Why Is American Health Care So Ridiculously Expensive? Research Paper Example

Abstract

This essay expresses specific feature of leadership in strategic planning and marketing, which pertains to skilled maternity care. It was observed that there is a maternity care crisis plaguing the nation for which there is supportive statistical evidence. The health care system governance along with escalating unaffordable costs for services has been held responsible for the dilemma. An alternative view point was presented applying the evidenced – based maternity strategies adopted by Northern Health and Social Trust of the United Kingdom. The hospitals within their networks are samples of efficient marketing of skilled maternity care. Recommendations are that the Health care system in United States of America should adopt some of these strategies in resolving their crisis.

Healthcare: Leadership in management and strategic planning Skilled maternity care offered to Providers of maternal child health services

Introduction

Statistics reveal that there is a maternal/child health crisis in America.United States of America ranks 33 among 179 countries regarding women and infant health .There are marked decreases in maternal health care to the extent of significant rises in maternal deaths. There is a 1-in 1,800 risk of maternal deaths among American women, the highest in developed countries.According to center for disease control (CDC) the maternal death toll has risen from 7.2 per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 17.8 in 2009/ 2011. There is a significant difference between black women and women of other races, 42.8 per 1,000 live births for blacks and 12.5 per 1,000 live births for white women (Midwives Alliance, 2009)

Currently access to maternity care for minorities and undocumented immigrants is limited. Some 5, 000 women are among the undocumented in America without insurance coverage. Approximately, 3, 000 become pregnant annually (Midwives Alliance, 2009)

Medicaid does not give full coverage to undocumented immigrants during pregnancy with respect to adequate prenatal care.Since anyform of healthcare is abasic human right, all women in America must have equal access to maternal and infant care (Houston & Foster, 2015).

Currently, United States healthcare environment faces new difficulties. The industry is under scrutiny from several dimensions including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act). Non-compliance develops in serious repercussion compromising the business revenue generation. After trying various managed care techniques, the onus to contain costs is now passed onto the healthcare consumer as health care costs escalates. Consumer health driven plans have saturated the industry. Early booking when pregnant; frequent visits to the obstetrician and adequate nutrition management prevent maternal and infant complications.

Healthcare is a business in United States of America

Health care in United States of America is a business. While certain types of businesses target specific populations every member of that population should have access to the product marketed.In this case the product is skilled maternal and infant care. Accessibility means affordable as well as opportunities to select the most appropriate providers and care.However, health care as a competitive business in United States of America continues to be a disaster in the business community compared to other parts of the world. A major setback is health care costs. Thompson (2013) conducted research pertaining to reasons for America healthcare being so ridiculously expensive. The expert cited evidence. For example, the GDP for healthcare inAmerica compared to Chile, Australia,Spain,Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and France. United States of America had the highest GDP among the ten countries (Thompson, 2013).When the average physician visit costs were compared to other countries it was found to be absurdly higher according to the expert.

This expert blames the costing of health care system in America for this atrocity. Some developed nations Thompson (2013) further contends operate a single health care insurance plan   system for everyone where by government regulates pricing of services or supervises price negotiations. United States of America is uniquely relies upon for-profit insurance companies to take the responsibility of payment for essential and elective care.  For example, 20 cents of every $1 is paid towards administration, marketing, underwriting and profit instead  of health care directly. Consequently, in an environment where government exposes the consumer to marketing care exploitation prices will definitely escalate. More importantly, it is a service marketing culture whereby for-profit companies always have the desire of maximizing profits and advertising for more business costs inevitably will be higher (Thompson, 2013).

Another marketing feature contributing to the absurd complexity in United States health care system is where health care services develop their own costs.  For example, an exclusive healthcare system caters to seniors, Native Americans, military personnel, end stage renal failure, veterans, under 16 years old poor, over  16 years old poor and people working for the federal Government. Pregnant women are almost excluded. Besides, hundreds and even thousands of private plans, with their unique pricing styles exist (Reid, 2010).

These foregoing characteristics along with the alarming comparative maternal  and infant mortality increased rates provide solid evidences that the way health care is marketed in United States of America is not customer centered. Still while consumers are being exploited and providers become millionaires and even billionaires off of the crocked health care price monitoring strategies governments cry out that there are deficits in the health care budget. Since there are deficits more financial burdens are passed on tothe customer. Women and infants arebypassed in the process. It would appear from the aforementioned data that the business aspect of health care in America supersedes the service dimension. Consequently, the move for health care providers of maternity care  to applying reformed marketing strategies for enhancing this service is mandatory (Reid, 2010).

Importantly,the 7p elements of service marketing is a theory advanced by experts claiming it to be a marketing mix emerging from the 4p model price, promotion, place and product. The model has been further developed to include three more elements merging it into 7ps by adding people, processes and physical evidence. With respect to pricing it was noted thatIn America’s health care system this is a huge problem. The big question is how many people in the society could afford quality health care? This is irrespective of whether they are insured or uninsured. The price philosophy recommends linking the product to price, that the product must be compatible with the price consumers are asked to pay(Kotler, 2012).

Therefore, it must reflect a very high quality of care if patients are asked to pay these high costs for. Currently, unlike many other nations in the world people in America often have to file Bankruptcy to make healthcare payments even with some of the best insurance policies. It does not mean that the product should be cheap, but of high quality and affordable to consumers (Kotler, 2012).

Review of maternity services conducted at Antrim and Causeway

Hospitals in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust system

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is a best practice health care organization that markets maternity services in the United Kingdom. It was established on 1 April 2007 merging three legacy Trusts. Two previously had responsibility for providing maternity services to the Northern Board population of Causeway Trust and United Hospitals Trust. These two legacy Trusts provide Maternity Services at Causeway Antrim and Mid-Ulster Hospitals. Community midwifery service is delivered to these districts as well by the legacy trusts(Northern Health and Social Trust 2014).

The marketing strategies employed by this trust are fully transparent being client centered. They are delivered so that pregnancy and delivery could be a normal occurrence in a woman’s life. Services are of a very high quality always advancing in a learning environment culture building upon strengths working to relinquish weaknesses. Accessibility to a comprehensive range of services is available sine United Kingdom applied the one payer system to health care delivery. Even if private providers enter the industry there s a price range of services offered to the public As such, maternity resources within the community are equally distributed (Northern Health and Social Trust 2014).

Essentially, the goal of delivering skilled maternity care within Northern health and social trusts’ context is to reduce inequalities and improve health outcomes for mothers and infants. More importantly, maternity service providers collaborate in offering quality affordable maternity care utilizing a partnership approach intervention with women in the care execution process. These interventions have proven to limit maternal, fetal and infant mortality in the industry. This practice is embodied in the woman centered evidence based perspective of maternity service delivery. Precisely, the core value of this organization is providing for everyone a quality of service providers expect their families and themselves to receive(Northern Health and Social Trust 2014).

The evidence based approach is women centered care

The best practice strategy reflects national protocols being sensitive locally aspirational as well as challenging A review of maternity services conducted at Antrim and Causeway hospitals in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust system found them exceptional.  They were in the top 25% UK hospitals according to major performance indicators.Best practice standards used by these hospitals were drawn from major credential maternity organizations within the United Kingdom and abroad.Antrim maternity unit delivers some 3,000 births annually, which is the highest among the trust hospitals.The Causeway maternity hospital has an average of 1,350 annually (Northern Health and Social Trust 2014)
At risk mothers are referred to specialized maternity care units within the Northern Health Trust system.Women with normal pregnancies have a choice of hospital due to State coverage.
Maternity care is accessible in the community since the United Kingdom has trained midwives in the community capable of performing deliveries in the mother’s home. There are six guiding principles that inform the women centered evidence based approach to maternity care.Essentially, childbearing services require informed consent and decision making process involving respect for parents. The importance of proving a service with encouragement towards obtaining natural birth is mandatory. Midwives and obstetricians must transfer the philosophy to mothers and family that pregnancy is a normal life event and not an illness. However there are at risk conditions which must be addressed. There is an average 2 – 3 pregnancy related deaths annually within the trust’s maternity care system(Northern Health and Social Trust 2014).

A second principle pertains to recognizing and safe and high quality maternity services are mandatory expectations at all the trust’s hospitals. Thirdly, is the recognition of women at all times must have access to skilled maternity care through highly trained professionals in obstetrics. It means that deliberate attempts are made in making available affordable access to maternity care for minorities in the society. Fourthly, is delivering a population centered maternity care intervention as it pertains to marketing the service to women and providers. Fifth is ensuring a wholesome relationship between the mother and the healthcare practitioner for successful maternal and infant outcomes. The final best practice principle declares that there must be continuity of care for mothers during pregnancy. It encompasses continuity during the prenatal period, intrapartum and postpartum (Northern Health and Social Trust, 2014). Below is a summary of birth trends within the trust’s hospitals.Consistent increases have been experienced from 2003.

Similar services are not accessible in United States of America

Services and evidenced-based principles outlined in the Northern Health and Social Trust’s evidence-based strategy document of are not accessible in United States of America. The Affordable Care Act and Managed care protocols in America predict as well as dictate the quality of skilled maternity care in the country. Incidentally, managed care protocols designed to reduce health care costs from the government level, still compromise the maternal/infant health market expansion. The explanation that managed care protocols are intended to reduce costs leaves much to be clarified.

Experts conducted a survey of maternity experiences under managed care protocols. I was discovered that length of stay after delivery was greatly reduced putting both mother and infant at risk with no follow up care after delivery. These mothers delivered vaginally with no serious complications. The discharge time was within twenty- four hours of delivery. The survey shows where mothers would have liked to be in hospital a bit longer to recuperate from the rigors of labor. Unfortunately, managed care protocols encompass Medicaid eligibility during pregnancy. Medicaid healthcare organization seems to have no regard for pregnancy and hold birth, but the alarming increases in maternal deaths should signal a wakeup call for reinventing strategies to limit avoidable maternal and infant death in the country (Cox, 2010).

Therefore, comparable best practice healthcare organizations such as Northern Health United Kingdom ought to be established in the United States of America. The downward thrust in maternal health care in America from 9^th in the world to 33rd can be improved through more efficient best practice approaches. Thus, in the closing pages of this document a proposed marketing strategy for skilled maternity care in America will be advanced.

Proposed marketing strategy model for skilled Maternity care in United States of America

The principle governing this strategic intervention planning model encompasses five distinct features. Cost of healthcare in America is responsible for the crisis experienced in every delivery level. Therefore, the first phase of this model embraces an ideology whereby federal government takes responsibility for marketing affordable maternity care in the nation.  With reference to other nation such as United Kingdom where Northern Health and Social trust functions, the federal government takes responsibility for health care marketing. Consequently, at every level it is affordable.

Secondly, it is reforming managed and affordable care protocols to allow access of skilled maternity care for every woman of child bearing age in the nation.With reference to Northern Health and Social trust maternity care evidence-based strategies the principle is women centered care and not for profit centered care as being executed by managed and Affordable care act intervention. The power to market skilled maternity care must be removed from these two-agency jurisdiction and executed directly through separate provisions made by federal government. Thirdly, public health through health pro motion ventures must also make an intervention of designing programs educating women about accessible skilled maternity care.

The fourth feature in this marketing model is implication of the market target audience in the process of selling skilled maternity care to the group for which it is most needed. Providers of maternity care currently are from the for-profit link between affordable maternity care and one which is inaccessible to most women due to costs. They have to be sensitized towards a as well patient centered care model instead of the for-profit centered one being delivered daily in America health care system.

As in the evidence-based principle expressed through Northern Health and social trust providers must be willing to offer the empathetic care they expect to receive as well as offered to their families.  The fifth and final feature relates to stakeholders’ influence in marketing skilled maternity care. Stakeholder influence could be both positive and negative. In this case the attempt is to recruit stakeholders who are empathetic concerning the maternity care crisis in the nation to invest in programs that market skilled care to mothers.

Conclusion

Pregnant women should access healthcare as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed because visiting the obstetrician often along with proper nutrition management facilitates an uncomplicated delivery. Useful marketing strategies have been outlined. It involves educating young women and couples preparing to create a family about accessible facilities in their communities. Many women do not know about accessing skillful maternal health care services in the US. As such, this should be a high school health promotion venture   incorporated in the health education program. There are two issues people will always face as life goes on. They are births and deaths. As such, information about services should be accessible on how to find ways of addressing them.

References

Cox, T. (2010). Legal and ethical implications of health care provider insurance risk assumption. JONAS Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation. 12(4): 106–16.

Houston, R., & Foster, L. (2013).The Pregnant Elephant in the Room: The U.S. Maternity Care Crisis. Views from the field. Retrieved on October 2^nd , 2015 from http://www.gih.org/files/filedownloads/us_maternity_care_crisis_fam_october_2013.pdf

Kotler, P. (2012). Marketing Management. Pearson Education

Midwives Alliance (2009). Reforming Maternity Care in America. Retrieved on October 2^nd ,  2015 from http://mana.org/pdfs/MANARecsToObamaHealthTeamJan09.pdfNorthern

Health and Social Trust (2014). Best Maternity practice. Retrteived October 4^th,2015 from http://www.northerntrust.hscni.net/pdf/Best_Maternity_Care_Best_Practice_A_Strategy_for_the_Materity_Service_2009-2014.

Reid, T. (2010). The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care  Penguin

Thompson, D. (2013).Why Is American Health Care So Ridiculously Expensive? Atlantic Business.