Healthcare

• Includes all reasonable and necessary medical aid, medical examinations, medical treatments, medical diagnoses, medical evaluations, and services

• Embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health

Health Insurance

• Why is this an issue– People who have health insurance are more risky

because they do not have to pay full price• Moral hazard

– This drives up costs– Health care markets rely on competition to control

costs and improve quality

Health Insurance

• 85% of Americans have health insurance• 60% receive health insurance through

employment• 29% get it from various agencies• 2005 41.2 Million people in the U.S were w/o

health insurance

Health Insurance

• Medicaid– Covers services depending on age, financial circumstances, family

situation, transfer of resource requirements, or living arrangements– Services

• Dental care• Hospital inpatient and outpatient services• Care in a nursing home• Prenatal care• Medicine, supplies, medical equipment• Emergency ambulance transportation to a hospital• Etc.

– Qualifications• High medical bills• Receive supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Health Insurance cont.

• Medicare– Gov. funded– Helps to insure elderly and stage renel disease

patients

Interest Lobby Groups

• AARP– Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life to those

50 and older – Expend its reach of programs to more low income

and vulnerable older Americans in need– Grants, tax deductible contributions from AARP

members, the general public – AARP members support foundation through

volunteerism and immediate and long term financial contributions