Social Contract Position and Health Policy Analysis Order Instructions: Review the sections on “Cost Shifting Hits Private Plans” and “Responding to Cost Shifting” in Chapter 3 in Health Policy Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach.
These sections discuss a concept of a shift in thinking and practice that is sometimes referred loosely as “breaking the old social contract” that existed in health care before managed care. The social contract concept provides for responsibilities between the government and individuals to be set forth in a negotiated agreement, hence the “social contract”. In this instance, the arena for negotiation and compromise we are concerned with is health care.
(In a paper of 800?1,200 words, reflect on the social contract concept. If you were to think about a new social contract, what would it be? Think in terms of two contracts: one between the citizenry and the state, and one between the professionals and the health care system.)
Provide a minimum of three references.
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Social Contract Position and Health Policy Analysis Sample Answer
Social Contract Position Essay
A social contract is a theory or a philosophical model that is derived from the enlightenment age. In definition a, social contract depicts the distinct difference between the power of the state over the civilians and the specific responsibilities being held by the two parties. A social contract makes possible the state to have authority over its citizens. Furthermore, the citizens are submissive to the state and are willing to forego any of their rights or pleasures in aiding the authoritarian power of the state they inhabit (Dunn, 2015).
In a social context, a social contract has been explicitly defined by common law. The concept of a social contract has been the framework for the foundation of most civilized nations all over the world. It is not written or noted anywhere in the law. Consequently, the social contract concept guides the division of roles between the citizens and the states (Weimer et al, 2015). Without the right mechanisms to deploy power over the people and reason for people to accept power to be deployed over them. The world would have been a chaotic place.
It brings to light the administrative functions that occur in most organizations. And how the different roles and responsibilities are defined in specified distinct scenarios. For instance, the scenario regarding the health care sector. The healthcare sector has been running using a given social contract that has clearly defined how health care services and products would be duly offered to the customers (Almgren, 2012). However, this paper is going to come up with a different social contract for the state and the citizenry and one for the health care sector.
Starting with the citizenry and the state. A clearly negotiated social contract for this age of civilization would be very dynamic. With the change in how life is carried out on a daily to daily basis around the world. The social contract is bound to change to adapt to current times. Technology has brought to light the importance of communication. In the social contract for the age of enlightenment, the power of the state is more. Meaning that by then, the state had the power and the common citizen had no will to speak about the defiance or irresponsibility of the state.
Even though most laws have been changed in some countries regarding the degree of power offered to the state. Some countries are still experiencing powerful states that oppress the citizens beyond measure. In the current age and modern times, we live in. The state should be governed by the people and the people should govern the state. It is high time that the citizens have enough power to scrutinize the state as much as the state has the power and responsibility to make the citizens account for their wrong doings.
On the other hand, the health sector has clearly stated responsibilities that govern the conduct of the health care practitioners over the patients. A social contract regarding the health sector would therefore read as: the physician has control over the patient as long as the patient is in the hands of the physician (Dunn, 2015). However, after the provision of health care services, the patient is held responsible for the actions that lead to either bodily harm or any other health condition.
It would be prudent to have the managed care system be implemented in most health care organizations all over the world. Managed care should be the core principle that guides the conduct of the involved parties according to the social contract definition of the health sector.
Social Contract Position and Health Policy Analysis References
Almgren, G. R. (2012). Health care politics, policy and services: a social justice analysis. Springer Publishing Company.
Dunn, W. N. (2015). Public policy analysis. Routledge.
Weimer, D. L., & Vining, A. R. (2015). Policy analysis: Concepts and practice. Routledge.
