Discussion Board Assignment #6

Answer the following questions on Health Care Workforce/Personnel:

1. The majority of schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other professions and their teaching hospitals are heavily subsidized by federal and state funds. Many of those graduates, when they become health practitioners, feel no obligation to society for their publicly supported education. Do health care providers who reap the benefits of high compensation and social position have an ethical responsibility to repay taxpayers by meeting the needs of the medically underserved?

2. Technical advances in health care have spawned an ever-increasing number of specialty- trained personnel. More recently, however, hospitals and other institutions are promoting the cross-training of personnel so that they can perform multiple tasks and work more flexibly, based on institution needs. What are the implications of cross training, in terms of quality of care, costs, and efficiency?

3. Men comprise a small segment of the nurse population, although their numbers are increasing. Given the good income potential of the nursing profession and continuing demand, what is your opinion about why nursing does not attract more males?

Answer the following questions on Health Care Financing:

1. Name one (1) way each of the following has affected the costs of health care in the US?

- The health insurance industry
-  Advances in medical care technology
-  Changes in U.S. demographics
- Government support for health care
- Consumer expectations

2. If we accept the premises that resources available to meet the costs of health care are finite, and that continuing to increase dollars allocated for health care expenses carries "opportunity costs" for the nation and society, discuss your position on the following: As a national policy should we allocate a set level of resources and apply them to achieving "the greatest good for the greatest number" (necessarily leaving some out) OR should we adopt the individualist approach of "those who can pay get, those who can't pay, don't?"

3. From the patient perspective, what might be some of the positive and negative aspects of "disease management programs?"