- Published: November 15, 2021
- Updated: November 15, 2021
- University / College: Indiana University Bloomington
- Language: English
- Downloads: 20
The government performs several important roles, including financing, delivering, and regulating the delivery of healthcare. The federal government or state government programs provides healthcare for uninsured individuals or low-income families with needs. The federal government regulates programs such as Medicaid and Medicare providers. They regulate such things ashealthcodes, the insurance industry, licensed personnel, and facilities. Important Roles The government which consists of federal, state, and local combined has many important roles in the U. S healthcare system.
One of the roles in which the government provides isfinance. It is estimated that 48% of healthcare was paid for by public dollars in 2008, which included Medicare, Medicaid, state and local health programs, CHIP, and Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (Yesalis, Holt, & Politzer, 2012). Federal and State governments jointly fund Medicaid, long-term mental health services, community health centers, and public health programs. Regulation shapes all aspects of America’s fragmented health care industry, from the flow of dollars to thecommunicationbetween physicians and patients.
It is the engine that translates public policy into action. While the health and lives of patients, as well as almost one-sixth of the national economy, depending on its effectiveness, health care regulation in America is bewilderingly complex. Government agencies at the federal, state and local levels direct portions of the industry, but hundreds of private organizations do so as well. Some of these overseers compete with one another, some conflict, and others collaborate. Their interaction is as important to the provision of health care as are the laws and rules they implement. (Robert I. Field)
Regulations
The state government also regulates licensing for health care personnel, facilities, and establishes health codes. The government basically controls the health industry with rules and regulations. Ranging from: Regulation/licensing, mental health services, vital statistics, public health issues, public health laboratories, communicable disease control programs, environmental health, maternal/child health, health planning, and healtheducation. (Yesalis, Holt, & Politzer, 2012).
