Medicare is a centralized health insurance program for older people, and some young people who are disabled, while Medicare covers low-income people, and sometimes seriously sick or disabled individuals. Medicare and Medicaid have a special place in Ohio State because the health factor is important to all Ohioans. Therefore, the following paragraphs explain the healthcare insurance program of Ohio, considering the requirements that must be met, and the financing of the system.
Ohio prepares its budget which is approved by the federal government, and for the last ten years, Ohio has been allocating a figure between ten and fifteen billion dollars to its healthcare system. The system is meant to serve everyone who resides in Ohio including legal immigrants (Harlow, 2011). However, some requirements must be followed before one can be absorbed into the system. Medicare is provided to individuals who are 65 years and above. For people who make contributions to their social security fund, they are guaranteed of being absorbed into the system once they turn 65 years. This option is for the people who are employed, but fortunately those that are in self employment or have never been employed can join the system by filling out a form.
Medicare services include in-patient and out-patient services. However, these services come at a fee, and for those who are covered through the social security fund, their bills are paid by this entity. Walker (2011) argues that those who cannot afford to pay for Medicare services cannot be denied the assistance they need because the state of Ohio finances the Medicare system, but their financial support is partial. For the state government to assist in paying Medicare bills, they consider the age of the patient and the amount of money that he/she earns. The government of Ohio has a set amount of money that one should be earning to qualify for government assistance; the money is determined by the type of illness.
Likewise, Medicaid is reserved for little children, expectant mothers, and people with special needs. Additionally, people with ailments such as cancer are entitled to Medicaid services. People who earn little money are also included in this system. The Medicaid services are monitored by the jobs and family services department, and varied applications are depending on one’s earnings and age among other factors. This is necessary because the department needs to identify the people who can afford to pay for themselves and those who cannot (Walker, 2011).
The Ohio state government is doing a good job in providing healthcare services to its residents. Family services department is helping people to pay their medical services bills. That is a commendable role because many people live below the poverty line, and thus they cannot afford to pay for healthcare services. By helping such people, the government of Ohio shows that it is committed to protecting its residents from health problems, and caring for the less fortunate in the society.
In addition, the department has been helping people to get jobs so that they can be able to pay for their medical bills. However, Lawson (2011) argues that Medicare and Medicaid programs take a greater percentage of Ohio’s budget, and this has generated debate on the way funds are managed by the state government. As a result, Governor Kasich and other leaders are in the process of controlling the burden of Medicaid.
In this regard, nurses can assist the needy and the poor people in Ohio by educating them on the issues of family planning so that they can have manageable number of children. This will go a long way in regulating the entire population of Ohio. The poor lack time to think about family planning, but ignoring them could result in a crisis in future. This is because they may multiply at a very fast rate, and hence the number of people who rely on government assistance may increase and overwhelm the government. Soon, the state government may run out of funds to assist them, leading to increase in child mortality rates.
References
Harlow, K. (2011). Ohio’s Proposed Budget. Triage. Web.
Lawson, R.G. (2011). Are the Blind Leading the Blind? The Challenges of Confronting Ohio’s ‘Pac-man’. The Buckeye Institute. Web.
Walker, D.A. (2011). Ohio Medicare & Medicaid. eHow. US: Demand Media, Inc. Web.