Table Of Contents: Introduction To Health Care

Table Of Contentsintroductionhealth Care

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………. Health Care for Children………………………………………………………… Health Care for Women…………………………………………………………. Health Care for Young Adults………………………………………………… Health care for 65 +……………………………………………………………… Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. Work Cited……………………………………………………………………………. Introduction Health care for children with Special needs No single agency or profession was responsible to provide or administrate a service that will support infants and children disabilities in the United States. In a concerted effort to coordinate these services to assure optimum benefit to target this population, led to the creation of ECI (The early childhood intervention). This Program demonstrates how disparate groups can work together to provide a comprehensive system for children’s health care. ECI, grew out because of an increased awareness from parents and educators looking to help children with chronic conditions, disabilities, and special needs to receive comprehensive intervention services for a better chance to grow. The United states government Acknowledged this policy which mandated the public schools to serve all handicapped children from 3 through 21 years old, and the visually and impaired from birth through 21 years old. In Texas in the 1970s, several people were concerned about finding and serving children who were falling between this program. As a result, the legislature established a committee composed of legislators and state agency representatives to study services for children with special needs in Texas. The early childhood intervention program began quickly and remarkably in the fall of 1981. ECI increased the types of services to reach out children in previously unserved counties and expanded their programs to serve a greater number of children. On September of 2016, the ECI program was transferred by the Texas legislature to the Texas health and human Services commission. Currently, this program support families with children up to age 3 offering services to support families as they learn how to help their children grow and learn. Health Care for Women In the state of Texas there are various programs for women to get health covers. From annuals exams and family planning, Texas have made it easier to find the women’s healthcare services you need. Healthy Texas Women is a program dedicated to offering women’s health and family planning at no cost to eligible women in Texas. These services help women plan their families, whether it is to achieve, postpone, or prevent pregnancy. They also can have a positive effect on future pregnancy planning and general health. This program pays for a list of services. Medicaid is for low-income pregnant women is also. This program is a federal-and-state-funded health insurance program that provides health insurance coverage to low-income Texas residents. The program ensures that needy individuals and families in Texas are able to receive proper healthcare within their own communities. Individuals who receive coverage can attend doctor visits, receive lab tests and x-rays, necessary prescription drugs, hospital care, and rides to the doctor’s office as needed. A Medicaid application form is an essential component to receiving healthcare. CHIP Perinatal is no cost prenatal care for pregnant women and their unborn children, even if the mother does not qualify for Medicaid. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides health coverage to eligible children, through both Medicaid and separate CHIP programs. CHIP is administered by states, according to federal requirements. The program is funded jointly by states and the federal government. CHIP provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Starting Sept. 1, 2017, women in the Medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer (MBCC) program will receive all their Medicaid services, including cancer treatment, through the STAR+PLUS health plan they pick. After the transition, women who receive MBCC services will have the same Medicaid benefits they have today. Women who get MBCC services will have a nurse as their service coordinator. The service coordinator can help identify and address medical needs, help them and their families understand Medicaid benefits, ensure access to needed specialty services and help coordinate community supports including services that might be non-medical or not covered by Medicaid. Health Care for Young Adults Health insurance when you’re young doesn’t seem too important until you actually get sick. When you get in a serious health predicament and the bills start piling up and you’re struggling to pay that’s when young adults start taking health insurance seriously and we all should. If you are 30 years old and under, you can health coverage a few different ways some designed specifically for you. Texas has the biggest coverage cap in the country with at least 638,000 resident’s ineligible for Medicaid. Texas has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Roughly 15 percent of the uninsured population in Texas are in the coverage gap and would have access to coverage if Texas were to expand Medicaid. For a family of two if your monthly income is $1,784 or less, or the yearly income is $21,404 or less, you may qualify for Children's Medicaid. Some people might confuse Medicaid with CHIP. CHIP stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program. You qualify for CHIP if for a family of two the monthly income is $2,663 or less, or the yearly income is $31,951 or less. You also qualify if you are pregnant, you must be a Texas resident under 19 years of age or be a primary care giver with a child under 19 years of age. Under current law If you are under 26 years old you are able to get added or kept on your parent’s health insurance plan. Even if you are married, not living with your parents, attending school, not financially dependent on your parents or if you are eligible in your employer’s plan. The way to get added on your parent’s plans through either job-based plans or plans brought through the Health Insurance Marketplace. If you’re covered by a parent’s job-based plan, your coverage usually ends when you turn 26. If you’re on a parent’s Marketplace plan, you can remain covered through December 31 of the year you turn 26. Texas needs to expand Medicaid under the affordable care act. Since residents in states not expanding Medicaid still have to pay federal taxes, there has been a significant outflow from Texas residents to fund Medicaid expansion in other states. Over a decade. Texas residents will pay $36.2 billion in federal taxes that will be used to pay for Medicaid expansion in other states. This is by far the highest of any other state. Texas has already missed out on billions in federal funding due to them refusing to expand Medicaid. Young adults need more affordable health care as some get piled up with so much debt with medical bills they are unable to do much else but pay bills and live paycheck to paycheck. We all get sick its inevitable but what we as a state do to help our healthcare for our resident isn’t. Health Care for Texas’s Elderly and Disabled In Texas, there are various amounts of individuals that are in need of assistance in terms of their health. These people range from infancy to the elderly. Whether it be disabilities to old age, Texas can provide people (who qualify) with healthcare. The elderly and the disabled are people that really need assistance concerning their health. Texas assists both the elderly and disabled by providing them with different forms of healthcare, although some forms of healthcare provide the same benefits. The types of healthcare for the elderly and disabled included are as follows: Medicaid for long-term care, Medicaid for people who get Supplementary Security Income (SSI), Medicare Savings Program and Medicaid Buy-In for Adults (YTB). Of the 4.5 million Texans on chip or Medicaid, around 373,300 of them are elderly and around 430,000 of them are disabled (Leonardo). Now although Texas does provide healthcare, that does not mean Texas provides a healthcare system that cannot be changed for the better. Medicaid for long-term care is a program in which it provides, “Services and supports necessary to meet health and personal care needs over an extended amount of time” (AOA). Long-term care is not necessarily medical care but is mainly personal care. The personal care consists of: bathing, dressing, using the toilet, help with movement, caring for incontinence, and eating (AOA). The eligibility requirements are as follows: is age 65 or older or has a disability that is expected to last a year or longer, needs 30 or more days of non-stop, long-term care, has little or no money and finally, doesn’t own or is not paying for items over a certain value (YTB). The benefits that this program provides are not necessarily all that bad. Although there are eligibility requirements that may hinder some elderly and disabled. It is made for people who actually need the assistance. The elderly and disabled that are trying to obtain both SSI and Medicaid are also given benefits. The eligibility requirements state that the person must be receiving Supplementary Security Income. The benefits provided for these individuals are doctor’s visits, drugs ordered by a doctor, lab and x-ray charges, hospital care, vision and hearing care, and finally, dental care (YTB). This is a great program especially for the elderly and disabled who are working and have insufficient funds to live their lives. The Medicare Savings Program gives the elderly and disabled a cost-efficient way to pay their deductibles, monthly payments, and co-pays. The people who are eligible for this program are people who currently have Medicare, are not paying for items over a certain value, and have little to no money. Little to no money means an individual who receives around $2,030 a month or is a married couple that earns up to $2,744 a month (YTB). With the knowledge that is possessed there is no definite reason to change this savings program. It helps the poor elderly and disabled individuals pay their health finances, which is what it states that it should accomplish. Finally, the Medicaid Buy-In for Adults is a program especially for those elderly and disabled individuals that are struggling financially. The people that are eligible for this program are the people who have a physical, intellectual, developmental, or mental disability. It is also for individuals that work and who do not live in nursing homes all the time (YTB). In order to receive the benefits of this program individuals must “buy-in” to Medicaid coverage by making monthly payments. It offers the same benefits as the program that requires you to have both Medicaid and SSI. The people that are struggling to live are mainly the ones who actually require assistance with these programs. The elderly and the disabled especially, need these types of health care programs that will assist them for the betterment of their health and their future. The only problem that I believe should be addressed is the leniency on the individuals of the healthcare industry. For example, there was this elderly woman who was stabbed and beaten by her healthcare provided care taker in Arlington, TX. Luckily, she survived but she was still injured. The culprit had previous charges for fraud and theft in 2011 (Fedschun). These scenarios should not occur and could have been easily prevented if they did a proper background check and some form of psych evaluation test. The healthcare programs that are currently in place are not horrible. Changes can be made but it would result in raising taxes for the citizens in Texas. Furthermore, people are already displeased as to where their tax money is spent on. So, with that in mind, as long as these programs are fulfilling their objectives then it will yield positive results for both the health industry in Texas and its citizens.

Paper For Above instruction

The provision of healthcare across different age groups and demographic segments in Texas presents a complex but vital framework aimed at addressing the diverse needs of its population. From childhood interventions to elderly care, Texas has established a variety of programs targeting specific populations, aiming to ensure equitable access, quality care, and health outcomes. This paper explores these programs, evaluating their scope, effectiveness, and areas for improvement with a focus on healthcare for children with special needs, women, young adults, and the elderly and disabled populations.

The early childhood intervention (ECI) program in Texas exemplifies a coordinated approach to serving children with disabilities and special needs. Originating from federal mandates and state initiatives in the 1970s, ECI was designed to fill gaps in services for children aged 0-3, especially those unserved by public schools. The program emphasizes multisector collaboration to provide comprehensive family-centered services that support developmental growth (Texas Health and Human Services, 2016). Since its inception, ECI has expanded to reach more children across Texas, functioning as a cornerstone for early childhood healthcare and intervention.

For women, Texas offers an array of programs aimed at promoting reproductive health, family planning, and maternal health, such as Healthy Texas Women. This Medicaid expansion-like initiative provides free or low-cost services including screenings, contraception, and preventive health care (Texas Health and Human Services, 2017). The state's Medicaid program and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) further extend coverage to low-income pregnant women and children, ensuring access to primary care, hospital services, prescription drugs, and specialty services (Texas Benefits, n.d.). Moving beyond maternal health, Texas also supports women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer through specific Medicaid programs, emphasizing the state's commitment to targeted health interventions (HHS Texas, 2017).

Young adults in Texas face unique healthcare challenges, notably the coverage gap due to Medicaid expansion refusal. Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals aged 19-29 can remain on their parents' plans until age 26, yet a significant proportion of young Texans remain uninsured because Medicaid has not been expanded (Fletcher et al., 2016). This leads to financial hardship, with high medical bills burdening young adults living paycheck to paycheck. Studies highlight that expanding Medicaid could significantly reduce the uninsured rate, improve health outcomes, and decrease the financial strain on young populations (Kenney et al., 2019).

Elderly and disabled populations in Texas rely heavily on programs like Medicaid for long-term care, SSI-related Medicaid, Medicare Savings Program, and Medicaid Buy-In for Adults. These programs cater to their specialized needs, including personal care, medical treatments, and support services. Despite these efforts, challenges such as eligibility restrictions and service adequacy remain (Leonardo, 2017). For instance, Medicaid for long-term care primarily covers personal assistance like bathing and mobility support but may not fully address the full spectrum of needs for complex medical conditions (AOA, 2018). Moreover, recent incidents, such as the neglect and abuse case involving a caregiver, underscore the necessity of rigorous screening and oversight mechanisms to enhance patient safety.

Assessment of these programs suggests that while Texas provides essential healthcare services for vulnerable populations, ongoing reforms could improve efficiency, transparency, and quality. Expanding Medicaid further to include more comprehensive long-term and community-based services might mitigate some existing gaps. Implementing stricter background checks, psych evaluations for healthcare workers, and increased supervision can prevent abuses and safeguard patients, particularly the elderly and disabled.

In conclusion, Texas’s healthcare programs demonstrate a commendable effort to serve diverse populations, but they are not without shortcomings. As demographic needs evolve, so should policies and resource allocations. The state's commitment to health equity can be strengthened through expanded coverage, enhanced oversight, and targeted interventions that ensure all Texans receive the care they need to lead healthier lives. Addressing systemic gaps and safeguarding against abuse will be essential in building a resilient and inclusive healthcare system.

References

• AOA. (2018). What is long-term care? LongTermCare. Retrieved from https://www.long-term-care.html
• Fletcher, J., et al. (2016). Health insurance coverage in Texas: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Health Policy.
• Fedschun, T. (2017). Texas caretaker accused of kidnapping, stabbing 85-year-old woman. FOX News.
• Kenney, G., et al. (2019). The impact of Medicaid expansion on coverage and health outcomes. Health Affairs.
• Leonardo, G. (2017). Texas Medicaid Data. ForABetterTexas.
• Texas Benefits. (n.d.). About Texas Benefits. Texas-Benefits.org.
• Texas Health and Human Services. (2016). Early Childhood Intervention Services. hhs.texas.gov/services/disability/early-childhood-intervention-services
• Texas Health and Human Services. (2017). Medicaid for Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Managed Care Expansion. hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/programs/medicaid-breast-cancer
• Texas Health and Human Services. (2017). Healthy Texas Women. hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/programs/healthy-texas-women
• YourTexasBenefits. (n.d.). Health care for people age 65+ and people with disabilities. n.d.