Medicare and Medicaid were created to provide basic healthcare coverage to two groups that were otherwise uninsured - the elderly and poor. Despite resistance to government involvement in healthcare, these programs were necessary to ensure accessibility of affordable care. There is an imbalance between primary and specialty care in the US. Specialty care requires less training time than primary care and offers more predictable schedules and prestige, influencing career choices. However, primary care is at the heart of an effective healthcare system by providing first-contact, continuous care. More emphasis needs to be placed on supporting primary care to improve coordination of the overall system.

1. [From 10$/Pg] Specialty Care Requires Significantly
[From 10$/Pg] Specialty Care Requires Significantly Question A: Why is it that despite a
general sentiment against government involvement in healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid
were created? Respond to your peers’ posts; do you agree with their opinions? Why or why
not? Question B:Why is there an imbalance between primary care and specialty care in the
United States? Discuss how to improve the current situation. Respond to your peer’ posts;
do you agree with their opinions? Why or why not? CLASSMATE’S POSTA. The health
system is designed to ensure that all populations have accessibility to cost-effective
healthcare that meets certain performance standards. The US healthcare system relies
heavily on private medical insurance, which not everyone can afford. Private insurance has
largely been available to the working class, leaving impoverished and elderly uninsured.
Medicaid and Medicare are both inexpensive options for the elderly and children with the
most severe symptoms. Medicare covers all elderly persons, non-elderly disabled persons
whereas Medicaid covers only the very poor with income criteria (Shi, 2015). Despite
strong resistance to government intervention, Medicare and Medicaid are being created to
deliver basic health care to both the elderly and the poor.B. First-contact, accessible,
continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care is at the heart of the primary care model
(WHO, 2021). When it comes to higher-level medical treatments, primary care practitioners
often refer to specialized care (HSLAC, 2021). As a result, the training and experience
necessary for such two aspects of patient care are significantly different. The disparity
between primary care and specialized care in the United States has been caused by a wide
variety of factors. In my opinion, the price for service for primary care is quite minimal,
which is directly related to their income. As compared to primary care, specialty care
requires significantly less training time and has more time off with predictable schedules.
Health providers’ potential career decisions are influenced by the prestige as well as the
notoriety of intermediate and high-tech specialties. Instead of emphasizing on primary care,
health institutions urge individuals to practice specialty
care. References:HSLAC: Health Services Los Angeles County
(2021). Specialty Care. Retrieved from https://dhs.lacounty.gov/our-services/specialty-
care/#:~:text=Specialty%20Care%20refers%20to%20higher,from%20your%20primary
%20care%20provider.Shi, L. (2015). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System (4th Edition).
Jones & Bartlett Learning.
https://ambassadored.vitalsource.com/books/9781284113044 World Health Organization
(WHO): Primary Health care (April 2021). World Health Organization: Clinical services and

2. systems. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/clinical-
services-and-systems/primary-care