Medicare and Medicaid relate to my practice area as the number of patients signing up for health insurance continues to rise
Medicare and Medicaid relate to my practice area as the number of patients signing up for health insurance continues to rise. Medicare was established to help elderly and disabled aged 65 years and above pay their medical costs. Similarly Medicaid is designed to help low-income elderly patients aged 65 and above pay for medical expenses either in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities (Meyers, Durfey, Gadbois, & Thomas, 2019). Medicare is categorized into either Medicare Part A or Part B where Part A covers hospital insurance and Part B covers medical insurance. Medicare Part A is designed to help patients cover costs that arise during hospitalization either during skilled care, home health nursing or home health care. Part B on the other hand, helps patients over costs such as doctor visits, transportation, lab tests, screenings, clinical research and other services that facilitate effective patient diagnosis. Patient older aged 65 and above are often eligible for Medicare Part A if they have worked and paid their Medicare taxes in their early lives. However, for one to be eligible for Part B, other than the level of their income, their ability to pay monthly premiums is also checked. Given as Part B covers more extensive services, patients must be willing to pay these monthly fees. The higher the income the higher the amount of premiums charged.
Medicaid is a more comprehensive health insurance program as it allows eligible patients access to additional services and durable medical equipment. Although Medicare and Medicaid are government programs, each of these are executed differently depending of each state government. The compensation fees or any fees that may arise as a result of using the program depend of independent states. Eligibility also differs according to state as the age requirement alone is not enough. The income limit of $2,349 a month, for instance, dependents on whether the state is medically needy or not(Elmaleh-Sachs & Schneider, 2020). For medically needy state, even patients with an income above the limit may be eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid is designed to cover for additional services after those cleared by Medicare. A patient can therefore qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid simultaneously.
Although states are still resistant to implement Medicaid expansion, the 28 states that have so far adopted the expansion have seen an increase in the number of insured patients. With the expansion, states have seen a decrease in the average amount spent on healthcare. The expansion has also resulted in an increase in Medicaid revenues and created more opportunities for nurses. There is an increased demand for nurses to strike a balance in the increasing patient-nurse ratio. An increase in nurses guarantees reduce workload and ultimately reduced job stress and burn out for nurses (Elmaleh-Sachs & Schneider, 2020). When nurses work in a conducive work environment they are bound to deliver safe and quality care more effectively and efficiently. An increase in the number of healthcare workers also guarantees reduced cases of medical errors, which translates to reduced healthcare costs. Nurses must however, ensure that they are at the forefront of policy formulation, reforms and changes. Nurses must also stay updated on the latest policies and policy reforms to ensure they are well-informed on all issues affecting their practice.
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