The Health Policy in San Francisco

Health Policy The World Health Organization describes health policy as the “decisions, plans, and actions undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals in society.” Health policy is based on the vision and goals to be achieved in healthcare and the strategies put in place to achieve them (World Health Organization, n.d.). These policies vary within states and countries depending on the health needs of its population. Also, several approaches are used in the implementation of health policies. Healthy San Francisco was such a policy program that was launched in 2007 in a bid to improve access to healthcare services.

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San Francisco Has an Obligation to Provide its Citizens With Health Access The Healthy San Francisco program was created with the aim of providing equalized healthcare services to all residents of San Francisco including the 82,000 uninsured citizens. The program caters to residents who do not have insurance and cannot fit into any public coverage.

Hence, promoting universal healthcare. To fund the project, money is sourced from the government, patient co-payments, and fees imposed on business owners within San Francisco.

Consequently, business owners see it as a burden and threaten to leave the city which could affect its economy. This brings up the issue on whether or not the city has an obligation to provide its citizen with universal healthcare access.

In my personal opinion, it is the right of every citizen to have access to affordable healthcare services irrespective of their socioeconomic status. In most states, increased access to care is yet to improve among the minority groups and people of low socioeconomic status despite the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Marmot & Allen, 2014). Ensuring equitable healthcare access to patient populations and overcoming all the barriers to access is not as easy as just providing care to the insured. In as much as the Healthy San Francisco plan was formulated as an obligation of the city to provide healthcare access to the uninsured, there is more to insurance that defines the access to care of a population. Hence, if the city is obligated to increase access, it should be in a position to address all the determinants of health in its population. This includes the socio-economic environment, the physical environment and the behaviors of its population (Marmot & Allen, 2014).

Even though the Healthy San Francisco plan is a big milestone in the realization of increased access to care, the city should have considered its impact on its economy. Despite being funded by the government, part of its funding is from business owners in the city hence the

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risk of losing investors and consequently affecting its economy. In the end, the poor economic status of the city will affect its health even in the presence of the plan. Whereas the city is obligated to improve access, more thought should be placed on strategies to address all the disparities that would determine the health of the population, as well as avoiding a major impact on its economy.

What is the Government's Role in Regulating Healthy and Unhealthy Behavior?

The government is increasingly involved in providing healthcare services to its citizens.

With the increasing cost of care, the government is justifiable in regulating the health behavior of its population. By regulating unhealthy behaviors, the costs of providing care are reduced and the general health state of the population is improved. The major regulatory role falls into preventive practice (Whitsel, 2017).

Unhealthy lifestyle practices are associated with increased risk of most chronic conditions. Factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse, and unhealthy dieting cause of the occurrence of most chronic conditions. Due to their nature, chronic diseases require long term treatment and manage hence responsible for most healthcare expenditures. The government plays a great role in regulating these lifestyle behaviors while utilizing different approaches (Gostin & Wiley, 2016).

Placing laws that regulate unhealthy behaviors is one of the approaches used. This is more applicable to habits such as smoking which has a great health impact on the smoker and secondary smoke inhalers. One of such laws is prohibiting smoking in public areas hence protecting the public from the effects of passive smoking. The government can also regulate the food and drug industries within their area of governance (Whitsel, 2017). The regulations can be designed at educating the public on the choices they make as well as promote the health of its

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users. For example, food processing industries or restaurants being required by law to provide nutritional information on their foods to the customers. Also, regulating the selling of drugs and alcohol and indicating the health risk associated with its use in their packaging. Through these laws, consumers can make an informed choice about their health.

Other than placing regulatory laws, the government is obligated to carry out surveys to determine the rampant unhealthy behaviors of its citizen and come up with specific solutions to the issue. This also involves researching the general health of its population and the major influencers of its health. Through such studies, the government can implement disease prevention techniques effectively (Whitsel, 2017). Lastly, it is the role of the government to educate the population on health promotion and disease prevention. Educating the public makes them aware of their unhealthy lifestyles and how it impacts their health. It also enables them to make more healthy lifestyle decisions.

Has the balance between personal freedom and the government's responsibility to provide health and welfare of its citizens been eroded? Why or why not?

Personal freedom is one of the many rights that the US citizens enjoy. It is the right of every citizen to be able to make their personal decisions concerning their daily life activities without being ordered around. US government does not use the dictatorship kind of governance.

Hence, it does not order what a person can do or what he/she cannot do. However, there exists a balance between personal freedom and the governments’ responsibility to provide health. In my opinion, the balance exists and has not been eroded.

In as much as the government is regulating health practices, its citizens have the right to make personal decisions concerning their health. The government cannot order what someone should not do but instead creates laws that regulate the behavior (Gostin & Wiley, 2016). For

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example, in the case of smoking, the government did not completely ban the behavior. Instead, it created laws that are against smoking in public and also educates the public about the dangers of smoking. Individuals have the freedom to decide whether to smoke and face the health consequences of the same or not to smoke and reduce their risks of certain conditions.

Arguably, the government is doing all it can to regulate healthy and unhealthy practices to promote good health (Whitsel, 2017). The government must promote health among its people.

Through regulation, they can prevent or reduce the occurrence of chronic conditions associated with chronic conditions (Gostin & Wiley, 2016). On the other hand, a person is responsible for their health. They have the freedom to decide what health practices they prefer. A person can personally decide the kinds of foods to eat, whether to engage in physical exercises, whether to smoke, use drugs and alcohol or not.

Conclusion Healthy San Francisco plan was established in 2007 to improve access to care among the uninsured. Access to care is a major health disparity among the uninsured, unemployed and low income earners and often affect their health outcomes. Through the program, 82000 uninsured citizens of San Francisco would benefit. The program is seen as an obligation for the government to provide access to healthcare services. It is the responsibility of the government to provide equalized healthcare services to all its population. The government is also responsible for regulating healthy and unhealthy behaviors among its citizens. This is mainly achieved through laws that regulate the practice of unhealthy behaviors, research, and public education. However, the laws should not limit personal freedom. There should be a balance between personal freedom and the governments’ responsibility in providing care.

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Gostin, L. O., & Wiley, L. F. (2016). Public health law: Power, duty, restraint. Berkeley, CA: Univ of California Press.

Marmot, M., & Allen, J. J. (2014). Social determinants of health equity. American Journal of Public Health, 104(Suppl 4), S517–S519. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302200 Whitsel, L. P. (2017). Government’s role in promoting healthy living. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 59(5), 492-497.

World Health Organization (n.d.). Health policy. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/health_policy/en/