Chiropractic Utilization and Medicaid Coverage for Individuals with Arthritis: Making The Case For More Accessible And Affordable Chiropractic Care.
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Chiropractic Utilization and Medicaid Coverage for Individuals with Arthritis: Making The Case For More Accessible And Affordable Chiropractic Care
Abstract
The author provides an elaborate view of the aim of the study, which is to evaluate the accessibility of chiropractic care within the American health institutions and with the use of Medicaid. However, the author does not provide the adequacy and effectiveness of the services of chiropractic treatment in these institutions. Use of alternative medicine and complimentary medication is on the increase due to the ineffectiveness of the current medication. Chiropractic medication use is determined by the healthcare coverage. However, coverage is also determined by the location of a patient as it varies form one state to another. In addition, chiropractic care is covered under the Medicaid system. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the use of the chiropractic healthcare via Medicaid system with specific reference for patients ailing with arthritis, which is considered as the largest chronic disease affecting the muscoskeletal structures of the body and usually causes disabilities, making it the leading cause of disability within the United States.
Introduction
The effectiveness of the introduction is succinct as it provides the reader with the effects of the disease and how individuals within the country find it difficulty to access healthcare via the use of Medicaid and private insurance. Arthritis is considered as a major cause of disability as it is classified as a chronic disease. Within the periods 2009 and 2011, the world witnessed a global financial meltdown leading to decrease in levels of employment and thus the availability of incomes for access to adequate healthcare for families. Thus, the inadequacy of household incomes has been a cause of healthcare access disparities because individuals are either underinsured or not insured at all making them vulnerable to healthcare costs. Thus, it is difficult for individuals ailing with chronic conditions such as arthritis to access medical treatment. An approximate 22% of the American populace is affected by this chronic disease, arthritis, which can be easily translated to about 50 million individuals. The figures are likely to go up if the current sedentary lifestyles persist translating to about 25% or 67 million individuals by the year 2030.
These increases can be attributed to the reduced incomes within American homes and increased costs for treatment of chronic disease. Hence, with such the increase in disabilities emanating from this chronic disease might significantly increase. However, the presence of programs such as Medicaid could be described as a relief as it has enabled the access to medication and treatment for individuals ailing with chronic diseases and specifically those with in adequate incomes or poor within the American society. The barriers to access of treatment for the complimentary and alternative therapies for chronic ailments such as arthritis has been fueled by the presence of limitations of the access of such services with specific reference for poor individuals within the society.
The directive provided by the white house in the year 2002 did not have a significant affect on the accessibility of treatment for individuals in need of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic costs are low. Yet the service is efficient and effective for the management of chronic ailments and with specific reference to arthritis. Despite the effectiveness associated with this kind of treatment, it is only accessible in 30states within the United States under the Medicaid program and with a varying degree. Furthermore barriers of access to chiropractic care are fueled by the inaccessibility to Medicaid within the different regions in the united states within he program does not operate. Thus, utilization of chiropractic medication within Medicaid programs is limited as there are few studies, which would elaborate the use of this mode of treatment.
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