The balance between the private and public contribution rates should be revised. Here in Australia, the health care is funded both by the public, through Medicare, and the public funding by the tax money. This is why the title, why the contributions of health care funding should be balanced, comes into existence.
Among the developed nations in funding for the public care is the Australian state. The ease of access to the medical amenities and services varies from one person to another due to difference in their purchasing power. Other nations that have poor health care funding, such as India, make the access of these services very difficult for the people who live a simple life. As a result, it is of key importance if the access of such services is made easy for every person in the country. The Medicare (McKittrick, & McKenzie, 2018), which is the program of funding the access to the medical amenities by the state, uses the tax money attained from the citizens. However, if the funding is not analyzed effectively, the people in the allocation departments may end up causing fraud and favors to some patients. On the other hand, the funding and provision that is attained from the private sector solely depends on the willingness and capabilities of the sector (Keene, et al., 2016). This fact too must be regulated for the best service delivery to the public. One common problem that we are facing, as Australians, is the fact that the people living in the upcountry and rural areas have little or no access to these medical services. This fact is evidenced when the service delivery to the people is compared between that of the urban areas and that of the rural areas. The indigenous people of Australia, such as the Torres Strait Islanders, get less medical services when compared to other people such as the British Australians (Russo, et al., 2018).
The change of the balance between the funding and provision of the health care services by the public and private sectors needs to be looked at as soon as possible. This fact is because our country has the duo-provision system in place and its impact is already being seen in the large community (Meyer, 2015). If the system is let to run without keen analysis, one problem may end up arising and it may never be pleasing. For instance, problems such as the provision of key services including treatment of chronic ailments may end up being overcharged by the sector let to provide such services (Hepburn, et al., 2015). Another problem that may arise due to poor analysis may include the poor deliver of a particular service that is left to be issued by the said sector. Thus, it is of much importance if the funding and health care service provision by these sectors is highly analyzed for the optimum efficiency (Lane, et al., 2017).
Finally, there are several factors that have compelled me to come up with this research proposal. Some of them include the health condition of the people in the upcountry, the ease of access of such services, and the quality of the delivered services. Other factors include the qualification of the health care givers, the patient education, proper allocation of the public finds, and the types of services to be issued by the particular sector (Ratnanesan, et al., 2014).
This research proposal tends to answer a number of key questions that I have observed through the health care funding by the two sectors. These questions include the following.
I have to find the answers to these questions in order to have complete information on the changes that need to be made regarding the two health care provisions and funding.
The purpose of this research is to shade some light on the importance of controlling the contributions that both the private and public sectors bring in the Australian health industry. This fact narrows us down into the main aim and objectives of the research as described in below.
The primary aim of the research is to regulate the funding and medical contributions that both the private and public sectors play in the Australian health care.
The objectives of the research include the following:
From the theoretical point of view, both the public and private sectors must play their roles in the provision of the medical services in any said country. Based on the Institutional economics and organizational theory, we shall look deeper at why the allocation of actions to be taken by each sector is effective.
By having a sole sector in the provision of the care services to the public, the service delivery becomes poor and the sector starts over pricing such services (Sharma, & Mansotra, 2016). However, the mixture of multiple sectors in the provision of a particular service makes it better and even cheaper due to the existence of multiple sources (McPakes, et al., 2016). Based on the institutional economics, if the state is the sole provider of the medical services, there are some problems that may come to life. Some of the problems that may arise out of the sole provision of the care services by the public sector include the following.
To start with, the quality of the services offered will be of low quality. This fact is true as the workers of the sector will dedicate little time to improve such qualities as they will understand that the patients will have no other option (Kakyo, & Xiao, 2017). The sector will just paly the monopoly game in the sense that it is the only provider of the service. This issue has been seen in the health care sectors that exist in the underdeveloped nations. As a monopoly too, the sector will also tend to be reluctant on the improvement of their services. On the other side, the private sector will still offer poor quality services since they are the only ones with such capabilities (Adelaja, 2014).
Secondly, the public sector will employ low qualified personnel into the health care system. Since there is no competition, the sector, both the private and the public, will have to cut their costs on expenses to save their profits (Adeleke, et al., 2018). As this fact will continue, the employees who tend to ask for better pay will be eliminated and only those who are satisfied with the underpayment will seek such opportunities. This issue increases the chances of employing poorly qualified personnel (Pulla, 2016).
Thirdly, the service delivery to the patients becomes poor. When the sector will be focused on the profits it will make, the services will have to be altered so that the costs incurred in the service delivery will be lowered (Acharya, et al., 2017). As a result, no sector will be involved in the care of the services they offer to their patients.
The fourth aspect is that the employee working conditions will deteriorate as well. Remember, the monopoly will only focus on the extraction of the profits from its customers, who are the patients (Dellve, et al., 2015). As a result, the employees will be given the most little attention and care as they are part of the costs incurred by the business.
Finally, having a single sector as the provider of the health care services, the prices charged for the services will be hiked (Vishal, et al., 2017). This is because there are no other competitors or other service providers. As a result, the sector will simply charge whatever amount they want since the same customers will come back for the same services.
However, based on the organization structure of the same theory, there is a need to have both sectors in the nursing industry for the proper regulation and care delivery. Having these two sectors in the country will boost the level of qualification that each employee must have. In addition, it will improve the quality of the care issued by the two sectors as there are other options that the customers can exploit if a need arises (Wade, et al., 2014). Basically, having these sectors in our state has and is still giving us a better option of receiving quality care services. However, as we already possess the two sectors, there are other problems that have found their way up the ladder in the nursing sector. The description below indicates how such impact can and has affected us.
To begin with, having both sectors may be available but the private sector may be covering the larger part of the care services (McCall, 2016). This fact may be through the issuing of the key services such as chronic treatment and care to the aged. The private sector may also surpass the public sector in the delivery of the best care due to its commitment to offer the best care in the market. The private funding, offered through the private personal health insurance covers, may be covering the largest part of our care system (Kerr, et al., 2016). The existence of such a system may never be effective as the private sector will always be on the frontline of care provision over the public sector.
Looking at the reasons why more people may opt for the care services, several aspects come into light. These aspects include the likes of the following. First, the Medicare does not cover all ailments that a person may want the cover to deal with. For instance, it is limited to cosmetic surgical operations, ambulance costs, costs incurred in the overseas, and the private patient hospital costs such as the fees from theatre and accommodation (Australia, 2015). Thus, a person may simply decide to choose the private funded care over the Medicare.
Another issue that may compel a person to avoid the publicly funded care is the fact that the services offered by the private sector are better than those offered by the public sector. This aspect is true because the private sector focuses on the employment of the most qualified personnel for their care delivery (Kanwal, & El-Serag, 2017). Secondly, the private sector employees the new technology faster than the public technology resulting in better care services. The private sector tends to make more quick decisions when compared to the public sector, thus, having a chance to adapt effectively to the ever changing health care industry. This fact means that more people will choose the privately funded care and the privately provided care services for the best services (Jacob, 2018). However, the costs of such services may be higher than those offered in the public sector. As a result, the people who come from the humble backgrounds will have few chances of attaining such services. Despite the services being effective for those who afford it, the people who are in the rural areas will always not access them since most private hospitals are located in the urban centers (Greenhill, et al., 2015). This fact is the reason why the research is aiming at regulating the services offered by both the public and private sectors across the whole of Australia.
Based on the discussions that we had in the previous section, the Australian health care system has got both the private and public funding and medical provision for the general citizens. The public health care, which is branded the name Medicare, utilizes the funds attained from the public pocket and covers for the citizens who have subscribed to it (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS, 2016). Here, the client is treated at a zero fee as his or her medical fees will be covered by the government. On the other hand, the privately funded care is optional for any person as long as he or she has the financial muscles to attain it. It is very much allowed for a person to be covered by both the private and the public funded care systems (Figueroa, et al., 2018). However, the individual with the privately insurance cover will have an additional advantage through getting the chance to be covered overseas, conducting a cosmetic surgery under the cover, and choosing what he or she wants to cover.
In order to implement the changes that are required in the two systems of health care insurance covers and provisions, the following must be practiced. To start with, the public medical provision, in terms of providing the medical services, should be improved and assured that it covers the wider percentage than the privately provided medicine. This fact can be achieved through the employment of qualified workers, ensuring that the services reach those in the rural areas, and subsidizing the medical production process. Secondly, the private sector should be limited on the care services that they offer. This fact is to mean that the provisions of the medical practices, such as chronic and surgery operations, are strictly done in the public facilities. If these actions are only left for the private sector, the costs of such operations can be assured to increase and even surpass the standard charges. The third option can be through ensuring that the services offered in the private sector are also offered in the public hospitals so that the patients may have an option of either visiting the private or public medical facility (Jones, et al., 2015).
In order to attain the relevant data for my research, I have used several research methods including the following as described. The first method that I have put into action included the direct interview with the subscribers of both insurance covers to find their reviews. Secondly, I have used the questionnaire methods to include the recorded data with the health care professionals. This method was effective with them as they were always on the move and having a chat with them sounded difficult. I have also put my personal observations into work by recording the number of people I saw their memberships in the hospitals. Finally, I have utilized online research on the scholarly and peer journals in the web regarding the Australian health care covers (Creswell, & Creswell, 2017). This method has proven to be the best as I have attained other people’s research results and comparing them with mine. It has, in addition, helped me in understanding the trends in demand for each health care insurance cover and medical provisions.
Most of the participants that I have dealt with in my research included the Australian patients, the professional care givers and the general public. On the general public section, I strictly included those people who were above the age of 18-years and had an active membership of either covers.
Having attained the data that I required from the field, I applied the simple data analysis tools and methods to find the true meaning of it. By the use of the statistical mean and mode, I have been able to attain the result of the most common care cover that the Australian citizens are subscribed to. By the use of interviews, I have been able to find both the merits and demerits of each funding as well as their provisions. In general, I have put both qualitative and quantitative data analysis mechanism into work.
There have been several ethical issues that I was questioned about while I conducted the research. The first issue was why I even conducting the research itself. Secondly, I was asked about the privacy of the data that the patients and the general public issued. Finally, I was forced to declare that my research was solely based on the facts as the health care providers thought I was spying on their integrity.
My research proposal is very much original as I was the person who conducted it personally and the data that I attain was from first hand sources. The outcomes can be relied by other parties in the future as a reference as the results are crystal clear and to the point. The articles that I have used in the research are scholarly articles that have been peer reviewed and allowed to be used for educational purposes. To summarize, this research proposal is very valid and reliable by any third party for both informative and educational purposes.
As discussed earlier, I faced diverse ethical issues but I was able to deal with them effectively. To start with, I was questioned about the privacy concerns of the data that the participants provided. In order to handle this issue, I was forced to inform every person that answered the questions not to use their original identities. Even if the data fell at the wrong hands, no person’s privacy could be violated.
Secondly, I faced the issue on the purpose the research as it had no meaningful contribution to a sole party. I was easy handling this issue as I advised the parties that the research was part of my school work and even provided my school identity card to prove my legitimacy.
Finally, the health professionals questioned my intended action with the real data about the health care system. Most of them, particularly from the public sector, thought that the information they provided would still be used against them. I had to assure them of intentions and even provide my school identification card so that they could trust me with the data (Cuzzocrea, 2014).
As of late, I still have some pending issues that I must cover in the upcoming research project. They include the following aspects as described in below.
I have planned to visit the rural and/or the upcountry areas so as to get the raw data on how the indigenous Australians as well as other people in these areas access medical attention. Most of their data that I had access to was from other published scholarly articles that I had attained from the web. Conducting this exercise will require me to have an additional one to two weeks as it will involve too much travelling in the upcountry.
Secondly, I had planned to visit the chief executive of the healthcare sector, Ms. Alison Verheoven, and have a conversation with her on how the health care sector can be improved through proper balancing. Through such a visit, I would present my data to her and even present my presumed ways on stabilizing the funding and provision of care. This visit can cost me utmost two days.
Thirdly, I would be required to combine all my attained data, in the future, into a meaningful report. This action would include putting all the data gotten from the patients and the general public in the upcountry into proper records. This action would just cost me two days at most.
Finally, the presentation of my work to my tutor would still need at least a day or two regarding the schedule of the tutor. This action would now prove my research to my tutor and be able to attain credit for performing the overall research.
|
No. |
Description |
Duration (days) |
|
|
Minimum |
Maximum |
||
|
01 |
Travelling to upcountry |
7 |
14 |
|
02 |
Visiting chief executive of the sector |
1 |
2 |
|
03 |
Combining my research findings |
1 |
2 |
|
04 |
Research work presentation |
1 |
2 |
|
Total |
10 |
20 |
Table 1: Timeline for my future research
Throughout the time that I conducted my research, I have been facing limitations that include the following as described in below.
The first limitation that I faced was the lack of enough funds to visit the total care facilities in town. I could have included more data if I had attended to a few more care facility that could have strengthened my results. In addition, the lack of funds to pay the participants, who requested for some cash, limited me from getting more information from the people who were reluctant to offer it but at a cost.
Another limitation was that I could not use the real names and other identification of my research participants. Thus, I could not get to contact them in future if I ever wanted a proof of my research participants. This fact limited me from even asking for more clarification from the participants in a future date.
The third issue that I faced was the limitation on information provision by some of the health care subscribers due to the privacy concerns. I noted this issue even with the care providers as some though I could use their information, such as job qualification, to pin them down or hand them over to the authorities. I was forced to explain in details why I was conducting such a research.
Finally, I was unable to meet with the care facilities’ top managers as I was directed by the receptionist that all enquiries that I had could be handled by the nurses at their respective desks. If I was able to reach such leaders, I could have the access to the key reasons as to why the healthcare industry was so much reluctant to balance its funding and provision by both the public and private sectors.
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