The American health care system is one of the most talked about issues surrounding the upcoming 2008 presidential elections. Both Democratic and Republican candidates have outlined new health care plans that may have a drastic impact on how many voters choose to cast their ballots.The current economic recession has lead to financial trouble for many American families. With the cost of health care services and pharmaceuticals on the rise, this means some people are not able to afford the health care they need. Thousands of Americans, including children, are currently without any type of health care coverage.The presidential candidates have each outlined plans for health care reform that should address this issue. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are lobbying for a more universal health care system supported by the government. Republican candidate John McCain supports the privatization of the American Health Care System.Research estimates 80 percent of healthcare spending is used by the sickest 20 percent of patients. This uneven distribution of funds can be adjusted if patients are given proper care at the start of their treatment to prevent the worsening of their conditions and the need for readmission to care facilities.Some companies are already helping to alleviate some of the burden of health care costs from Americans, regardless of the election outcome. Health care services provider, McKesson has recently introduced new programs intended to combat unnecessary health spending through prevention and thorough care.Community Care Advantage helps hospitals and other provider-based organizations provide high-quality care to indigent, chronically ill and newly discharged patients in a timely manner. This offering comprises three solutions that help to address preventable readmissions that cost Medicare $12 billion each year.Community Health Services, Community Health Technologies and Consumer Convenience Solutions work together to ensure all patients have access to the high-quality care they need following initial treatment. Through these programs McKesson facilitates the monitoring of recently released patients and provides them and their caregivers with access to information about their condition and treatments, improving patient safety. Community Care Advantage empowers both patients and providers to follow treatment plans for proper condition management.Patients are being effectively cared for and health care costs are being reduced thanks to community care programs. While health care reform may be getting considerable attention to its political relevance, these solutions are already beginning to improve the heath care situation.

The early nineteenth century witnessed the initial stages of the home health care industry that offered qualified nurses to take care of the poor and sick in their homes. In 1909 when Metropolitan Life Insurance Company started to write policies that comprised of home health care, this industry became very popular. This company is credited for paying the first compensation for home health care industry. This gave rise to the birth of organized home health care.The Great Depression in 1929 caused several businesses along with home care industry a lot of hindrances and struggle. This went on till the follow-up visits made by nurses after hospital discharge became reimbursable by the Medicare Act of 1966. The home care industry became most feasible and practical when Medicare in an attempt to reduce hospitalization costs set up DRG’s program (Diagnostic Related Group). This laid down that some disease or hospital practice needed a certain stay period. So the discharged patients were more sick compared to their DRG counterparts.The story does not finish with DRGs. This in fact was the commencement of patient care vs. medical ethics debate. This subject shall be soon addressed in the present health care reform segment. The price of health care is the issue. Questions like how much does a human life cost and how long one should pay for keeping alive a person after he ceases to be a contributor to the society need to be addressed.Home health care industry needs to answer these questions. The main intention of the DRG programs was to cut down the hospital stay in order to lower hospitalization costs. Thus this becomes a challenge to the agencies. But gradually home care started becoming expensive. The Balanced Budge Act of 1997 hand one major side effect. It limited the benefit days to the patients under home health care thereby lowering the compensations to the various home health care agencies. This resulted in many of these agencies going out of business.The price to take care of a patient will always stay an issue. There was a growth of nosocomial diseases in hospitals that lead to heavy health care costs. Patients started getting discharged in a much sicker condition than before. This put additional burden on the family of the patient to make available good care once the family member is home. Also majority of the people were working. Home health care agencies that provide services were unable to discharge patients when they exceed their Medicare days if they are in a bad condition or its not safe to depart from them without any nursing services.In case the home care agency declines admission of a patient who seems sicker than the number of reimbursement days allowed by the government, the patients’ family does not have too many choices. In case of the patient being discharged without any adequate follow-up care, the patients’ family can seek services of a qualified agency that could strain on emergency room visits and re-hospitalization leading to more compensation issues. Such questions are difficult to answer more so in cases where cost is to be taken care of. But, as time passes, such questions will continue to haunt till there are satisfactory answers to them.