Unit 2 discussion board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Unit 2 discussion board - Essay Example The cost of healthcare as it stands, remains one of the largest components of the economy of the United States of America, and the alarming aspect is that it is rising faster than the rate of inflation. Through Medicare and Medicaid the healthcare systems aims to provide relief to certain disadvantaged segments of citizens of the country. This responsibility of the government is only going to increase in a huge manner due to two factors that will have a severe impact on the finances required. The first is that the population in the country is aging, and the number of people above the sixty-five years barrier is increasing, as a result of the increased life expectancy. Coupled with this is the dramatic advances in medical technological and medical treatment procedures, which comes at a high economic cost. Finding the financial resources to meet the rising demand, and escalated costs of medical treatment is going to be challenging for the governments involved. (Ericson, G.) The government has tried to address the issue of finances facing the healthcare system by a two-pronged effort, which has led to its next two challenges. To reduce the financial burden on itself, the government has tried to increase the insurance coverage among the population. Nearly two-thirds of those that have no medical insurance are from low-income families. A large percentage of these are from either minority communities or are young adults. In addition it is seen that employers do not provide medical insurance to many low-income workers. Business enterprises are averse to taking on additional financial burdens in terms of medical insurance for all their employees, as they believe that their competitive edge is blunted by the burden of these extra financial commitments. The challenge that the government faces is to motivate and encourage the private industry to