It is true that the intervention in question will allow people to use the services of the Good Samaritan Hospital and no other, but it is still better to have a hospital where you can be admitted and treated than having nowhere to turn to the case of health issues.
In order to adequately assess the intervention benefits, a study group needs to be formed consisting of around 100 people aged over 50 who are most likely to require medical care. The people comprising the study group need to reside in the vicinity of the Good Samaritan Hospital. For the results to be consistent, the study needs to last for a year during which group participants will enjoy free medical care, doctor visits, and checkups.
Firstly, it should be brought to public attention that many of the diseases may be prevented on the condition that routine checks are conducted regularly to detect an incipient disease at its earliest stages. Participants from the study group will not only have the chance to visit a hospital in case of disease; they’ll be required to undergo routine health checks once every three months. Besides routine checks, people will enjoy monthly 1 hour consultations with volunteer doctors to talk about regular health issues and disease prevention.
There is ample evidence that at least half of all the diseases could have been prevented had the patient’s health been regularly monitored. The intervention will attempt to back up prevention strategy as an effective source for preventing diseases.
The resources required for the intervention are the Good Samaritan Hospital’s consent to undertake the intervention, the financial scheme to be worked out in order to collect monthly payments from group participants. Obviously, more man-hours will be required to participate in the intervention, and probably temporary staff, volunteers, or part-time physicians will need to be hired for the duration of the program.
The challenges associated with the intervention will be linked with the need for extra staff, rooms, medical equipment, perhaps special permits, or intervention accreditation from a state organization. It is also important to talk to potential study participants and convince them that reasonable monthly payments are far more beneficial for their health and for their wallets in the long run.
It is crucial that intervention results be documented and scrutinized so that all of the benefits are added to the report and become public knowledge. For the sake of statistics, all potential medical issues that will be prevented need to be documented as well.
If the intervention is successful, similar programs may be implemented in other hospitals allowing for the intervention to go on a national level. The central idea is to ensure affordable medical care for all. The intervention will help change people’s misconceptions regarding medical care. The intervention will work best for the elderly who stay at home most of the time and refrain from traveling around the country. Good medical care is essential and should be affordable to all.
Works Cited
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Overview of the Uninsured in the United States: A Summary of the 2011 Current Population Survey. 2011. Web.