Post 7: CHIP
Early in October the federal funds for the Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, were not renewed. This left people uneasy, of course, 9 million children rely on enrolling in this program for access to health care. This includes basic healthcare, as well as, dental, eye care, prescriptions and preventative care.
As of Friday, The House passed a bill to renew the federal funding for CHIP. This is an issue that most people in the government feel like should be funded, but the issue that arose in the House when they discussed the the details of the bill. As it passed The House it was said that it will be funded by increasing premiums for Medicare beneficiaries who make over $500,000. With these heightened premiums there are also cost cuts to essential preventative care that public health advocates have worked so hard for over the past decade. "...cut $6.35 billion over 10 years from a fund established by the Affordable Care Act to pay for public health initiatives such as preventing diabetes, heart disease, cancer and opioid abuse"(Pear 2107).
Democrats who voted no to the bill are worried about more than just the wealthiest people being able to cover increased fees and premiums. They are worried about the longevity of the funds and how well their plan to cover costs will hold up. The majority of the vote was backed by the republican party, only 3 republicans voted no to this.
This bring to the table and interesting point from the management side though. Doctors, of course, worry about if their patients can afford the procedure, but that usually will not stop them from providing care. As a person with hopefully a future management position it is obvious that it is increasingly important to pa attention to the nitty gritty of politics and health care. The way that this funding argument comes down to a bipartisan issue is not an issue just for the CHIP case. Bills and legislation and how they are funded often comes down to who has the stronger vote and it is important to notice these trends.
As of Friday, The House passed a bill to renew the federal funding for CHIP. This is an issue that most people in the government feel like should be funded, but the issue that arose in the House when they discussed the the details of the bill. As it passed The House it was said that it will be funded by increasing premiums for Medicare beneficiaries who make over $500,000. With these heightened premiums there are also cost cuts to essential preventative care that public health advocates have worked so hard for over the past decade. "...cut $6.35 billion over 10 years from a fund established by the Affordable Care Act to pay for public health initiatives such as preventing diabetes, heart disease, cancer and opioid abuse"(Pear 2107).
Democrats who voted no to the bill are worried about more than just the wealthiest people being able to cover increased fees and premiums. They are worried about the longevity of the funds and how well their plan to cover costs will hold up. The majority of the vote was backed by the republican party, only 3 republicans voted no to this.
This bring to the table and interesting point from the management side though. Doctors, of course, worry about if their patients can afford the procedure, but that usually will not stop them from providing care. As a person with hopefully a future management position it is obvious that it is increasingly important to pa attention to the nitty gritty of politics and health care. The way that this funding argument comes down to a bipartisan issue is not an issue just for the CHIP case. Bills and legislation and how they are funded often comes down to who has the stronger vote and it is important to notice these trends.
Pear, R. (2017, November 3). Children’s Health Bill Clears House as States Struggle to Keep Programs Afloat. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/03/us/politics/childrens-health-insurance-program-house-bill.html
It is certainly important to pay attention to what is globally going on with our healthcare system. Governmental decisions have a huge impact on patient coverage and it is up to hospital/ healthcare leadership to make the right strategic decisions that keep their patients happy and businesses fiscally sound.
ReplyDelete