BHA-FPX 4112 Assessments
BHA-FPX 4112 Assessment 1 Instructions: Health Production Function
Write a 2-4-page executive summary recommending resource investment in a program based on its potential to deliver positive health and economic outcomes.
- As a healthcare professional, you must have a foundational, high-level understanding of health care economics:
- One part of this foundation comes from understanding:
- The basic laws of economics as they apply to the healthcare industry.
- How the healthcare system creates unique economic challenges and burdens on all stakeholders.
- Another part of this foundation comes from understanding:
- The history and trends in health care economics around such topics as the role of the government and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
- Trends in patient payments.
- The resulting changes in health care expenditures, as well as areas for improvement in the healthcare system (Feldstein, 2012).
- Another key is understanding the concepts and processes involved in the production of health care: Multiple inputs influence health and wellness.
- Medical care is only one input, although a significant one.
The health production function and decision rules for allocating health care resources is a key component of the first assessment in this course. For this assessment, think about the ways in which health production efficiency, both technical and economical, can help drive decisions on the allocation of resources (inputs) to drive improved patient health and results (outcomes) (Feldstein, 2012).
Assessment 2 Instructions: The Supply And Demand Of Health Care
Write 7-9 pages that compare different models of supply and demand, as well as analyze how legislation and reimbursement methods impact supply and demand for health care.
As we take a closer look at the demand side of economics, we will consider how need versus demand is different and how this impacts planning and policy in the healthcare environment. Demand is typically initiated by the patient; however, provider involvement significantly impacts demand. Since the patient is dependent on the provider for expertise and medical opinion, there is a risk that demand will be increased. This is unique to the healthcare industry since consumers are not typically as dependent on the supplier of a service in other industries when making a purchase.
Another important driver of demand is the insurance company. Patients initiate the health care service but are not responsible to pay the bill—and this has the potential to skew the demand curve. This is one of the ideas behind high-deductible health care and the effort to control the consumption of services by making the patient responsible for a higher percentage of the overall bill. Finally, you will be offered an opportunity to think about the implications of free medical care and how that may impact the demand for health care services.
Like the demand curve, the healthcare field presents unique and interesting challenges to the supply of health care. You will be introduced to the concept of economic efficiency and the impact of inefficiencies on cost. The production function will be further explored, which is the relationship between the output of a product or service compared to the resources used to produce it (Feldstein, 2012). Competition, market structure, market performance, and public policies as they relate to the supply of health care services will be discussed as well.
The evolution of healthcare insurance has impacted aspects of health care economics such as price competition, medical loss ratios, and risk. As you prepare to complete the assessment, consider the role that copays, coinsurance, and deductibles play on the demand curve and reflect on your opinions related to the effectiveness of high-deductible health plans in controlling the demand of health care services.
BHA-FPX 4112 Assessments 3 Instructions: National Health Insurance In The United States
Create an 8-12-slide PowerPoint that presents a potential pathway and plan to implement a national health insurance program in the United States.
As you explore the physician services market and the hospital market, you will have an opportunity to explore concepts such as supplier-induced demand and cost shifting. The efficiency of physician and hospital services will be explored, as well as price competition of both physicians and hospitals. Since the price that a hospital or physician charges for services is rarely paid, you will have the opportunity to think about the relevance of price and why we even have prices today.
National health insurance is a highly debated topic in the United States. This assessment focuses on creating an outline for a plausible national health insurance program, which will bring into consideration a number of factors, such as the financing structure of national health insurance, and think about the advantages and disadvantages of a single-payer system, employee mandates, and refundable tax credits.
You will have an opportunity to look at our neighbor, Canada, and compare the Canadian health system to that of the United States. What are some of the benefits of the Canadian health care system and do those benefits outweigh the costs, such as longer wait times? As you finalize your assessment you will pick a side—for or against—national health insurance
