American Healthcare: Solving the Problem

1) State your problem as clearly and precisely as you can. 

The problem of the American healthcare system can be seen in many ways. First, elderly patients lack financial security and the ability to have guaranteed medical care in the advent of medical disasters. Secondly, every American is not guaranteed medical care in the event they lack insurance. Thirdly, the high percentage of uninsured Americans means a great deal of healthcare costs are paid for out of pocket, thereby placing a great financial strain on the individual or family. Fourthly, American political groups have very different and oftentimes opposing views on American healthcare, meaning that political deadlock results in little effective change to particular policies. Lastly, the higher percentage of uninsured minorities in addition to the fact that minorities often receive less than optimal care even once admitted into the healthcare system, help show the structural problems that exist in American healthcare. 

2) What is your purpose, goal, and need for solving this problem? (Recognize problems as obstacles to reaching your goals, achieving your purpose, or satisfying your need.) 

The purpose of solving this problem is to achieve the goal of effective healthcare for all Americans. The lack of guaranteed medical assistance to individuals and families is a sad reminder of the failure of the American political system to provide a safety net for its citizens. Though the “federal government formally accepted to pay for the health care needs of the poor and elderly in 1965”, many of the retired and poverty-stricken workers of America simply cannot afford the exorbitant medical costs associated with many procedures (Addy 299). Moreover, as seen in the Addy article, over a third of America's elderly or poor that should be covered by the initial federal plans go uninsured and vulnerable to the unexpected and unpredictable cost swings of health care. Guaranteeing that all citizens have access to affordable healthcare is a hallmark of an advanced society, and to deny individuals the capacity to live full lives without the fear of uncontrollable or sudden medical disasters, of which people often exert zero control, is a great wrong. The social issue to healthcare access is causing distress in public opinion. 

3) 3) Study the problem to determine the “kind” of problem you are dealing with. What kind of problem are you trying to solve? What do you have to do to solve it?

The problem of American healthcare is essentially the problem of ideology and limited resources being asked to do too much. As an ideological issue, “it is the political system with which we charge responsibility for collective rights and responsibilities” (Gold 981). In other words, the collective good is held accountable to the state, not the individual. Thus, the problem of American healthcare is not the problem of the individual, but that of the government and therefore responsibility is placed on the government, in particular the federal government, to guarantee the collective welfare. To solve the problem of healthcare, it is clear that the ideological compromise between conservative and liberal thought must be reached, as well as a shifting of budgetary priorities to accommodate the costs of national insurance. 

4) What from your problem do you have control over and what do you have no control over? 

Control over the healthcare system is the responsibility of both Congress and private industry and the standards that each uses to justify particular care policies. The problem of the elderly and poor lacking medical coverage is a problem that Congress has control over, yet continues to avoid and face. Thus, it is practical policies over which control can be exerted that can effect change. The ideological variations between political parties are not something that can be controlled. Moreover, the racist structure of the healthcare system in providing equal care for all minorities is also an uncontrollable factor, as the policies themselves refuse to allow the race to factor into the allocation of treatments. 

5) What information do you need to solve the problem? Explain. How can you actively seek the information you need to solve the problem? 

To fix the American healthcare problem, much information is needed. First, data regarding the actual costs of healthcare without price inflation is required. Establishing baselines for how expensive procedures are in practice and how much they theoretically should cost if the inefficiencies of the system were removed are necessary. Secondly, determining where, if needed, cuts or budget reallocations could be made in state and federal finances is critical to establishing the extent to which healthcare can be reformed—without money, no major reform is possible. This information can be found in state and federal budgets, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and through Congressional hearings from major healthcare providers. 

6) What theory or theories can you formulate concerning this problem? Carefully analyze and interpret your theories and draw reasonable inferences. 

The theoretical approach to this problem is centered around the idea of how to ensure millions of Americans without breaking the bank. It can be reasonably inferred that, despite the massive cost of the current federal healthcare system, any changes that would drastically increase coverage to many millions more Americans would result in more costs. An approach that combines the myriad of state programs under the federal banner may be the best method by which to reduce costs. Moreover, similar to the wholesale of commercial goods, the cost of healthcare may decrease as more people become involved (Rabkin 163). It can also be inferred that increasing healthcare coverage to more Americans will reduce the likelihood of expensive and costly diseases, thereby lowering costs for everyone. 

7) Determine your options for action. What can you do in the short term? In the long term? Recognize your limitations in terms of money, time, and power. 

Short term actions include immediate meetings with Republican and Democratic leaders to increase bipartisan efforts on healthcare reform. In addition, the ability to create an “ideological truce” between the two is more and more likely, as both sides increasingly recognize the need for reform (Wyden and Bennett 691). In the long term, further reform action under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be taken to increase coverage and decrease costs. Limitations include the vast national debt of the United States, which makes any expensive proposition difficult to justify, and the strain placed on the medical system. It is unknown whether the current number of doctors could handle the influx of so many more patients. 

8) Evaluate your options, determining their advantages and disadvantages. Explain your analysis/answer in five (5) or more sentences. 

Options include the capacity for negotiation between Democrat and Republican. Advantages of this include increased ability for bipartisan negotiation, though the obvious disadvantage of deadlock and political polarization is present. In addition, the extension of care to cover many millions more Americans has the advantage of guaranteeing healthcare to vast swaths of society. However, the disadvantage of straining the existing medical system exists. Moreover, the danger of creating a medical commitment that is simply too expensive for the government to handle is very real.

9) Adopt a strategy. Follow through on it. This may involve direct action or a carefully thought-through wait-and-see approach. Explain your analysis/answer in five (5) or more sentences. 

The strategy adopted is one that calls for bipartisan negotiations between Democratic and Republican leaders and an agreement on the extent to which the federal government bears responsibility for creating a healthcare safety net for its citizens. In addition, a “rational and unemotional reorganization” of the American healthcare system would “help to reduce healthcare costs” while ensuring the quality of care (Kumar and Blair 141). However, it seems that with the passage of the ACA, a wait-and-see approach may be preferred. The effects of that monumental shift cannot be seen in the present time. Moreover, the core issue regarding healthcare always has been the issue of cost; thus, I propose limiting certain military expenditures and allocating additional funding towards the preservation of American health.

10) Evaluate and assess the implications of your action/strategy. Explain your analysis/answer in five (5) or more sentences. 

Calling for bipartisan negotiations implies that such talks would achieve a practical solution. It seems unlikely that effective compromise can be reached between the libertarian strain of conservative thought that currently exists in Republican ideology and the liberal, government-focused ideology of the Democratic party. Thus, the strategy of coming to a compromise and then focusing efforts on agreed-upon policies implies a faith in the capacity of ideologically-driven people to set aside their differences. Moreover, the allocation of funds away from the military is highly contentious. The military-industrial complex in the United States is a massive industry that occupies money and power from the basic level of production all the way up to international corporations, and reducing funds from the highly politicized nature of the American military is a dangerous proposition indeed, even if the cuts would be towards reducing waste and useless inventory. 

Works Cited

Addy, Jan A. "Issues Of Access: What Is Going On In Health Care?." Nursing Economic$, vol. 4, no. 5, 1996, pp. 299-302. 

Gold, Marsha R. "ISO Quick Fix, Free Lunch, And Share Of Pie." Journal Of Health Politics, Policy & Law, vol. 24, no. 5, 1999, p. 973. 

Kumar, Sameer, and John T. Blair. "U.S. Healthcare Fix: Leveraging The Lessons From The Food Supply Chain." Technology & Health Care, vol. 21, no. 2, 2013, pp. 125-141.

Rabkin, Jeremy. "American Exceptionalism And The Healthcare Reform Debate." Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy, vol. 35, no. 1, 2012, pp. 153-170. 

Wyden, Ron, and Bob Bennett. "Finally, Fixing Health Care: What's Different Now?" Health Affairs, vol. 27, no. 3, 2008, pp. 689-692.