lauriedickinson

A Complete Paradigm Shift is needed in our Healthcare Policy and Implementation

Currently I am a practicing Physician Assistant, with a Master of Medical Science Degree in my third year of the Doctor of Health Science, with a major in Global Health Policy utilizing WebCt at Nova Southeastern University. I work full-time physically practicing medicine under physician supervision in a Federally Qualified Health Clinic in California, U.S.

I am a devoted defender of Universal Healthcare. Health care for each individual U.S. citizen paid for by each U.S. citizen. NOT a single payer system. I strongly believe health care is NOT charity. Health care should NOT be provided by taxpayers alone. Insurance companies, who are supported by special interest groups infiltrated throughout our U.S. Senate, cannot continue to call the shots. The current corruption in the health policy arena, and in the face of the theory that giving more health care aid in various forms, and increasing Medicaid, only fosters dependency by recipients. It is obvious that the World Bank and other organizations both public and private continue the endless work of restructuring global health policy. The U.S. does not stand alone as an entity that hands out aid to developing and foreign countries anymore, no matter what spin the media puts on our current healthcare policy or overall economy. Global health continues to gain priority status on the agenda of major international political fronts.

Interest and need has culminated to the point that the general public is aware of the necessity for healthcare policy reform concerning critical issues in global health. Almost no one can obtain adequate health care from a primary care physician except Medicaid and Medicare recipients.

Special interest groups and large corporations currently calling the shots in Washington need to be stopped. The U.S. simply cannot adequately aid foreign countries, and continue any truly helpful resource flow until the dysfunctional, cost escalating aspects of U.S. healthcare and health policy have moved into the "high politics" realm secondary to the ascending importance of health economics. The high-level linking of health agendas with the environment, population, gender and social development from the 1990s (Health Action International, 2003) must be in place and functioning. In conceptualizing a framework that exists with setting global norms and guidelines within country legislative actions, it is essential that the key issue facing global health be public-private partnership arrangements. They need to be generic and cross social sectors globally.

Global change is pushing the powers that be toward supporting the common effort of the integration of populations and countries into the world economy through policies that promote accelerated debt relief, support market access and increased financing for areas that increase basic human need and security. This is of primary importance to the long-term stability and sustainability of emerging global systems. The health system policy now and in the future must provide optimal human benefits.

We must strengthen public health capacity in developing countries. Ongoing data collection and mapping of the current public health training programs in developing countries and in Central and Eastern Europe accompanied by consensus development on desired functions and activities of the public and private health sectors are continuing according to (Beaglehole, Dal Pos, 2003).

REFERENCE

Beaglehole, R., Dol Poz, M.R. (2003). Human resources for health. Public health work force: Challenges and policy issues. Retrieved April 9, 2009 from http://human-resources-health.com/content/pdf/1478-4491-1-4pdf

Health Action International (2002). Statement to 109th WHO executive board meeting.

Retrieved April 10, 2009 from http://www.haiweb.org/campaign/PPI/EB109statement.html