Health care administration involves numerous aspects, all of which aim to provide quality health care services to all. Primarily, it is the government that enacts policies and initiates programs and projects designed to fulfill this enormous burden (Barr, 2002). The health care system is a complex one that involves the development of medical techniques and the delivery of medical services. Policies are vital to ensure the efficient operation of the various aspects of the health care system, such as health care insurance, professional rules, and many others.
The concepts of policy and politics deal with the interrelationships between various parts of the health care system, particularly, with the aim of facilitating adaptations to change, in order for the entire system to survive (Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care). This paper analyzes the interrelationships of policy and politics in the realm of health care administration, with specific attention to the Medicare system, which is the key program of the United States government that provides health care coverage to the most needy, such as the elderly and the incapacitated.
Conclusion. Changes and reforms in policy affecting health care administration are well documented by professional and academic publications (Barr, 2002). These changes and reforms aim to improve the provision of health care service. They are formulated by the federal and state governments, and adopted by health care facilities in order to better meet the needs of patients (Barr, 2002). The Medicare program illustrates how changes in policy could benefit the American citizenry.
Since the signing into law of the Medicare and Medicaid health coverage programs on July 30, 1965, poor persons who were eligible for federally supported, state-run welfare programs were given health care coverage. Vital federal guidelines were established so that states would be guided in the implementation of these programs, with the ultimate goal of assisting families who could not afford the cost of health care insurance (Andersen, Rice and Kominski). Medicare was a useful and welcome service provided by the United States government.
However, it should be noted that the limited coverage it offers at present, there are still many people who fail to receive health care services (Andersen, Rice and Kominski) and it is for the government to enact better policies that could solve this concern. References Andersen, Ronald M. , Rice, Thomas H. and Gerald F. Kominski. Changing the U. S. Health Care System. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001. Barr, N. (2002). Reforming pensions: Myths, truths, and policy choices. International Social Security Review 55(2), 3-36. Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care.?