Week 2 Discussion: Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico
NURS 4115 Week 2 Discussion Task
Week 2 Discussion
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the case study “Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico.” Then, prepare your response to the following questions:
How do politics and economics influence health and health care?
What might the benefits be of awarding the mothers cash grants?
What social problems might be created by giving the mothers cash grants?
Do you think the resources were ethically distributed? (Think about stereotyping.)
What changes do you think should be made to the program, if any?
If the program were to be discontinued for any reason, what could you, as a nurse, say that might help to maintain funding?
Do you think a similar program might work in your community? Why or why not? Week 2 Discussion: Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico
By Day 3
Post your response to the following prompts:
Explain how politics and economics may influence health and the health care system from your own perspective. Analyze whether the political and/or economic systems play a major role in your or your family’s access to health and explain why. Then, describe how government intervention might benefit a health care system. Be specific and provide examples. Week 2 Discussion: Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico
Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature.
1. Explained how politics and economics influence health and healthcare.
In the United States, politics and economics play a significant role in health and healthcare. The largest healthcare program in the United States since the 1960s is Medicare and Medicaid, which are funded via payroll taxes (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2014). The government has regulations in place for determining who can have access healthcare in this country. Medicare, which is regulated by the federal government, provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older regardless of income or medical history (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2014). Some younger individuals also may qualify that have disabilities that receive Social Security Disability Insurance (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2014). Therefore, politics do influence health and healthcare in this country since the government has the power to regulate and set special requirements for use.
Analyzed possible benefits and problems that might be generated by giving the mothers the cash grants.
For the reading by Levine (2007, pp. 65-72) possible benefits for giving the mothers the cash grant include helping to increase the families’ income, thereby providing them with food and other necessary resources. The cash grants helped to increase school enrollment and attendance by giving the families money to access preventative care for immunizations to prevent illnesses, basic health care services, and nutrition counseling (Levine, 2007, pp. 65-72). Possible problems that may arise from giving the cash grants could be that once so many people have money to access healthcare, that there may not be enough medical providers to care for those in need. The healthcare system may not be prepared for the increasing number of individuals who now have the financial means to receive care. Therefore, it may not be enough “supply” to meet the increased “demand” for healthcare services.
Analyzed possible ethical dilemmas when promoting health for a select population using cash grants such as equal distribution within the population, possible social problems, or continuation of the program. Week 2 Discussion: Improving the Health of the Poor in Mexico
Possible dilemmas that could be created by this program could be that the community-at-large may want to have input on how the money is spent by the mothers receiving the grants. People may also feel that singling out the poor is unethical as well. When I think of the cash grants it sort of reminds my of the food stamp welfare program, as only certain people qualify and the money can only be spent on certain items. The food stamps can only be spent for cold food items but many people want more restrictions on how the government assistance should be spent, as well as more restrictions on who qualifies for services. I feel that the cash grants could also create the same issues due to people wanting to ensure that the money is being spent appropriately and being provided to those with the greatest need.
Recommended approaches to assure continuation of the program if funding were threatened.
If the program funding were to be threatened, I would show statistical evidence on how the program works. As the article mentioned, that many rural children dropped out of school by the 6th or 9th grades, that there were high incidence of preventable childhood and adult illnesses, high infant mortality, and poor reproductive outcomes (Levine, 2007, pp. 65-72). The cash grant program has helped to improve school attendance and enrollment, as well as improving child and adult health, reduce illnesses, and improve nutritional health (Levine, 2007, pp. 65-72).
Determine whether a similar program might work in the community the student lives in.
I currently do not live in the typical community that may need a program of this sort but I grew up in a single parent home in a poor neighborhood. A program of this type may have benefited the community I grew up in, and may have even helped my mom who was a single parent. I do believe that the program would need regulations for who would qualify and regulations set on how the money can be spent to ensure the money is not being misused. NURS 4115 Role of the Nurse in Public and Global Health Discussions
References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2014). Medicare program- General information.
Retrieved January 18, 2018, from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/MedicareGenInfo/index.html
Levine, R. (2007). Improving the He