Overview For Milestone Two: Description For Your Audience

Overview For Milestone Two You Will Describe For Your Audience The N

Overview: For Milestone Two, you will describe for your audience the nature of your chosen public health issue, so that they will be able to understand and appreciate your presentation. Building upon your Milestone One worksheet submission, your analysis will include the economic principles and impacts of the principals involved with your public health issue, related socioeconomic factors, and the healthcare organizations impacted. Use the feedback you received on Milestone One to assist you in developing your introduction. Submit your analysis as a short paper that you may use to develop speaker’s notes for your final presentation.

Prompt: Describe for your audience the nature of your chosen public health issue, including the economic considerations involved.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

  • Analysis of the Health Issue:
  • A. Outline the underlying economic principles and indicators at play using specific examples. To what extent do those principles and indicators apply in understanding your chosen public health issue?
  • B. Demonstrate the economic impacts of your public health issue. Provide specific examples of each impact.
  • C. Analyze the larger context within which your chosen public health issue exists. To what extent is the issue a product of larger socioeconomic factors?
  • D. Examine the major healthcare organizations impacted by the public health issue. How are they currently acting and reacting to the issue?

Paper For Above instruction

Public health issues are complex challenges that are deeply intertwined with economic principles and socioeconomic factors, influencing both their emergence and the strategies employed to address them. Understanding these issues requires a comprehensive examination of economic indicators, impacts, and the roles of healthcare organizations, especially within the context of socioeconomic environments. This paper focuses on the public health issue of healthcare access disparities in rural America, an issue that exemplifies the intersection of economics, social determinants, and health system responses.

Analysis of the Health Issue

A. Economic Principles and Indicators

The foundation of many public health issues, including healthcare disparities, often rests on key economic principles such as supply and demand, resource allocation, and market failure. In rural America, the supply of healthcare providers significantly lags behind demand, primarily due to lower profitability and workforce challenges. The economic indicator of healthcare provider density illustrates this scarcity; according to the Rural Health Information Hub (2021), rural counties often have fewer than 20 healthcare providers per 10,000 residents, contrasting sharply with urban areas. This disparity impacts access and health outcomes.

Market failure occurs when there are inadequate incentives for providers to serve geographically isolated populations, leading to an inefficient allocation of healthcare resources. The elevated costs associated with providing services in rural areas, coupled with lower patient volumes, further dissuade healthcare investment, reflecting economic principles of market imperfection and externalities in healthcare provision.

B. Economic Impacts

The economic consequences of healthcare disparities in rural regions extend beyond individual health outcomes. Limited access to care results in increased hospitalizations for conditions that could be managed more effectively with timely intervention, thus inflating healthcare costs for both individuals and the system. For example, untreated chronic illnesses like diabetes or hypertension can escalate into emergency situations, requiring more intensive and expensive care.

At the community level, poor health outcomes contribute to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and heightened demand for social services, further straining local economies. Moreover, the lack of a robust healthcare workforce discourages economic development in these regions, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and health disparities.

C. Larger Socioeconomic Context

Healthcare disparities in rural America are not merely medical issues but reflect broader socioeconomic challenges. Poverty, limited educational opportunities, and transportation barriers exacerbate health inequities. The economic hardship faced by rural populations diminishes their ability to afford insurance or seek preventive care, which in turn exacerbates health disparities. As noted by the CDC (2020), rural populations typically have higher rates of uninsured individuals and a higher prevalence of uninsured children, underscoring the socioeconomic roots of healthcare access issues.

Furthermore, structural factors such as the decline of industries like agriculture and manufacturing lead to economic downturns, reducing funding for healthcare infrastructure and services. These larger socioeconomic forces create an environment where healthcare disparities are both a symptom and a consequence of economic hardship.

D. Healthcare Organizations and Responses

Major healthcare organizations operating within rural areas include critical access hospitals (CAHs), community clinics, and telehealth providers. These organizations play pivotal roles in mitigating access disparities through innovative approaches such as telemedicine and mobile clinics, which extend healthcare reach to remote residents (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2022).

Critical access hospitals act as anchors for rural healthcare, often receiving enhanced reimbursement rates to remain financially viable. Despite these efforts, many are struggling with financial viability due to low patient volumes and high operational costs, leading to closures and further access issues. Healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting telehealth platforms to bridge geographical gaps, although infrastructural challenges like limited broadband access hinder widespread utilization.

Reactive measures include federal and state funding initiatives aimed at expanding healthcare access, workforce development programs to recruit and retain providers, and policies supporting telemedicine reimbursement. However, ongoing socioeconomic challenges continue to impede comprehensive solutions, requiring a coordinated approach that addresses both healthcare infrastructure and social determinants of health.

Conclusion

The public health issue of healthcare access disparities in rural America exemplifies the critical intersection of economic principles, socioeconomic factors, and healthcare organization responses. Market failures, resource allocation challenges, and socioeconomic barriers all contribute to persistent disparities that adversely affect health outcomes and economic vitality in rural communities. Addressing these issues requires multifaceted strategies that integrate economic incentives, social support systems, and innovative healthcare delivery models to create sustainable improvements.

References

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). Health Disparities and Inequalities Report. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (2022). Telehealth in Rural Healthcare. HRSA Reports.
  • Rural Health Information Hub. (2021). Rural Healthcare Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org
  • Blanchard, J., & Perry, S. (2019). Economic Challenges in Rural Healthcare. Journal of Rural Health, 35(2), 152-159.
  • Carroll, A. E., et al. (2018). Financial Barriers to Healthcare in Rural America. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(3), 366-372.
  • Wang, J., et al. (2021). The Role of Telemedicine in Addressing Rural Health Disparities. Telemedicine and e-Health, 27(5), 450-457.
  • Long, S. K., & Hasnain-Wynia, R. (2018). Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Healthcare Access. Health Affairs, 37(1), 55-63.
  • Pham, H. H., et al. (2020). Healthcare Utilization and Socioeconomic Status. Journal of Health Economics, 69, 102262.
  • Gamm, L., et al. (2020). The Future of Rural Health Care. Journal of Rural Health, 36(3), 304-308.
  • Levin, A., et al. (2019). Addressing Healthcare Disparities in Rural America. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(12), 1004-1011.

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