Out of Pocket Payment Seeking Healthcare †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: How to Out-Of-Pocket Payment Seeking Healthcare? Answer: Introducation With the increasing number of Australians seeking healthcare, it has been reported that the costs of medical services have considerably risen both locally and globally. It is something that has left many of us wondering how we are going to cover-up for the increasing costs of out-of-pocket payments or that which is settled without insurance reimbursement. But anyway, does the government care about this healthcare issue that has caused many people in Australia to spend a higher percentage of their income in out-of-pocket payment? My guess is that the answer to this question lies in the hands of Australian politicians who have ineffectively represented the concerns of their people. As expressed in the Sydney Morning Herald news, this healthcare issue has been in the spotlight since 2013 because of its nature as a global challenge (Medew, 2017). It was this particular year when it was revealed that many Australians were facing hard times trying to pay the increasing amount of out-of-poc ket expenses in the healthcare systems that fails to advantage the poor, but rather favor only the rich. There is an unspoken truth behind out-of-pocket payments in Australia and elsewhere in the world where healthcare systems prefer this type of payment for the patients to access essential services. It is worrisome to see many elderly patients spend much of their funds to pay for treatment while in the real sense they have an insurance cover that lies idle without being exploited (Yusuf Leeder, 2013). I may not know the reason behind this menace, but I firmly believe that there is something wrong in the Australian healthcare system. First of all, my community is one of the most marginalized groups. The gap between the poor and the rich is large to the extent that it becomes tough for the less disadvantaged members of the community to access treatment (O'Mallon, 2017). Considering this issue at hand, who is out there that could watch one or more members of the community die just because of failing to pay for medication from out of his or her pocket as there is practically no money? I guess no one will dare do that because our communities enable us to work towards achieving a common good. The quality of service delivery in the healthcare system is what people are craving for dearly. With this said a local news article by David Sparkes reveals the findings of the report found in the Australian Medical Journal. It brings to our attention that there is a massive difference in the price paid by the patients. This is by using the out-of-pocket payment method to specialists in medicine, both existing within a specified discipline that varies from place to place (Sparkes, 2017). What is the advantage of using this payment mode instead of insurance reimbursement? The answer to this question as many of us think might raise controversial issues revolving around the quality of healthcare provided. Personally, I believe that the difference in the standards of treatment is virtually inexistent. Of much shock, as it might turn out is that the Australian health care system is continuously exploiting patients without paying any attention to their interests. This poses a challenge to the community in seeing them towards channeling its efforts to achieve a common good that reflects the interests of everyone with less consideration to the financial capability of an individual. Due to the delay caused by the out-of-pocket payment, it means that many financially unstable Australians lack access to basic medical care. In such a way, many of them are forced to experience hardships in trying to pay for the healthcare services (Medew, 2017). As members of any cohesive community within Australia, my plea to you is that we should feel those who are handicapped by the out-of-pocket payment rampantly embraced by the healthcare system. It is sensible to warn those concerned with the activities of the healthcare system that the rising out-of-pocket expenses acts as a tentative barrier since it works to prevent people from seeking medical help. Personally, I empathize with those of us who are suffering from long-term chronic conditions because I believe that this mode of payment does not favor them, given their reduced ability to pay without insurance (McRae et al., 2013). Ideally, this healthcare issue is challenging in the sense that it causes more strain, especially on low-income earners. I know that many of us would agree with my opinion that the ever increasing populations of Australians delay or fail to visit health care practitioners since the considerations of costs serve as a barring factor. To conclude, out-of-pocket payments are a challenge which makes it difficult for the members of a community to realize their aspirations towards achieving a common good. It is, therefore, critical for the Australian healthcare system to consider this as an issue that affects the poor most than the rich, yet all citizens are entitled to seek medical attention. As such, our common suggestion is for the government to initiate changes in the healthcare funding arrangements (Harvey, 2014). Realizing this will assist greatly in reducing the barriers or destructors to better medical care for the Australian community as it appears that there is much more work to be done to reform this issue entirely. References Medew, J. (2017). Out of pocket and in trouble. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/out-of-pocket-and-in-trouble-20130825-2sjob.html O'Mallon, F. (2017). Out-of-pocket childcare costs rise Australia-wide, hurting Canberrans most. Canberra Times. Retrieved 5 May 2017, from https://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/outofpocket-childcare-costs-rise-australiawide-hurting-canberrans-most-20170308-guu2k9.html Yusuf, F., Leeder, S. R. (2013). Cant escape it: the out-of-pocket cost of health care in Australia. Med J Aust, 199(7), 475-478. McRae, I., Yen, L., Jeon, Y. H., Herath, P. M., Essue, B. (2013). Multimorbidity is associated with higher out-of-pocket spending: a study of older Australians with multiple chronic conditions. Australian journal of primary health, 19(2), 144-149. Harvey, R. (2014, January 10). Out-of-pocket payments for health care-finding a way forward. Retrieved May 05, 2017, from https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook44p/OutOfPocketPayments Sparkes, D. (2017, March 05). Patients' payments can vary 400pc among specialists: report. Retrieved May 05, 2017, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-06/patients-payments-can-vary-massively-among-specialists:-report/8326686