Question 1
Policy making in the sphere of public health presupposes economic, social, psychological, ecological, political and cultural factors in aggregate influencing the comfort of human life in society and a state of health. In other words, active public health (similar to ecological, gender, etc.) expertise should be conducted. It means that there is the analysis and assessment of all economical, social and political decisions in the state through the prism of the interests of health of all social layers.
Health care policy making can be assessed according to three main directions:
1. estimation of the programs of state intervention, regulation and researches in the field of health care;
2. estimation of the impact of the policies in the field of health care (health impact assessment (HIA));
3. estimation of health care technologies (health technology assessment (HTA));
4. estimation and monitoring of the programs directed at the struggle against AIDS.
The realized policy making in public health care is an objective need of any state irrespective of the level of its economic development. The regulatory functions which cover the relations between various social groups of society, citizens and state are inherent in public health care policy of the USA.
Being relatively independent, the public health policy makes strong impact on the economic sphere of society. A state policy in the field of health care, being a part of social policy, provides a comprehensive control of authorities over the whole system of rendering of medical care in the country, despite a variety of its forms and methods, and a population state of health.
“The legislative dictum of the modern era is that the president proposes and the Congress disposes. Like most maxims, this one is too simplistic. Even with the post-war enlargement of the presidency’s aura in all matters of policy, foreign and domestic, Congress continues to be the source of much legislative energy and policy innovation” (Morone: 2008, p. 83).
I am sure that the fact that the Partisan Congress sets barriers to the passage of health care reform is an advantage because it double checks the government power.
Policy making in the sphere of health care management is objectively necessary, as, on the one hand, there is a pressing need for the observance of national priorities in the public health care sphere, and, on the other hand, there is a need of a combination of real possibilities of the state with the interests of separate social layers and groups opposite to each other. The satisfaction of these objective requirements of society makes an essence of activity of state authorities in the health care sphere.
Question 2
The USA, since the era of Roosevelt and especially after the World War II, the state activity in a social sphere actively develops. In the mid-sixties the state assumed care for a considerable part of the population of the country. Two largest state medical programs - “Medicare” and “Medicaid” - absorb 60 % of the general public expenditures for the public health purposes. The expenditures for health care are one of the most quickly …