Healthcare in the US in the 1980s

The healthcare system in the US in the 1980s experienced several challenges making the citizens question the ability of the government to take care of its citizens. The issue of concern during this period in the United States was patients’ safety. Increase in Per capita spending on healthcare by tenfold since the early 1980s discouraged the majority of people from seeking medical attention. Based on this information, the high costs associated with treatment became the first issue for public complaint in the healthcare in the United States (Frakt, 2018). The country also had a limited number of healthcare facilities and physicians. This problem made it difficult for people with access to resources from accessing treatment. Shortage in physicians and hospitals became a significant challenge in the United States calling for a need of forming policies likely to increase the number of medical professionals and healthcare facilities. This information indicates that the outcomes of the healthcare services offered by physicians were not sufficient, resulting in the death of many people in the country. The quality of treatment became a problem in the United States, calling for a need for establishing mechanisms for increasing effectiveness in the treatment process. The number of payments offered to physicians also undermined the effort for the majority of people to pursue an education in the medical profession. The number of physicians in the country remained limited. 

Different strategies were put in place in an attempt of ensuring that there was an improvement in the healthcare system in the United States. For instance, the government introduced a third party payment system to minimize the cost incurred by patients in paying for treatment service. Before the introduction of the third party payment for services, many patients paid for the services from the pocket, making it difficult to access treatment services because of the high costs. Insurance companies were allowed to make payments for people pulling together the risks. In effect, the cost of seeking medical intervention reduced increasing the rate of accessibility of medicine to patients. The government also created an opportunity for building more private hospitals with a goal for increasing accessibility to healthcare facilities. This change called for a need of helping the corporations to begin integrating the hospital system in their operations. As a result, there was an establishment of other healthcare-related business, thus promoting the establishment of private hospitals in the country. As a result, the healthcare system in the 1980s was characterized by the significant shift towards privatization and corporatization. For instance, in the year 1983 and 1985, the number of HMO firms nearly doubled (Frakt, 2018). Healthcare costs are driven further by the establishment of private hospitals, thus making it difficult for people to meet the needs of the patients. Insurance companies and universal healthcare established in the year 1980s increase the ability for patients to increase accessibility to healthcare facilities. The government established capitation for doctors with an objective for increasing efficiency and commitment in delivering safety issues. Capitation for doctors ensures that physicians receive payments and grants depending on the number of patients served. This activity increases the ability of people and medical physicians to become interested in pursuing medical physicians. The objective for determining the payment for doctors based on several customers is to solve the problems associated with physician shortages. The shortage of employees in the 1980s in the 1980 originated from the continued decline in hourly pay for medical physicians. Under President Reagan, medical healthcare shifts created a chance for addressing physician shortages in the United States. 

Reference

Frakt, A. (2018, May 14). Medical Mystery: Something Happened to U.S. Health Spending After 1980. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/upshot/medical-mystery-health-spending-1980.html