Introduction
I’m healthy now, but what if I get sick? Will I have a choice of doctors and treatment plans? Will I be able to afford care?
What about my parents, who are retired? They have Medicare, but they have a tough time paying for prescription drugs. What happens if one of them gets really sick and needs to go into a nursing home?
How can I be sure about the quality of care in my local hospital?
I have a strong family history of breast cancer, and my doctor says I should consider a genetic test. But who has access to my test results, and, if I test positive, who gets to see my results? Will that affect my health insurance?
These questions, and others like them, are asked by millions of Americans who have watched the changing health care scene over the last decade. The answers influence the lives and well being of health care consumers and patients. We are all affected by critical health care decisions, policies, and plans that are made by the government, by employers, by health care professionals, and by private health care businesses. As a consumer, you too have an important role in determining health policy.
What Is Health Policy?
Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society. The three major aspects of health care policy involve: services provided, organization and delivery of those services, and the financing of services.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
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