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Health Care Demand

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Abstract There is a high demand for health care services, supply, the price of health care procedures, and shortages. The price for health care services can be very high because the demand is high. There was recently a health care reform. Meaning, that health care insurance is more affordable. Giving consumers that need extensive health care services, affordable insurance will bring the demand for health care to increase. With more consumers seeking health care services we have to increase our supply of doctors, nurses, and hospital services including procedures and testing. But is that possible or even realistic? The purpose of this paper is to analyze the supply and demand of health care. The Supply and Demand of Health …show more content…

Anyone can now buy insurance even with pre-existing conditions. Now a consumer can walk into a health care facility and be treated like a regular insured consumer. This is an example of how the demand for health care services will increase. Consumers who are used to getting care promptly will find themselves crowded out by the newly insured. Waiting times will increase due to the fact that no one will be denied care. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals to increase the workforce, shortages are expected in every health care profession. The supply of professional health care workers will fail to meet the demand of medical services to the newly insured. With the increase use of physician assistants and nurse practitioner, this will change day to day practices, allowing physician assistants to treat more patients and nurse practitioners to set up independent practices. …show more content…

The money spent today on being healthy can be beneficial in the future. Cigarette smoking is linked to lung cancer and then to mortality. If you compare the two similar individuals of the same age, one who is a smoker and the other a nonsmoker, then the mortality rate for the smoker is higher. This does not mean that the smoker will die before the nonsmoker. It means that all else being the same, smoking increases the probability of death. Refraining from smoking is a type of health investment for your future. If you get sick, you are more likely to get purchase health care at any price. (http://2012books.larbucket.org/books/theory-and-applications-of-economics/s20-01-supply-and-demand-in-health-ca.html) Without insurance you are more likely to trade off spending on other products to get the proper health care that you need. Consumers that have insurance supplied through their employer pay a cheaper price for health care services versus consumers that purchase insurance from independent

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