Healthcare Reform in Context of the Unique Case of Mississippi's Diabetic Population

Author

Alley Estelle Ronaldi

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Susan Allen

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Healthcare reform in the United States is a highly complex issue that is influenced by a number of economic, social, and political factors. These factors have converged in Mississippi to exacerbate reliance on acute care and the high costs associated with tertiary-level diabetes treatment. It has been thoroughly researched that continuous primary care is most the cost effective and convenient treatment for diabetes, yet such treatment centers are scarce in Mississippi due to healthcare payment structures. It is for these reasons that Mississippi is used as an excellent test case for reform proposals. Two of the most polar and popular reform proposals involve the implementations of market-driven system or the single-payer entity as propagated by Regina Herzlinger and Dr. Arnold Reiman, respectively. In order to simplify these reforms in the contexts of the unique demands of the diabetic population of Mississippi, this thesis offers outlines of both proposals, as well as the expected effects of the two separate proposals on altering public health status and expenditure patterns. It was found through extensive literature review that the most beneficial reform for the diabetic population of Mississippi is the single payer entity proposal offered by Dr. Reiman. The nature of the single-payer system aligns the incentives of payers, providers, and consumers of care in a top-down manner that most suites the needs of the individual by providing universal access to the primary care that is most needed by the chronically ill patients. This primary expensive acute treatment for diabetes, thus substantially reducing overall cost to the state of Mississippi. However, there are some serious implications associated for such drastic changes in healthcare provision in the US, and these will also be addressed. Amendments will then be proposed to moderate the sizeable gaps associated with loss of innovation from implementation of a single-payer entity by allowing market-driven incentive structures for chronic disease care.

Recommended Citation

Ronaldi, Alley Estelle, "Healthcare Reform in Context of the Unique Case of Mississippi's Diabetic Population" (2012). Honors Theses. 2412.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2412

Accessibility Status

Searchable text