Week 1 discussion

The Role of Government in the U.S. Health Care System

As stated in the course text, Health Care Delivery in the
United States, “the health care enterprise is one of the most important parts
of the U.S. social system and of our economic system as well” (Kovner and
Knickman, 2011, p. 4); however, with millions of citizens uninsured, rising
costs, massive health disparities, and the need to improve quality and access,
many view health care as a broken system. As such, it continues to be a
significant political issue in the United States. Most agree that something
needs to be done to fix the health care system, but the methods and solutions
for addressing problems vary greatly, particularly with respect to the role
government should play. Proponents of varying approaches often have strong,
emotional opinions, making compromise difficult.

In this Discussion, you will consider the role of government
in health care, and you will examine the impact of a social, economic,
technological, ethical, or legal issue on health care delivery.

To prepare:

With this week’s Learning Resources in mind, consider this
question: Is health care a right or a privilege?

Review the media presentation for this week, focusing on the
role of the government in health care including Affordable Care Act.

Pinpoint a social, economic, technological, ethical, or
legal issue that could, or has, affected health care delivery in the United
States.

Locate a current article from the popular press (within the
past 6 months) related to the health care issue you identified. How does this
article inform your understanding of the influence of your selected issue in
the health care debate?

By Day 3

Post your position on whether health care in the United
States is a right or a privilege, and explain what you believe to be the proper
role of government in health care. Justify your position. Explain how the
social, economic, technological, ethical, or legal issue you selected is
impacting health care delivery and whether this issue should be addressed by
the government or by private entities. Identify the article you selected, and
explain how this article informs your stance.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. Focus
particularly on those questions raised to which you can add comments based on
shared experiences or situations. Consider how your colleagues’ postings
reflect and/or differ from your own perceptions and opinions.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different
days in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional
background information, evidence, or research using an in-text citation in APA
format.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings,
synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings
from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional
research.

Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from
readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional
insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Reference:

Kovner, A. R., & Knickman, J. R. (Eds.). (2011). Health
care delivery in the United States (10th ed.). New York, NY: Springer
Publishing.

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