Out-of-pocket expenses, individual private insurance, employment-based private insurance, and government finance are the four modes of payment for healthcare (Bodenheimer, & Grumbach, 2012). Paying for healthcare out of pocket entails utilizing one's own personal resources to pay for the services provided and the prescription prescribed. This kind of payment is only available at the time of delivery, as opposed to insurance, which requires monthly premium payments.
Albany Memorial Hospital now takes cash, debit, cheques, and credit cards as forms of out-of-pocket payment. For payment of medical services, the hospital takes government funding, as well as individual and employer-sponsored insurance. There is no financial barrier in the healthcare facility because in case that an individual does not have enough funds or insurance coverage one can apply for the Financial Assistance Program that enables one to review the payment plan, discuss new payment options and strategies. Clients seeking services with Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance plan are also provided with the necessary services at the facility. Some health care providers fail to accept payment by Medicaid because it has low reimbursement rates which may lead to bank racy of their clinical practices (Nuscheler, & Roeder, 2015). The Medicaid payment also takes longer to be paid and has too much paperwork.
Question three
The non-financial barriers to healthcare comprise of long waiting time in the hospitals, lack of transportation to the facility and work or family duties (Allen, Call, Beebe, McAlpine, & Johnson, 2017). Lack of availability to get an appointment with a medical practitioner in time is a non-financial barrier to medical care. Failure of the hospital to accept an insurance health plan is also a barrier to medical care.
Question four
Inability to get prompt access due to no transportation leads to not getting the medical assistance. Women more have availability barriers compared to men. The minority groups like the Blacks and Hispanics have more availability and accessibility barriers compared to Whites (Nuscheler, & Roeder, 2015).
References
Allen, E. M., Call, K. T., Beebe, T. J., McAlpine, D. D., & Johnson, P. J. (2017). Barriers to Care and Health Care Utilization Among the Publicly Insured. Medical care, 55(3), 207-214.
Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2012). Understanding health policy. McGraw Hill Professional.
Nuscheler, R., & Roeder, K. (2015). Financing and funding health care: Optimal policy and political implementability. Journal of health economics, 42, 197-208.
