Unit 1 Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Unit 1 Discussion Board - Essay Example Based on recent statistics, for instance, the national health care expenditure amounted to $1,299.5 billion. (Patel, Rushefsky & McFarlane 2005, p. 7) However, the situation today is far from the ideal and that many criticisms were voiced in regard to the decline of the entire public health system. Despite the current extensive coverage by the federal government in many aspects of health care, many programs have failed (such as the short-lived Clinton health care reform) and the national health care performance continues to deteriorate. The argument is that financing is not the problematic area; instead, the problems include the unbalanced appropriation of the funds as well as the inefficient public health infrastructure brought about by organizational turmoil and fractionalized interest. These dilemmas are consequences of a politicized health care system, wherein politicians decide populist policies in order to be elected. According to a report made by the Institute of Medicine in 1988, many health departments suffer problems of health care delivery, financing and quality of personal health services. It cited that public health services have fallen into disarray while the ability of the public health system to take effective actions to deal with continuing and emerging public health threats is questionable. A later report – one that has been published in 2002 - concluded that not a great deal has changed since the previous report, stressing that public health law at all levels of government is outdated and internally inconsistent creating inefficiency and lack of coordination. These developments underscore the role that the political system in the US plays in the public health system of the nation. To illustrate: Instead of prioritizing the goals and objectives of an existing health care program, new directions and policies would be introduced because the tide of public opinion as reflected in the polls