Health Care Policy in the State of Georgia in Relation with the Constitutional Provisions

Health Care Policy in the State of Georgia in Relation with the Constitutional Provisions

The state of Georgia has not performed well in the health care sector within the past decade as depicted by health rankings over the period. The biggest contributors to this state are poor dental facilities and poor implementation of health insurance policies. Georgia also depicts the highest mortality rate for HIV victims not to mention the above average number of deaths for victims of heart disease and diabetes. Nonetheless, following to the implementation of Obamacare, better services have been provided as the state government adheres to the constitutional provisions more keenly.
Adherence to the healthcare policy in accordance with the state constitution has facilitated an improvement of healthcare service provision especially from 2012.
To start with, article 37 of the constitution of Georgia states that, ‘Everyone shall have the right to enjoy health insurance as a means of accessible medical aid. In the cases determined in accordance with a procedure prescribed by law, free medical aid shall be provided (Hill & Georgia, 1994).’ However, the state has not paid appropriate attention to this provision owing to the statistical evidence that approximately 39% of citizens in Georgia lacked health insurance covers as at 2009 (Plunkett & Plunkett Research Ltd, 2011). As such, the substantiation shows that even with this provision, more Americans continued to suffer from health-related disparities owing to the poor implementation of the health policy as mentioned in the constitution.
Another provision that is mentioned in the constitution in regards to the healthcare policy states that, ‘The state shall control all institutions of health protection and the production and trade of medicines (article 37, 2)’. This provision has been particularly helpful to the citizens because the state has managed to ensure that only medicine that reaches the standards is sold to the state’s public. According to health records, about 16 percent of Americans die each year due to the ingestion of medicine that is poorly manufactured or that has reached the expiry dates due to extreme shelving (Brooks & Huggett, 2012). In the sixteen percent, only 1.8% accounts for the deaths in Georgia as compared to other states with 4 percent. The legislative body remains responsible for upholding this provision of the constitution through quality assurance departments.
The health care policy is best suited to be governed through the legislative arm because of the development and implementation of policies now and in the future. Policy development remains necessary in the state of Georgia because the legislative arm can develop policies purposed at solving particular concerns for the public. For instance, the state could develop a policy that requires all diabetic patients to have a medical cover with the intent of reducing their hospital expenses and lowering the mortality rates pertaining to that particular disease. The healthcare policy shows importance to the general public as it seeks to ensure that healthcare facilities are readily available for all citizens to ensure delivery of quality services. The Georgia Health Policy Centre (GHPL) works in conjunction with the state government to facilitate the implementation of these policies within the state. Over the recent past, the organization has sought to involve the public more in matters pertaining to healthcare purposed at increasing publicity on the need for insurance covers. Through such initiatives, the citizens have become more engaged in caring for their health hence the noteworthy decline in mortality rates.  In this regard, sustaining such publicity will enhance public awareness and contribute to quality delivery of healthcare services within the state of Georgia.










References
Brooks, B., & Huggett, D. (2012). Human pharmaceuticals in the environment: Current and
Future perspectives. New York: Springer.
Hill, M. B., & Georgia. (1994). The Georgia state constitution: A reference guide. Westport,
Conn: Greenwood Press.
Institute of Medicine (U.S.). & National Academies Press (U.S.). (2011). For the public's
Health: Revitalizing law and policy to meet new challenges. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
Plunkett, J. W., & Plunkett Research, Ltd. (2011). Plunkett's insurance industry almanac.
Houston, Tex: Plunkett Research.