1. Healthcare Politics and Policy
In your opinion, how are politics and policy linked within the context of the U.S. healthcare system?
2. National Health Policy
In your opinion, what health programs target the three major components of a national health policy: structural determinants of good health, lifestyle determinants, and socializing and empowering determinants?
3. Pharmaceutical Industry
Discuss the impact of the pharmaceutical industry spending $6.1 billion in 2010 to influence American doctors and another $4 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising. Are there any benefits to industry advertising to the public or is it entirely negative?
4. Health System Enrollees
Debate the possible consequences to the health care delivery system of adding 50 million new enrollees. How would this policy impact medical practices, clinics, hospitals and outpatient diagnostic centers?
5. ACA/Obama Care
In your opinion, why has the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - a.k.a. "Obama Care" - become so political?
6. Medicare/Medicaid
Do you believe most Americans understand how the Medicare/Medicaid programs operate? If not, why not?
7. Health Reform
The author(s) state; "Health reform also presents opportunities to make a positive impact on health and behavioral health systems, services, and payer sources." Discuss how this would be accomplished and at what cost to the economy.
8. Family Caregivers
Should government pay family caregivers who care for family members who have long term disability in lieu of institutionalization? Why or why not?
9. Incentives
What incentives are necessary so that providers would voluntarily fulfill the role desired by their patients and deliver care that is in the patients' best interest? If these incentives are generally financial in nature, how will these incentives be funded?
10. Life Expectancy
What are some of the reasons why life expectancy and good health continue to increase in some parts of the world and fail to improve in others? What best practices can be applied to those areas of the world failing to gain improvements in life expectancy and good health?
11. Global Health Equity
How can public sector leadership and the private sector collaborate to contribute to global health equity?
12. Vulnerability of Older People
Discuss the vulnerability of older people in times of social and economic crisis. Are they really any more vulnerable than other sectors of the population during a crisis?