Research Proposal – Healthcare
Introduction
Healthcare is a basic requirement for every human being in the world. According to the International Standard Industrial Classification, healthcare is categorized as hospital activities, medical and dental activities. Therefore, it is of great importance for one to know the processes and people who contribute to the maintenance of health for humans, and if they have been able to effectively accomplish their responsibilities regarding healthcare.
Background of the Research
The American government states that healthcare for every citizen is their main priority and should be accessible to every individual. The World Health Organization reports that 17% of the United States GDP is spent on healthcare, and they expect this number to rise in the coming years. Thus, health is of great concern, and going by those statistics, there is need to handle it with a lot of seriousness. Health care is divided into either primary or secondary healthcare. Primary healthcare involves the largest scope of the requirements in health. Based on data released by the National Interview in 2011, over 50% of American residents were unable to acquire basic healthcare. According to Lapierre (2012), the healthcare system in the United States provides medical concern in patchwork. She further adds that such fragmentation of healthcare coverage difference leaves a lot of Americans in desperation and uninsured (Lapierre, 2012). Besides, the data also showed that medical care facilities are mainly owned by private entities. Health facilities are critical to human beings, and with such a huge number of people failing to access it, leave a lot to be desired. Private sector largely indulged in this industry and the research will give an explanation on whether healthcare is a business or a basic commodity that should be offered without restrictions. Lapierre (2012) also questions the satisfaction of the general public regarding the quality of medical care. Although she makes comparison between Canada and the United States, she still thinks that there is still some work to be done.
Aims of the Research
The study is mainly aimed at explaining the key reasons why healthcare is inaccessible to all citizens of the United States and why there is an increase in medical expenditure. The research will establish whether the private sector has a positive or negative impact on the accessibility of healthcare. Besides, the study will also explain the satisfaction of the patient with the general quality of healthcare.
Objective of the Study
The general objective of the study will be the verification of the factors behind the low health coverage with regards to accessibility.
The specific objectives of the study include:
- Examining the level of health care awareness
- Identification of the required actions for securing government support towards ensuring that health is a priority for everyone.
- To establish the link between quality service and the wider scope of the healthcare coverage.
- To determine whether ethical issues and the quality of medical care impacts disparities in healthcare.
Research Questions
- What amounts to lower medical care coverage and accessibility?
- Has the government done enough in creating awareness and provision of medical facilities?
- Is there any relationship between the number of health facilities in rural areas and in urban centers?
Hypothesis
There is no relationship between the number of health facilities in rural areas unlike those in urban areas, and the government has not exhaustively handled the measures aimed at ensuring that healthcare is accessible to all. Another hypothesis is that the private sector has made significant contribution towards reducing the disparities in healthcare.
Data Collection
The protocol of data collection is divided into two categories: Primary and secondary data collection. Primary data collection will entail interviewing and observations. Interviewing those who are directly linked to healthcare givers clear information and direct observations, for instance, observing the number of health facilities in rural areas and those found in towns. Secondary data will be relied upon and entails information from periodicals, case studies and online information. The application of both methods will provide the researcher with the opportunity for comparing the information collected and establish comprehensive findings.
Statement of the Problem
This study is mainly aimed at imparting knowledge on the various reasons behind the lack of healthcare in the region. The findings will not just help the students but also future researchers and the government when it comes to the allocation of resources for medical facilities. According to statistics, the United States has been placed among the leading nations in health research although not all the citizens have access to healthcare. The controversy is that it is listed as the best in researching but has certain gaps in the implementation of results. A greater percentage of the country’s income is spent on medical care and it is high time that prevention measures are adopted. These measures can only be implemented through the identification of the existing reasons for disparities in healthcare and recommendation of the action to be taken towards curbing this trend.
Literature Review
Previous studies on this subject have come up with various findings. For instance, a research by Emanuel and Fuchs titled, healthcare vouchers talks about the poor funding of healthcare in the United States as the main cause of disparity in healthcare. They assert that the system is inefficient, inequitable and not affordable, and the process of financing should be reviewed. The current state of healthcare system in America limits more than forty million citizens from gaining access to basic medical care. The research reveals that this is because that number is partially low to be covered by health insurances while the others are poor and unable to afford the prevailing insurance rates. Another issue of concern in this study is that most of the Americans who have health insurance are covered under employer based insurance. This type of insurance ensures unfair tax treatment to the low income earners since it offers great subsidies to higher income earners leaving the poor subjected to harsh tax cuts. Besides, job insecurity is another threat to the low income earners. This is because job loss will mean that they are no longer able to keep servicing the insurance cover, hence, risk of losing healthcare. In the same way, Lapierre (2012) compared Health coverage in Canada to that of America and established that Canada covers wider scope unlike the United States. The reason for this is that all legal residents of Canada have insurance cover that is funded by the public unlike in the United States whereby most residents are privately covered. Besides, the United States citizens have to educate themselves on the particulars of the insurance and the insurance language may not be easy for all to understand (Lapierre, 2012).
Another study done by the University of Minnesota titled, ‘’Causes of Health Disparities found out that culture plays a critical role in the determination of accessibility to healthcare. The study reveals that 30% of African Americans believe that health was based on fate. Quality of healthcare also depends on race and ethnicity. The minority groups have higher rates of mortality and morbidity compared to the non-minorities. Even though the above studies have established different reasons behind the disparities in healthcare, they have not been able to link ethics and quality of medical professionals with health is prioritized and actions required for guaranteeing a similar number of healthcare facilities both in rural and urban areas. This study will also outline some of the potential ways of creating awareness in healthcare to at least involve those who are unable to willingly access healthcare.
Conclusion
As stated by Lapierre (2012), it is expected that the rate of people lacking healthcare will rise based on the current economic recession since it will impact a great number of people joining the rank of uninsured. This is the reason why the report will help in countering the problem in time through provision of the required information. Healthcare has been previously studied by researchers who came up with different causes of health disparities. This report will focus on the root causes and the probable recommendations. Students who will need to research on this topic in the future will find this useful in coming up with new solutions.
References
LaPierre, T. A. (2012). Comparing the Canadian and US systems of health care in an era of health care reform. Journal of Health Care Finance, 38(4), 1-18. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1024287565/141BA942B976822D5AE/6?accountid=1611