Analysis of Major Changes in the United States Healthcare Sector

The United States healthcare sector has been on a path of perpetual change in recent times. Major shifts have occurred over the last 12 years, affecting the delivery of health care services in the country. Sweeping technological shifts coupled with the increasing cost of health care are a few of the changes that have occurred in the healthcare industry over the last decade. Healthcare spending in the nation has grown by 9.8 percent, constituting about 20 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The aim of the paper is to analyze some of the major changes that have happened in the health care sector since the year 2004.

The first major event that occurred from 2004 in regards to the health care sector is the development of Human Genome Project (Public Broadcasting Services). The Project aimed at mapping and sequencing all the genes found in Human beings. It gave scientists the capacity to understand the blueprint behind the existence of human beings. The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003 and officially launched in the year 2004. The project revealed that there are about twenty thousand five hundred genes in humans. It has formed the foundation for diagnosis and treatment of terminal diseases like cancer and diabetes. The Human Genome Project has also improved the detection of genetic predisposition to inheritable conditions in human beings and the development of customized drugs to tackle human diseases. Diseases that were initially hard to diagnose and treat have since become easier to manage. In addition, individuals with terminal conditions can now live longer and healthier lives, thanks to the Human Genome Project. The project was initiated by the National Institute of Health (Human Genome Project).

In 2004, President Bush launched a ten-year program to establish a national electronic medical record system. The president issued an executive order requiring the establishment of a cabinet sub-committee on the coordination of health information technology. He also doubled the funding for the national health technology infrastructure to 100 million dollars. The project has transformed the provision of health care services over the last few years. It has ensured safe and efficient sharing of medical records among providers of medical services. Also, Electronic Health Record system has significantly reduced the statistics of medical errors through accurately storing and sharing health information. President Bush’s government specifically emphasized the importance of electronically relaying information on lab results, X-Ray data and conducting medical prescriptions electronically (Healthcare IT News, 2004).

Another significant milestone in the history of the United States healthcare sector is the enactment of the Affordable Care Act that was formally signed into law in 2010. The primary aim of the legislation was to expand the coverage of health care and make it easily affordable for every person. The Affordable Care Act has significantly reduced the cost of health care in the country through improving access to insurance. Insurance firms no longer deny people coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. They also cannot raise insurance premiums in the middle of a plan. Children are now able to stay on their parents' insurance plans until they hit age 26. ACA promotes preventive health programs, where patients are allowed to consult medical professionals before they fall ill; this prevents the development of minor disease into life threatening conditions that require expensive medical procedures. As a result of preventive health programs, the nation has witnessed a massive reduction in the costs of health care (Wall Street Journal, 2014).

In 2009, the United States department of justice collaborated with the department of Health and Human Services to establish the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team. The enforcement team focused on ensuring that cases of fraud and embezzlement in Medicare and Medicaid programs are reduced. Before the formation of the team, millions of dollars were being lost in Medicaid and Medicare programs through corruption and mismanagement. Since the formation of the team, the Department of Justice through the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team has recovered millions of money swindled from the national insurance programs. The team has also ensured that public funds are not stolen and embezzled in the future.

In 2015, President Obama launched the precision medicine initiative. The program aimed at collecting data from millions of individuals across the nation to facilitate medical research (Forward from 40, 2016). The research has helped revolutionize and improve the delivery of health care services. We have had instances where medical treatments have worked for other patients and not others. Having a program like precision medicine that collects data from different people will help researchers to develop medical solutions that are comprehensive and serve the whole population. The research program takes into account personal difference in genetic makeup, the way of life.

The events are expected to continue revolutionizing the way medical services are delivered in the United States. The human genome project has made diagnosis and treatment easier; the Electronic Health Record system has revolutionized the manner in which medical records are stored and shared while Affordable Care Act has expanded insurance coverage in the nation. Others like the precision medicine program and Fraud Prevention Team have enhanced research and reduced fraud in the industry respectively.

References

"History Timeline,"" from Healthcare Crisis: Who's At Risk. (n.d). Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm

An Overview of the Human Genome Project. (n.d). National Human Genome Research Institute. Retreived July 31, 2017, from https://www.genome.gov/12011238/an-overview-of-the-human-genome-project/

Forward from 40: The top healthcare milestones of the past 40 years. (2016). Modern Healthcare. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160326/NEWS/160329924

President Bush continues EHR push, sets national goals. (2004). Healthcare IT News. Retrieved from. Retrivied July 2016 2017, from http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/president-bush-continues-ehr-push-sets-national-goals

So what is Precision Medicine. (2015). The Whitehouse. Retrieved July 31,2017, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/333101

Your Guide to the Affordable Care Act. (2014). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Aug. 6th 2017, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/your-guide-to-the-affordable-care-act-1415918404