Promoting the health of the U.S. population

Promoting the health of the U.S. population. Based on a review of the readings and other research on prevention, what direction would you advise policy makers to support to promote for the purposes of a) promoting the health of the U.S. population and b) achieving cost savings for the overall health care industry?

Consider the approach based on how government reflects public policy (provision of care and indirectly by the funding of health care services).
Discuss the influence that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has had to date. What changes would you recommend as the tweaking of this law continues? What forms of measurement are used to determine the outcomes of such legislation, and what lessons can be learned from current and previous.

The United States healthcare sector has undergone several reforms in the recent past. Policy makers have recognized the need to address the healthcare challenges. Also, healthcare organization, consumers and other professionals have recognized that addressing the healthcare challenges is a national priority. Policy makers have focused on the large number of uninsured residents who often face out of pocket costs and increases in private insurance (Blumenthal & Collins, 2014). The healthcare reforms seek to reduce the citizens without insurance coverage, improve the quality of care in healthcare institutions and address inefficiency in the industry that contributes to the high cost of care and poor patient outcomes.

Promoting the health

Policy makers should increase the funding of public health and preventive programs to achieve cost savings in the healthcare sector. Preventive care is underfunded resulting in higher spending in advanced diseases. Today, there is a growing population in the country that requires more care. The number of patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease has increased. This is because many people are not physically active and proactive about their health. This trend has seen more people being admitted to hospitals for treatment. A lot of money is being spent on treatment for the people who are ill than on preventive programs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Most of the spending comes from physicians who order for expensive treatments, prescriptions and hospital admission. Increasing the funding of public health programs would lead to lifestyle change and success in the preventive programs thus reducing the amount spent on treatments.