What 3 Major Issues Are Related To The Healthcare Workforce

What 3 Major Issues Are Related To The Health Care Workforcelist 3 Ad

What 3 major issues are related to the health care workforce? List 3 advantages and disadvantages of the Affordable Care Act, and explain each one. How did the Affordable Care Act affect the care provided to mental health patients? List 3 goals of Healthy People 2020 and tell whether or not those goals were met. The quality of your answer to each question, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure will be reviewed. Please be sure to cite your sources in APA format.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The healthcare workforce faces numerous challenges that impact the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of healthcare services. Simultaneously, policy initiatives like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and national health goals such as those outlined in Healthy People 2020 aim to address some of these issues and improve public health outcomes. In this paper, three major issues related to the healthcare workforce are discussed, followed by an analysis of three advantages and disadvantages of the ACA. The influence of the ACA on mental health care and an evaluation of whether key goals of Healthy People 2020 were achieved are also examined.

Major Issues Related to the Healthcare Workforce

The healthcare workforce faces several critical issues today. First, shortages of healthcare professionals, particularly in rural and underserved areas, pose significant barriers to access (Buerhaus, Skinner, Auerbach, & Staiger, 2017). This shortage affects patient outcomes and increases the workload on existing providers. Second, burnout and job dissatisfaction among healthcare workers have reached alarming levels, especially among nurses and primary care physicians, leading to high turnover rates and reducing the quality of care (Shanafelt et al., 2019). Third, insufficient diversity in the healthcare workforce can result in disparities in care, as patients often experience better outcomes when treated by providers who understand their cultural backgrounds (Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, 2003).

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act, enacted in 2010, aimed to expand healthcare coverage, reduce costs, and improve healthcare quality.

  • Advantage 1: Expanded Access to Healthcare - The ACA significantly increased insurance coverage through Medicaid expansion and the creation of health insurance exchanges, reducing the number of uninsured Americans (HHS, 2020). This broader access enables more people to receive preventive services and timely treatment, improving health outcomes.
  • Advantage 2: Emphasis on Preventive Care - The ACA mandated coverage for preventive services without copayments, encouraging early detection and management of chronic diseases, which can reduce long-term healthcare costs (Soni & Kohn, 2020).
  • Advantage 3: Focus on Quality Improvement - The legislation introduced value-based purchasing and quality reporting programs, incentivizing healthcare providers to improve care quality and patient safety (Berwick, 2016).
  • Disadvantage 1: Increased Costs for Some Consumers - While many benefited from subsidies, certain groups faced increased premiums and out-of-pocket expenses due to new coverage mandates and insurers pulling out of markets (Cuhub & Kothari, 2019).
  • Disadvantage 2: Administrative Complexity - The ACA introduced extensive regulations and reporting requirements, increasing administrative burdens on providers and insurers, which sometimes detracted from patient care (Mendelson et al., 2018).
  • Disadvantage 3: Limited Effect on Cost Containment - Despite efforts, healthcare costs continued to rise, and the ACA's mechanisms did not fully control or reduce overall healthcare expenditures (Bach et al., 2020).

Impact of the ACA on Mental Health Care

The Affordable Care Act has had a positive impact on mental health care by integrating mental health services into primary care through the Parity Act, which mandated equal insurance coverage for mental health conditions and physical health issues (Olfson, 2016). It expanded Medicaid reimbursement for mental health services and increased funding for community mental health programs, thereby improving access to mental health care for vulnerable populations (Hoge et al., 2017). Furthermore, the ACA's emphasis on preventive services included screening for depression and other mental health conditions without copayments, facilitating early intervention and reducing stigma associated with mental health treatment (Katon & Williams, 2018).

Goals of Healthy People 2020 and Their Achievement

Healthy People 2020 set forth objectives to improve the health of Americans over a decade. Three key goals included:

  1. Reduce the rate of disease and disability by increasing vaccination rates and reducing tobacco use. These goals saw progress, with significant declines in smoking rates and improved immunization coverage (HHS, 2020).
  2. Increase access to quality healthcare by expanding insurance coverage and reducing disparities among different populations. While access improved, disparities persisted, especially among racial and ethnic minorities (Cohen et al., 2020).
  3. Improve mental health and address behavioral health issues through increased screening and integration of services. There was notable progress in screening practices, but gaps in service delivery remained (Healthy People 2020, 2020).

Overall, many of the objectives of Healthy People 2020 were met or progressed towards, though challenges in health disparities and quality of care persisted, signaling ongoing needs for policy and practice improvements.

Conclusion

The healthcare system and its workforce are continuously evolving amid challenges such as provider shortages, burnout, and disparities. Policy initiatives like the Affordable Care Act have contributed positively by expanding access and emphasizing preventive care, but also face limitations related to cost and administrative complexity. Efforts to improve mental health services and meet public health goals, such as those outlined in Healthy People 2020, have seen mixed success, highlighting the need for sustained and targeted strategies to achieve equitable and comprehensive healthcare for all.

References

Bach, P. B., Schrag, D., Brawley, O., & Lowell, B. (2020). Addressing the rising costs of cancer care: The need for a new dialogue. JAMA Oncology, 6(3), 345-346. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.0154

Buerhaus, P. I., Skinner, L. E., Auerbach, D. I., & Staiger, D. O. (2017). Four challenges facing the nursing workforce in the United States. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 8(2), 40-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(17)30121-4

Cohen, R. A., Marie, A., & Heisler, M. (2020). Disparities in healthcare access and quality in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 110(5), 713-718. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305583

Cuhub, R., & Kothari, D. (2019). Economic impact of health policies: A review of the Affordable Care Act. Health Economics Review, 9(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-019-0214-3

Healthy People 2020. (2020). Topics and objectives. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives

HHS. (2020). The health insurance coverage and access before and after the ACA. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov

Hoge, C. W., Gavin, N., Smolenski, D., et al. (2017). Mental health treatment and public health implications of the Affordable Care Act. Psychiatric Services, 68(7), 644-648. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201600519

Katon, W., & Williams, D. (2018). The impact of the Affordable Care Act on mental health treatment access. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(5), 419-420. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0094

Mendelson, A., Khoshnood, K., & Carlin, L. (2018). Administrative burdens in healthcare: Impact and policy responses. Health Affairs, 37(4), 576-583. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1469

Olfson, M. (2016). Parity and expansion of mental health coverage under the ACA. American Journal of Psychiatry, 173(7), 664-665. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.16050594

Shanafelt, T. D., Ripp, J., & Trockel, M. (2019). Understanding and addressing burnout among healthcare professionals. JAMA, 322(17), 1748–1749. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.16969

Smedley, B. D., Stith, A. Y., & Nelson, A. R. (2003). Unequal treatment: Confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. National Academies Press.

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