Bending the Curve, Essay Example

In contrast to the stated intent of various healthcare reform bills, the proposed legislation–which have been passed by both the House and the Senate–will profoundly increase health care spending if they become official laws. These bills are predicated on a fundamental misconception about what factors drive spending on healthcare, so they would undoubtedly worsen various inefficiencies that continue to hamper the health care system in the United States, especially those that hike spending (Fodeman & Book, 2010). The prevalence of disease and reproductive problems continue to increase annually in addition to vast technological changes, fraud, waste, and a third-party payment system all contribute to rising health care spending. However, the primary problem remains the pricing system because it insulates both producers and patients alike from the usual incentives in the market that cuts prices and matches spending on valuable health care services to patients. Proposed national health care insurance should aim at improving care while controlling costs in order to empower patients through the expansion of choices they have available. Moreover, healthcare reform should allow providers and patients to benefit from treatments that are cheaper yet effective; create an actual, national market for health insurance; and reform Medicaid and Medicare (Fodeman & Book, 2010). Proposed healthcare reform nonetheless retains the potential to yield positive outcomes for pregnancy-related and other reproductive issues and better services offered. Without proper obstetric care, there can be adverse health ramifications for mothers and their progeny. Financial hurdles–especially for those who lack insurance or do not have adequate insurance coverage–constitute the main driving force for national health insurance in the United States, which continues to lag behind other developed countries in obstetrics care (Sonefield, 2010). Limiting factors include various loopholes and abusive practices that prohibit insurance coverage to extend to pregnancy and other obstetric services.

References

Fodeman, J. & Book, R.A. (2010). “Bending the Curve”: What really drives healthcare spending. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved September 17, 2015 from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/02/bending-the-curve-what-really-  drives-health-care-spending

Sonfield, A. (2010). The potential of health care reform to improve pregnancy-related services and outcomes. Guttmacher Policy Review, 13(2). Retrieved September 17, 2015  from https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/13/3/gpr130313.html