Healthcare in the United States

Healthcare in the United States over the years encountered challenges of how to modify a system that provided affordable healthcare coverage for all its citizens. Over this period, one question that remained a dilemma was whether health care was a right or a privilege for the citizens of the United States. However, the uncertainty surrounding healthcare was put to rest after the introduction of the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) otherwise known as Obamacare. ACA aimed at increasing healthcare coverage to the citizens through mandatory insurance policies for all citizens (Rosenbaum, 2011). Despite the efforts from the Affordable Care Act, the provision of healthcare services to the people is not a right yet. The government of United States ensures that all the citizens have access to police and fire services, protection from external aggression by the military, services from the national postal corporation and other state or federal fund ended services. Despite all these rights to services in the country, the government has not yet ensured that all citizens have the right to healthcare coverage. The government of United States has an obligation to streamline health services to its citizens. The government is essential to improving public health, reducing the domestic spending on healthcare as well as stopping healthcare triggered bankruptcies. One of the proper roles of the government in healthcare is lowering the cost of healthcare provision for the citizens. This can be achieved through subsidies in healthcare insurance (Rosenbaum, 2011). This will make the cost of paying premiums to go down hence more and more people will be able to pay for such policies. Another way of reducing the cost of health in the country is through the government revising the stance on universal healthcare right. Borrowing from the healthcare spending in countries like Canada and United Kingdom, the United States spends more due to lack of a universal health care right stance (Tang N, et al. (2004). Another responsibility of the government pertaining healthcare in the United States is the collection of vital health statistics to facilitate in planning. National Center for Health Statistics is tasked with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of key health data. Work ethics is a key foundation of healthcare services in any society.  The United States government is responsible for supervising private health facilities and independent nursing practitioners to ensure that the quality of healthcare provided to the citizens is high (Erlen, 2010). Regarding technology, the government is responsible for ensuring that medical services provided to the citizens are up to date with medical technology. To achieve this, the government should invest in research and development regarding subsidies.   Finally, the United States government is obligated to guarantee to equal healthcare services as well as an opportunity for healthcare professional education to all its citizens regardless of their race or class. According to Erlen (2010), informed consent is important in the context of medical research with human subjects. It is the right of every participant to have adequate knowledge on the risks involved in participating in the activity before the experiments on either a new drug or therapy.   The author defines informed consent and makes suggestions to better the process of acquiring informed consent. Los Angeles County DPH Public Health Nursing (2007) displays a graphical outlay of the Public health Nursing Practice Model.  It comprises of the steps involved addressing public health issues including monitoring health, diagnosis, community mobilizing, policy development, implementation and evaluation of health interventions. Finally, Mullinix and Bucholtz (2009), emphasis on the strengths and weaknesses physicians encounter when establishing the quality of care they provide.

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