Policy makers and healthcare providers world-wide all face the same challenge; to reduce healthcare costs without sacrificing quality. The rising cost of medical technologies and treatments is a big obstacle. Of course, innovation in healthcare is a good thing, but it’s also expensive, so it can be hard to balance affordability with accessibility to cutting edge care.
The second major difficulty is that healthcare systems are loaded with administrative burden. High overhead costs come from complex billing processes, insurance documentation and regulatory compliance, for example. However, streamlining these systems is both necessary and typically met with bureaucratic inertia and a lack of interinstitutional and interregional standardized protocols.
In addition, there is an inequitable apportion of resources between preventive and curative care. Higher long term costs result from insufficient investment in preventive measures, since they become more severe and costly illnesses as opposed to those which could have easily been managed early on. Turning towards preventive care means structural changes as well as campaigns that teach the general public.
Comprehensive healthcare disparities also present a huge problem. The end result is that marginalized populations receive less than adequate care, driving up costs when their conditions are left untreated or they’ve needed emergency interventions. These disparities call for specific policies to target these disparities, better access to primary care and have culturally competent health workers to provide equitable service delivery.
Additionally, the current fee for service payment system pays poorly for quality and strongly rewards volume over value. While shifting to value based care models can help control cost while keeping quality, it can only be achieved when systems are overhauled, data is integrated and stakeholders integrate, all of which takes time and resources.
Conclusion
Our findings illustrate the complexity and numerous dimensions of the effort to decrease healthcare costs while maintaining quality. We must make technological costs, administrative inefficiency, preventive care, equity and payment models move collectively. Achieving a more affordable, high quality health care for all can only be accomplished through both coordinated reforms and sustained commitment.
