Three Current Events Affecting Health Care Economics, Research Paper Example

Health care economics is a science relating the value, efficacy, adequacy as well as behavior encompassing production and consumption of health and health care services (Gray et.al, 2010). Three current events affecting health care economics, especially, in United States of America are the population‘s health behaviors; aging and the number of people who are not insured. Health behaviors include diet, exercise, social and sexual activities and adherence to health education/promotion information. When the population does not comply with basic health promotion guidelines they become ill and thereby health care cost escalates because more people need services (Drummond, 2005).

This is reflected in their non-compliance with health promotion diet guidelines as is evidenced in the exceptionally high incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure and sexually transmitted diseases prevalent in the society. Complications of diabetes and hypertension has accounted for a major portion of health care cost in United States of America and across the world (Drummond, 2005).

As such, health behaviors and non-compliance with health promotion techniques clasp hand as events affecting health care economics in America and across the world. When they are uninsured this complicates health care costs because Medicaid has to pay the health care bill for these non-compliant citizens (Drummond, 2005).

Aging in America carries its own health care costs through Medicare. Once citizens attain the age of 65 Medicare is responsible for part of their health expenses. A large over 65 age group means more care is required for the aging population which does affect health care economics.

References

Drummond, F. (2005) Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes, Oxford University Press

Gray, A. Clarke, P. Wolstenholme, J., & Wordsworth, S. (2010) Applied Methods of Cost-effectiveness Analysis in Healthcare, Oxford University Press.