Order Instructions

Week 5

A new type of third-party-reimbursement health care payment plan is emerging in the United States. Consumer Driven Health Plans strive to control costs and improve quality of care by requiring consumers to take control of their own health care decisions. Consumers decide how they want to spend their health care dollars, depending on what is important to them. CDHPs are geared to encourage participants to enroll in some type of wellness program and improve their lifestyles. Specific types of Consumer Driven Health Plans are:

 

Health reimbursement arrangements

Flexible spending accounts

Health savings accounts

In this week, you will understand about the three types of Consumer Driven Health Plans. Going further you will consider the problem of health care costs at the national level. Research will be a major part of your work this week as you study CDHPs and attempt to predict their impact on health care in the United States.

 

Your Learning Objectives for the Week:

 

Utilize knowledge of the US health care delivery system and public health in analysis, critical thinking and application of information in strategic planning.

Apply business principles of human resources management, operations management, and quality to strategic planning in health care organizations.

 

Health Savings Accounts: Case Study:

The United States has arguably the most advanced health care in the world. And yet, a large proportion of Americans do not have access to this care due to its high cost. Providers, consumers, and the government have long searched for a way out of this paradoxical situation. HSAs offer one solution.

 

The American health care system is complex. A part of the population has access to health care through Medicare and Medicaid. Another part simply pays for care out of pocket. A substantial proportion of the population uses third-party payers to pay for care.

 

Payers have reacted to the rising costs of care by introducing various gatekeeper mechanisms. These have not been popular with consumers who see them as restrictive. The American population is aging and the need for care is likely to increase over the next decade.

 

While the earnings of health care professionals have been increasing, insurance premiums have also increased. Among hospitals, many are non-profit organizations offering substantial charity care. But for-profit and non-profit hospitals alike must show return on investment to remain viable. Providers must also factor reimbursement policies of payers into their decisions, sometimes even clinical decisions. These groups of stakeholders—patients, providers, payers, and the government—have different goals and different responses to the rising cost of care.

 

Based on your understanding, answer the following:

 

In your opinion, can HSAs be aligned to the expectations of all these groups?

Do you think HSAs can help improve health care cost, quality, and access? Why or why not?

Use the following resources, use outside resources and your textbook for this discussion:

 

How health savings accounts work: Contributions and tax benefits. (2006). Congressional Digest, 85(3), 69.

 

Duke, A. C., & Cude, B. J. (2016). Motivating Personal Contributions to Health Savings Accounts. Journal Of Consumer Affairs, 50(3), 652-665. doi:10.1111/joca.12094

 

To support your work, use your course and textbook readings and also use the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.

 

Textbook:

itle: Strategic management of health care organizations

 

Author: Linda E. Swayne, Jack Duncan, Peter M. Ginter

 

Ed/Year: 7th Edition 2013

 

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons