The Health Care Bill HR 3858

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The bill was passed in 2014 giving the secretary of veteran affairs orders to give enrolled veterans health services. The act also directs responsible authorities to give veterans rehabilitative, medical, and preventive health care. Some of the veterans in the United States receive health care from health centers or providers that are not aimed at catering for the veteran affairs (VA). These non-veteran health departments become qualified through the health care bill HR 3858 to give health services to this special population (OpenCongress, 2014). The paper outlines the various ways the health bill for veterans impacts the target population, the health care system, and the country as a whole.

1. Economic impact

The bill will be beneficial to non-veterans in many ways. There are many veterans who cannot access health care in the United States. Statistically, almost two million veterans suffer because inaccessibility to health insurance and another 3.8 million members who belong to their household are affected by the same plight. The case is worse because of the 2 million veterans; more than ten percent are under 65 years of age (Reineberg, 2014). This bill, therefore, will serve as a lifesaver to this community who suffer silently for lack of proper means to access health care. Various administrations have attempted to bring medical cover closer to the population, but they have not succeeded to give as much as the HR 3858 bill promises to do. Now, through this bill, the veterans can access hospitals and prevent unnecessary mortality and morbidity rates.

Reduction of delays and proper resource allocation assists in reducing and suffering. Over the past, veterans have suffered because of excessive delays while trying to access health care. Many take their diagnosis to physicians only to be told to wait for months on end before receiving care. HR 3858, though, will strengthen the department of veterans in the United States and enable it to have a stronger role in assessing and eliminating the huge delays that are currently in place. Delays can lead to economic losses both to individuals and governments and thus the bill will assist in reducing those costs. Further, the will oversee the allocation of resources to department and non-department health care facilities. This will in turn reduce the time veterans spend waiting for care, which is also costly.

2. Resource Allocation

Resource allocation in the United States’ health care system is a collection of several information systems that work interchangeably, yet incoherent and uncoordinated. The elementary features of the US health care model focuses on financing, health care personnel, health care delivery, and technology and knowledge necessary to offer the health care. This system falls into five models of service: a system for the insured and the employed, a system for the uninsured and unemployed through programs and public facilities, a system for veterans, a system for the current personnel and their households, and Medicare for everyone aged more than 65 years of age through hospitals and NGOs. All these health care systems coincide mutually, and yet are divergent based on the elementary features (Dominguez, 2012)

The health care model adopted by the United States is plagued by errors and logistical problems leading to mis-distribution of ideal care and soaring costs. The social model is in place is aimed at offering health services based on the principles: health is a human right, resources available to health care systems are finite, and health policy should allocate scarce resources justly. Besides the social model, the US health care system also conforms, in part, to the economic model, which is based on principles of behavior, benefit, value, policy issue, economic incentives, and demand. This model, though, places a value on life, and cannot be ethical unless it incorporates the social model. Finally, health care in the United States also portrays elements of the Public Health Model, which aims at fulfilling the interest of the society and assuring the settings in which people can live healthily. The model adopts the organizational model and parallels the social model in its emphasis on the society. The model has changed America greatly (Dominguez, 2012).

3. Administrative resources

If the HR 3858 bill becomes law, health care in the United States will become more equitable. By serving the veterans, the model will ensure the interests of the society are meant, as stipulated by the public health model. This law will therefore change the very structure and nature of the whole federal program for veterans. It will mean a shift from offering elementary support to disabled, service connected veterans to all veterans who are eligible in the country. Consequently, the figures of recipients in health care will rise exponentially. The legal issues associated with the new bill will also increase. Nevertheless, the bill is for a greater good and the administrative or economic costs should be overlooked.

The bill is desirable and at the same time presents many weaknesses. On the one hand, healthcare is a human right and everyone should have access to the best services. The main challenge is the availability and accessibility of health care, not the physical status of an individual. While this bill will ensure that veterans are able to access health care without restrictions, the country’s resources, particularly with regards to health care, are finite (Thomas, n.d.). An efficient method for allocating health resources is urgently needed to ensure that people get equitable health care. Allocating resources fairly does not imply that everyone should have the same health care provision, but that the health care system’s distribution is just.

4. Impact of bill on the role of a nurse

The role of the nurse could be greatly impacted if the bill is passed. The level of load nurses handle consequently affects the quality of service they offer. If nurses are bogged down by so many clients, then the level of quality will also go down tremendously. All patients who are hospitalized are likely to be affected if nurse-patient ratio is high, not just those who are in surgery. The staffing ratio is also important when it comes to controlling nosocomial infections and other adverse outcomes in the hospital setting. While ensuring that every person receives health coverage and health services is essential, protecting the patients from harm is also equally important and the state and federal agencies should work on ways that will ensure the balance between the two is maintained. Further, staffing is a key factor when it comes to maintaining staff morale. The morale, and consequently, the efficiency of nurses depend on the amount of work done and motivational strategies used by the employer.

References

Dominguez, C. (2012). 4 Models of the US Healthcare System. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.aestheticmedicinetoday.com/4_Models_US_Hlth_Sys_12_09_09.html

OpenCongress. (2014, February 3). H.R.3858: Veteran-Centered Access to Coordinated Health Care Act of 2014 – U.S. Congress – OpenCongress. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.opencongress.org/bill/hr3858-113/show

Reineberg, S. (2014, March 23). Almost 2 Million U.S. Vets Lack Health Insurance – ABC News. ABC News. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4509219

Thomas. (n.d.). Bill Text – 113th Congress (2013-2014) -. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c113:H.R.3858.IH: