Introduction
The federal government is responsible for ensuring that a considerable portion of its annual budget is invested in supporting the existing major health programs. The amount set is required to be used wisely to facilitate a reduction in illness burden, disability, and injury and enhance the general health of the citizens. In this case, Medicare, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Medicaid are the three major federal health programs.
Medicare Program
The Medicare program is established to provide necessary health insurance to individuals 65 years and above. The plan also covers eligible citizens, especially those with disability and end-stage renal infection. The total number of beneficiaries was recently estimated to be 40 million, continually increasing due to widespread disease (Cubanski et al., 2019). The Medicare population is known to have a huge burden of chronic sickness. However, the federal government mainly finances the entire cost through private facilities.
Medicaid Program
Medicaid program serves a considerable proportion of the population including poor individuals who require health services. The plan is entirely for low-income citizens who must satisfy specific eligibility criteria like pregnant women, typical low-income parents, and disabled adults. However, the eligibility criterion varies across the states, with maximum earnings set at different limits (Cubanski et al., 2019). The program is jointed financed by the states and the federal government having the highest contribution.
SCHIP Program
SCHIP program is a joint venture sharing between the state and the federal government to provide health services to near-poor and poor children with no other health insurance plan. As of 2001, more than 4.6 million children were enrolled in the program (Cubanski et al., 2019). States are granted the right to operate combined or separate programs depending on their needs. Therefore, the SCHIP plan is implanted variably and slowly across various states.
Conclusion
Although the programs play a crucial role in ensuring improvement in health services, I feel that the three are not sufficient to help in achieving the desired future fitness outcomes. This is due to the fact that the expectations and needs of current beneficiaries keep on changing and this has the potential to affect their future demands. Due to the shifting needs of recipients, there is a need for other support programs that will help align with the changes.
Reference
Cubanski, J., Neuman, T., & Freed, M. (2019). The facts on Medicare spending and financing. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, San Francisco 40 (2).