The Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System

As stated in the course text, Health Care Delivery in the United States, “the health care enterprise is one of the most important parts of the U.S. social system and of our economic system as well” (Kovner and Knickman, 2011, p. 4); however, with millions of citizens uninsured, rising costs, massive health disparities, and the need to improve quality and access, many view health care as a broken system. As such, it continues to be a significant political issue in the United States. Most agree that something needs to be done to fix the health care system, but the methods and solutions for addressing problems vary greatly, particularly with respect to the role government should play. Proponents of varying approaches often have strong, emotional opinions, making compromise difficult.

In this Discussion, you will consider the role of government in health care, and you will examine the impact of a social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue on health care delivery.

Solution: 

The imperative role of the government in the US healthcare system cannot be underestimated. Taking this into account, Knickman and Kovner (2015) assert that it is the responsibility of the government to protect as well -as advance the interest of the society through delivery if high-quality health care. Given the fact that the existing market alone cannot guarantee all citizens access to quality health care, it becomes the responsibility of the government to preserve the interests of the people through supplementing the market.  This is particularly where there are gaps and inefficiencies.  The primary goal is to achieve high-quality care with a strong partnership among federal, as a state, as well as local governments.  The private sector is also integrated into this partnership. Social, economic, technological, ethical, and legal aspects usually have a substantial impact on healthcare delivery. Various social aspects determine the quality of healthcare given to patients. For instance, the high population may make it hard for the government to provide quality healthcare services due to limited resources……Please click the icon below to purchase full solution at $5