Four Major Trends in Health Psychology

Increasing Cost of Healthcare
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Increasing Cost of Healthcare
Out of the major healthcare trends in the United States, the ever-increasing costs of healthcare in the country stands out as the most important when the future of healthcare is taken into consideration. The significant increases in the recent past have got government leaders very much concerned due to the fact that the costs are becoming extremely high in the US compared to other developed countries in the world. Grasso (2017) reports that healthcare costs are increasing in every other country in the world, the main drivers being the aging population as well as technological advances. He adds that no country has experienced very high costs of healthcare as the US where healthcare takes up 18% of the country’s GDP. The trend of rising healthcare costs takes centre stage in the films “Unnatural Causes” produced by Rutenbeck (2008) and “Money-Driven Medicine,” by Fredericks (2009).
The film “Unnatural Causes” produced by Rutenbeck (2008) explores the contribution of social determinants of health in the creation of health disparities and inequalities in the US. The film has its basis in in-depth research conducted by academicians, medical practitioners as well a public health experts. From the film, one gets to learn that the US spends approximately $ 2 trillion every other year on medical care. This is a relatively high amount of money compared to what other developed countries are spending.

The film goes on to show that despite the US’s heavy expenditure on healthcare, the health outcomes for the population that make up Americans are very poor, with the country being ranked 30th in terms of life expectancy (Rutenbeck, 2008). In Money-Driven Medicine,” by Fredericks (2009), the key challenges contributing to the extremely high costs of the American healthcare system are highlighted. The film looks at the health insurance reforms and also highlights the problems that are likely to persist well into the future. What emerges from this film is that the US healthcare system is largely profit driven and that this has resulted in squandering of large amounts of healthcare funds.
With the healthcare field having been turned into a profit minting sector, healthcare costs are less likely to come down moving into the future. This means that millions of patients will continue being exposed to redundant and sometimes unnecessary tests and procedures as well as drugs and medical devices that are over-priced. Tracer (2017) points out that the ever-increasing healthcare costs are turning out to be a very big impediment to the wage gains many Americans workers have made. This because many working Americans are using large portions of their incomes on healthcare. One reason why this trend is likely to persist is wasteful spending. This normally takes the form of the unnecessary, redundant and inappropriate tests and procedures that physician recommend in a bid to make more money (Grasso, 2017).
In conclusion, another factor that sees the increasing healthcare costs as a healthcare trend is increased spending on prescription drugs. It is reported that spending on prescription drugs has been on the rise, with the years 1995 to 2000 seeing the spending more than double (Mack, 2016). Together with physician services and hospital usage, prescription drugs are among the biggest three factors for cost growth in the US health-sector. The aging workforce is another factor that is likely to see healthcare costs remain an important issue in the healthcare field. An aged population translates to increased demand for healthcare and a relatively small population of fit workers who the government can tax. Other factors that will contribute to increased healthcare costs include service provider consolidation and the advances being made in medical technology (Mack, 2016).
References
Fredericks, A.[Director]. (2009). Money-Driven Medicine. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel.
Grasso, D (2016). Cost of Care: Health Care Costs Rising To Unsustainable Levels. Retrieved from http://www.genfkd.org/cost-care-health-care-costs-rising-unsustainable-levels
Mack, M (2016). What Drives Rising Healthcare Costs? Retrieved from http://www.gfoa.org/sites/default/files/GFR081626.pdf
Rutenbeck, J.[Producer, director]. (2008). In Sickness and in Wealth [Episode 1]. Unnatural Causes. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel.
Tracer, Z (2017). Rising Health-Insurance Costs Are Eating Into Employees’ Paycheck Gains. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-19/rising-health-insurance-costs-blunt-employees-paycheck-gains