Question

1. One possibility proposed for increasing access to healthcare in the USA involves lowering the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 55. What effect would this have on:
   1. Cost of insurance premiums in plans that lose many 55-64 year old consumers to Medicare?
   2. Cost to government of providing Medicare?
   3. Overall health status of 55+ year old American citizens
2. Design a set of BEST PRACTICES for a hospital surgical recuperation ward that would reduce the chances of patients a) becoming infected with HAIs (hospital acquired infections), b) making drug resistance worse, c) receiving the wrong medication. Provide at least TWO (2) measures for each goal.

Answer 1

a)Raising the Medicare eligibility age is a good idea. Both Medicare and Social Security were intended for retired Americans. So it would make sense to set the normal eligibility age of each program at the age where we have decided as a nation that retirement typically begins.newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries would receive their health coverage through private insurance plans, not traditional Medicare.

b)In FY 2018, the Medicare program cost $582 billion — about 14 percent of total federal government spending.it is funded by Federal payroll taxes, general tax revenues, and beneficiary premiums. Medicare is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

c.55+ years American citizens are living with chronic illness,depending on Old care Homes.

a)

• Remove sources of infection by treating infections and decontamination procedures
• Prevent transfer with good hand hygiene, aseptic procedures, and appropriate isolation
• Enhance resistance with good nutrition, and appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis or vaccination
• observing hand hygiene, following standard precautions to reduce transmission and strategies to reduce VAP, CR-BSI, CAUTI

b)

There are many ways that drug-resistant infections can be prevented: immunization, safe food preparation, handwashing, and using antibiotics as directed and only when necessary. In addition, preventing infections also prevents the spread of resistantbacteria.

Reduce the contributing factors:

• Over-prescription of antibiotics.
• Patients not finishing the entire antibiotic course.
• Overuse of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming.
• Poor infection control in health care settings.
• Poor hygiene and sanitation.

c)

1. Ensure the five rights of medication administration
2. Follow proper medication reconciliation procedures
3. Double check—or even triple check—procedures
4. Have the physician (or another nurse) read it back
5. Consider using a name alert
6. Place a zero in front of the decimal point
7. Document everything.