History tells a story about a time that the hospital, LTC system and mental health were all connected to one another and were all serviced in the same manner. Well, maybe there wasn’t really a hospital, nursing home or asylum so to speak of but there were people who had conditions or were poor and could not take care of themselves which resulted in a need which brought life to the health care facilities and models of care that we recognize today.
Early in American history, few people lived to be old, but for those who did, “old-age security” meant having children or property. The public welfare system of those times was fashioned after the English “poor Laws”. Early on, paupers were given cash payments referred to as “outdoor relief”. …show more content…
Now that people had some type of insurance, health care was becoming increasingly obtainable. Prior to this point, the cost of most healthcare was coming out of people’s savings if they were not fortunate enough to have some sort of medical policy. By the late 60’s, the increasing need for long-term care, along with the high cost of institutional care, stimulated a renewed interest in care at home. Experiments with home care as a way to reduce the costs of hospitalization were undertaken and showed some promising benefits. By the early 70’s Government-sponsored home care programs came to be financed mainly through Medicare, Medicaid and Title III of the Older Americans Act. This marked a new era for home care and the U.S. saw nearly 2000 agencies get certified to participate in the Medicare program to provide home health …show more content…
They all began out of the need to do “something” with the poor, insane and homeless. As medical needs were specialized and new directions evolved to care for the needs of each specific group; the government got involved with the financing of these services. These became profitable business ventures and health care providers and companies were setting up shop left and right. That is how the three entities; hospitals, long-term care and mental health got separated into different
Early in American history, few people lived to be old, but for those who did, “old-age security” meant having children or property. The public welfare system of those times was fashioned after the English “poor Laws”. Early on, paupers were given cash payments referred to as “outdoor relief”. …show more content…
Now that people had some type of insurance, health care was becoming increasingly obtainable. Prior to this point, the cost of most healthcare was coming out of people’s savings if they were not fortunate enough to have some sort of medical policy. By the late 60’s, the increasing need for long-term care, along with the high cost of institutional care, stimulated a renewed interest in care at home. Experiments with home care as a way to reduce the costs of hospitalization were undertaken and showed some promising benefits. By the early 70’s Government-sponsored home care programs came to be financed mainly through Medicare, Medicaid and Title III of the Older Americans Act. This marked a new era for home care and the U.S. saw nearly 2000 agencies get certified to participate in the Medicare program to provide home health …show more content…
They all began out of the need to do “something” with the poor, insane and homeless. As medical needs were specialized and new directions evolved to care for the needs of each specific group; the government got involved with the financing of these services. These became profitable business ventures and health care providers and companies were setting up shop left and right. That is how the three entities; hospitals, long-term care and mental health got separated into different