Answer to Question #167996 in Economics for Ashley Wright

Question

1. Explain the development of the government’s role in medical care by improving access to certain segments of the population.

Answer 1

Health care is a system of socio-economic and medical measures, the purpose of which is to preserve and improve the level of health of each individual and the population as a whole.

State regulation of certain areas (for example, health economics, medical activity, employment of the population, etc.) is one of the functions of public administration aimed at ensuring general rules of behavior (activity) of subjects of certain legal relations.

The main directions of state regulation of health care and intervention in medical activities are:

· Establishment of the procedure for "entry" of economic entities into the market of medical services, functioning in this market and "exit" from it;

· Legal and administrative assurance of the quality of goods, works, and services through licensing, standardization, certification of entities, and certification of specialists;

· Regulation of prices for relevant goods, works, services;

· Regulation of statistical and other reporting; control of new technologies, medical procedures;

· Creation of state and municipal treatment-and-prophylactic, pharmaceutical, educational, scientific and other institutions and organizations;

· Budgetary financing of certain types of medical activities, certain areas and programs;

· Development and establishment of quality standards in certain areas, control over their observance;

· Development, implementation, and control of sanitary rules, norms, and standards;

· Others.

Regulatory and managerial functions in the healthcare industry are carried out in the following areas:

· Medical and social assistance;

· Medical assistance to certain categories of citizens;

· Sanitary and epidemiological measures;

· Coordination of the activities of various state, municipal bodies, public organizations, institutions, organizations, and individuals to protect the health of citizens (preventive measures, educational programs, etc.).