Write a 850-1500 word paper on the following:
1.Describe the current health care environment in the United States from both the health
care administrator and the patient perspective.
2.What are some recent changes in legislation and how does this change influence the way
that an administrator would operate within the health care system?
3.What are current trends emerging in health care? Using the current trends, speculate on
future of health care risk management from both the perspective of the health care
administrator and patient.
Current and Future State of Health Care Legislation Analysis
The health care environment in the United States can be viewed from both the patient and
health care administrator perspectives. From the patient perspective, the health care environment
in the United States is in good condition because the majority of health care organizations deliver
care that generates positive health outcomes for citizens (Birkhäuer, Gaab, Kossowsky, Hasler,
Krummenacher, Werner, and Gerger, 2017). According to Birkhäuer et al., (2017), patients in the
United States have reported that they are satisfied with the nature of treatment that they receive
from health care organizations in the country because they can enjoy a high quality of life and
reduced disease symptoms after obtaining care. These patients further explain that they have
CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION ANALYSIS 2
developed trust in care as well as in the health care professionals in the United States (Birkhäuer
et. al., 2017).
From the health care administrator perspective, the health care environment in the United
States is unstable because it is characterized by clashing competitive forces and uncertainties in
the external environment. For these reasons, the United States’ health care administrator is faced
with the challenge of making strategic changes to improve the quality of care delivered to
patients (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2015). Furthermore, with the rise in disease complexities,
health care administrator increasingly strives to integrate modern technology and to employ
highly qualified employees who can deliver quality care that will attract patients to their
facilities. Ideally, the current health care environment in the United States is greatly influenced
by changes in legislations and health care trends, both of which affect the quality of care
received by patients (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2015).
One of the recent changes in health care legislation is the enactment of the Affordable
Care Act in 2010. According to Obama (2016), Affordable Care Act has brought about
significant reforms in the United States health care system that concerns both the health care
administrator and the patient. For instance, some of the responsibilities of the health care
administrator can now be viewed based on various sections of the Act. Additionally, the nature
of care received by patients from health care organizations is now determined by rules
documented in the Affordable Care Act. Enactment of the Affordable Care Act, including related
amendments, greatly influences the way that an administrator would operate within the health
care system (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2015).
CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION ANALYSIS 3
For instance, the United States’ health care administrator is guided by the Affordable
Care Act to implement insurance packages that can help patients to access affordable care, to
increase the number of funds allocated to quality improvement, and to formulate and implement
plans that help them to remain competitive in the marketplace (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2015).
Additionally, through the influence of various sections of the Affordable Care Act, the health
administrator in the United States makes decisions that facilitate a reduction in costs of
prescription drugs. The Affordable Care Act currently guide and will continue to influence the
health care administrator to make changes to the health care system to mitigate the challenges
that are associated with clashing competitive forces and uncertainties in the external environment
(Obama, 2016).
Current trends in health care have an influence on the future of health care risk
management from both the perspective of the patient and the health care administrator. One of
the notable trends that are emerging in the United States health care is a possibility to abolish the
Affordable Care Act. When he first came to power, President Trump communicated his plans to
annul the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law by President Obama in 2010 (Santilli and
Vogenberg, 2017). In case a new law replaces the Act shortly, the patient will have to make
arrangements to incur health care costs that are currently taken care of by the Affordable Care
Act. At the same time, the administrator will have to make relevant strategic changes to be
prepared to deliver care to the uninsured patient (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2017).
The other trend in the United States health care is frequent changes in cancer care, which
are likely to transform care delivery process used by the health administrator, as well as the
health care costs incurred by the patient. Cancer care increasingly attracts the attention of United
States’ medical researchers, and it is anticipated that the Public Health sector will continue to
CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION ANALYSIS 4
invest in cancer research and management in the coming years (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2017).
Coupled with anticipated rapid technological advancements, the reforms in cancer research and
management are likely to impact health care risk management from both the administrator and
the patient perspective. While the administrator should plan to mitigate investment and
technological integration risks, cancer patients should be prepared to pay huge amounts of
money to receive care from health care organizations that will have implemented highly
advanced technological systems to facilitate cancer treatment (Santilli and Vogenberg, 2017).
References
Birkhäuer, J., Gaab, J., Kossowsky, J., Hasler, S., Krummenacher, P., Werner, C., & Gerger, H.
(2017). Trust in the health care professional and health outcome: A meta-analysis. PLoS
One, 12(2): e0170988.
Obama, B. (2016). The United States health care reform progress to date and next steps. The
Journal of the American Medical Association, 316(5): 525-532.
CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION ANALYSIS 5
Santilli, J. & Vogenberg, F. R. (2015). Key strategic trends that impact healthcare decision-
making and stakeholder roles in the new marketplace. American Health & Drug Benefits,
8(1): 15-20
Santilli, J. & Vogenberg, F. R. (2017). Top 10 healthcare market trends in 2017. American
Health & Drug Benefits, 10(1): 38-40.