Assignment: Perspective Of A Health Care Manager

One Hope provides health care services on a $15.00 donation basis for doctor’s visits, but does not have the capacity to come anywhere close to meeting the healthcare need in the community. Currently, debate is raging in the U.S. about the sustainability of the healthcare system (Berwick and Hackbarth 2012; Song and Landon 2012). One of the biggest barriers to improving health being discussed on a national level is cost (Harrop 2012; Hensley 2012). There are currently more than 50 million Americans without health insurance, or one in six who are not receiving adequate healthcare (Wolf 2010). In our study, participants discussed how cost limits access. In the ID, people do not go to the doctor because given their limited income, individuals are forced to choose between paying the doctor (whether through co-pay if they have insurance or more likely, by paying out-of-pocket for services if they do not) or paying essential bills for food, electricity, water, gas and rent. Moreover, individuals without health insurance will often wait until “the last minute,” before going to the doctor. The result is that health problems go untreated and undiagnosed, and tend to become more acute, and ironically, more expensive. Participants also described how parents put their children’s health first when they neglect their own medical concerns in order to be able to afford to pay for milk, bread, clothing, and shelter. All of these expenses sustain a family and take precedence over individual potential health problems. “Although diabetes may kill you someday, it’s not going to kill you today,” one community member stated. While the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes may not be imminent, the potential consequences of not paying the rent and becoming homeless is an immediate possibility. Because few people have a medical home with an established primary care provider, the emergency room becomes a default “clinic” for all types of healthcare.