Poorly Finance Long Term Healthcare for the Aged
Poorly Finance Long Term Healthcare for the Aged
Evidence shows that the aged people (50 years and above) are experiencing challenges in accessing quality health care services. The American health care industry is experiencing some challenges simply because it has failed in providing health services to the aging baby boomers in the right direction. The target population in this essay is the aging population which is the baby boomers group.
Introduction
Taking care of the aging group in terms of health care has become a challenge. This is because financers of this program have experienced high budges that make them withdraw from the programs. The long term care program systems for aging individuals is under challenges simply because finances are not enough. A series of analysis indicates how this health industry encounters challenges making it difficult to provide services that appropriate to the patients. Appropriate strategies must be put in place to deal with the problem. This will help seniors get the quality and reliable health care services when they are in need. This essay will introduce some of the challenges that have made it difficult to provide quality long term healthcare. It will also look at the proposed solution or course of action that may be applied in order to handle the problem, (Bilheimer & Colby, 2011).
Nature of Long Term Care Financing Environment
According to the statistics, the aging group is the largest group in the American population. Baby boomers are people who were born about 25 years after the World War II. It is estimated that this group makes a population of about 78 million of the current American population. As they are becoming old, their health conditions get challenges something that requires them requires more health care services. It is expected that, in the next few years, employees in the health care will have gone for retire something that will call for more young people to fill these vacancies. As baby boomers go for retirement, they expect to get health services to take care of their health problems. This means that the elderly population requires more healthcare services as compared to other generation, (Knickman & Snell, 2012).
Research shows that the elderly population in the work place entirely constitute to about 12 percent of the total population. This is an indication that this group plays a vital role in economic development of the country. As this people become old, they develop different health problems. Health industry has tried in health services, but it seems that as the group reaches retirement age, the health industry finds it difficult to take care of their health needs. Evidence shows that the long term care has entered into a place where financing for the elderly has turned to be a problem. Programs such as Medicaid are experiencing problems of funding long term care for the aging group. This problem requires a quick action unless the American health care system will be in problems. Lack of proper financing strategies has also affected health care industry at a high level, (Arno, et al, 2009).
Proposed Solution for the Long Term Care for the Aged
The American health care industry has managed to develop healthcare programs such as Medicaid that provide services to the general public. The problem arises from the fact that the largest population affected by health care issues is the aging population. Although such health programs try to provide services, evidence shows that patient’s number has increased and will increase in the near future. The problem is that financing long term care has become a serious problem that requires attention both from the health industry as well as from an individual’s point of view. This will help develop a strategy applicable for the aging group plus the generations to come. If proper aging medical care coverage will not came in place the situation will create a burden that will worsen the American economy, (Bilheimer & Colby, 2011).
The proposed solution for the above problem is to create appropriate national long term care insurance program in order to provide health services for the aged. In this program, the aging population will be required to participate and contribute to the program. Anybody in the bracket of 50 years and above will be considered eligible for the program. This will allow create an environment that has strategies for responding to patient’s health care services. Another advantage with this program is that all patients will have access to quality services when in need. The current problem is that health care industry does not have proper strategies for financing health programs for the aged. If such a program is developed and controlled in the best way possible, patients will have somewhere to get health care services, (Knickman & Snell, 2012).
National long term care insurance program will help the country cut its medical expenditures on the aging population. This is a strategy that will help all people in this bracket be dependable in relation to their healthcare issues. Registering and making required contributions for the program will help reduce the problem of financing the aged health care programs. This program will take care of the aging group something that will ensure that all patients get required health services at the appropriate time. Evidence shows that the current problem is not ending unless such a program is developed and monitored in the appropriate manner, (Knickman & Snell, 2012).
The program is aimed at ensuring that sufficient funds of providing healthcare services to the aging group is always available. The baby boomers group is under serious problem simply because their age is at critical conditions for health problems. Something important with the national long term care insurance program is that individuals in this population will have a system that ensures them full access of health care services. It will also create a foundation for current and future needs of such problems. The costs of long term care for the aging population will has a solution and help reduce this cost up to a reasonable price, (Arno, et al, 2009).Although this program will be of benefit to individuals, as well as the healthcare industry, there are some possible objections that are expected to develop during program development. Some individuals may fail to enter into the program and fully contribute for health services. Taxes for the above insurance program may raise something that may affect those interested in getting insurance policies.
Certainty of the Proposal
With the current problems in the nursing industry based on aging health care services, the program will be desirable for all in this population. Due to the fact that most people in the aging population are experiencing difficulties in getting health care services, this program will ensure and enable them that they are offered proper services. This will attract people in join into the insurance program because they understand at the end of things they will be covered for when they are in need of health services. Another thing that will make the program successful in health care industry is on how patients will get healthcare services. In the current industry, the problem on long term care financing is that main issue that requires attention. The program will effectively ensure that services for the aged are catered for thus this will attract a large number of people in taking the program. I think that with the current problems in the healthcare industry for the aging population the national long term care insurance program will help solve the problem hence the program will be successful, (Bilheimer & Colby, 2011).
Analysis (Root Cause)
Evidence shows that the aging group forms around 12 percent of the current American population. This indicates that people in this group are experiencing challenges in their health conditions. The problem in financing long term care for the aged is because of employees who are going for retired. Medicaid and other programs are finding it difficult to cater for health care cost for this group, and that may create a problem in the near future, (Arno, et al, 2009).
Evidence suggests that in the next few years, the baby boomers population will have retired, and new work force take their roles and duties. As this people go for retirement, they withdraw from their healthcare plans that currently take care of their health care costs. Since such programs do not get enough money to provide healthcare services, the American health care industry is experiencing challenges on how to finance this programs something that create danger t the aging group, (Knickman & Snell, 2012).
Different proposals have developed on how to approach the problem and ensure that this group is in the safe environment. One vital thing that should be understood is that this population has done a lot for the country thus leaving them sort their health issues without any help will be ethically wrong. Programs such as national long term care insurance program are necessary in health care industry simply because they will provide patients with quality services at affordable rates. The best thing in the current health care industry is to campaign for the insurance program simply because it will help ensure that patients get appropriate services. All people in the aging bracket will have to take the program where they will contribute for their health insurance coverage. This program will also be applied to other people because when they will reach at the age of retirement they will have a strategy or program that caters for their health matters, (Arno, et al, 2009).
Conclusion
The American health care industry suffers from the problem of financing health care plans for the aging population. This problem affects this industry simply because there are many people in the aging group who are going for the retirement. The national long term care insurance program is aimed at solving this problem. Individuals will be asked to take insurance policies that cover their health in order to solve the problem.
Reference:
Arno, P.S, Levine, C., & Memmott, M.M. (2009).The Economic Value of Informal Caregiving.Health Affairs. 18(2):182–8.
Bilheimer, L.T, & Colby, D.C. (2011) “Expanding Coverage: Reflections on Recent Efforts”Health Affairs.2001;20(1):83–95
Knickman, J. R. & Snell, E. K. (2012). The 2030 Problem: Caring for Aging Baby Boomers. Retrieved from, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1464018/, On December 13, 2012
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