Health care issues in the U.S. are increasingly becoming a major focus both politically and socially. One of the key issues is the cost of supporting existing health care strategies. To better understand health care costs and the larger issue of general health nationally, it is not only important to listen to health care providers and politicians, but also to look closely at national health care statistics collected by the Federal Government. Yearly the Fed. Gov. provides "News Releases" and "Fact Sheets" to the general public via the Web. Try to find the specific site that includes this information.
Two hints:
1. Look for key words in the short description/assignment above
as well as the questions that follow. Utilize these in your search.
2. After finding the appropriate URL, locate Monitoring Health
Care in America, September 1995 to answer the following specific
questions.
** If for some reason you are unable to find the site, select here for the correct URL. Good luck.
Questions
Please answer the following questions:
1. How many people visited hospital emergency departments for injuries in 1992?
2. How many total visits were there to emergency room departments for all types of medical problems in 1992?
3. Why do you think more young adults (age 15-24) made more injury visits to emergency rooms than other age groups? Why more males?
4. How many total visits were made to emergency rooms, doctor's offices, and outpatient departments for injuries in 1992?
5. If the population of the U.S. in 1992 was about 250 million, what percent of the population visited an emergency room?
Application of Data
In a group, please consider if health care costs could be significantly
reduced by decreasing the use of emergency departments.
A. Why?
B. What steps could be taken to reduce their use?
C. What might be the consequences?
Homework
Compare & Contrast
1. Please compare these data with another year.
A. How have the numbers changed?
B. Why do you think they changed in the ways they did?