Compare the purposes, benefits, and limitations of Medicare, Medicaid, and other government sponsored programs in achieving health equity.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The purposes, benefits, and limitations of health equity initiatives within Medicare and Medicaid are multifaceted and aimed at addressing significant disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. Here’s a detailed overview based on the provided sources:
Purposes
1. Definition and Goal:
– Health Equity is defined as “the attainment of the highest level of health for all people, where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language, or other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes”[1][4].
– The primary goal is to close gaps in healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for underserved populations[4].
2. Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH):
– Health equity initiatives focus on addressing SDOH, which include economic and social conditions such as education, income, social and community context, and access to healthcare. These factors significantly impact health outcomes[1][2].
3. Reducing Disparities:
– Initiatives aim to reduce health disparities among different population segments, particularly those with social risk factors (SRFs) such as low-income individuals, disabled individuals, and those eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (Dual-Eligibles)[1][2][4].
Benefits
1. Improved Health Outcomes:
– By addressing SDOH and SRFs, health equity initiatives can lead to improved health outcomes across various domains, including physical, emotional, and social well-being[2].
2. Enhanced Accountability:
– Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) are required to conduct annual health equity analyses of their utilization management policies, ensuring that prior authorization requirements do not contribute to disparities among enrollees with certain SRFs[1].
3. Increased Access to Care:
– Initiatives such as expanding postpartum coverage, improving access to continuous coverage, and connecting justice-involved individuals with community-based services aim to increase access to essential healthcare services[4].
4. Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services:
– Promoting culturally and linguistically appropriate services ensures that care is understandable and respectful, responsive to preferred languages, and meets diverse communication needs[4].
5. Whole-Person Care:
– The adoption of Whole-Person Care models considers multiple variables impacting a member’s health, including housing, transportation, nutrition, education, and employment. This holistic approach can potentially reduce healthcare spending and improve health outcomes[2].
Limitations
1. Implementation Challenges:
– Proposed rules, such as the annual health equity analysis, require significant changes in MAO operations, including the addition of expertise in health equity to utilization management committees. These changes must be implemented by specific deadlines (e.g., January 1, 2025, for committee composition and July 1, 2025, for the first analysis)[1].
2. Data Collection and Analysis:
– Effective implementation of health equity initiatives relies on robust data collection and analysis. However, there may be challenges in collecting and standardizing data on race, ethnicity, preferred language, and other factors[4].
3. Resource Constraints:
– Government spending constraints and the growing federal debt may limit the sustainability of healthcare programs, necessitating cost-effective solutions that balance budget constraints with the need to improve health outcomes[2].
4. Provider Participation:
– Barriers to provider participation in Medicaid, such as lower reimbursement rates and complex patient needs, can limit access to care for Medicaid enrollees[3].
5. Structural Barriers:
– Medicaid enrollees often face structural barriers like limited access to reliable transportation, sick leave, and paid time off, which can hinder their ability to access healthcare services[3].
In summary, while health equity initiatives within Medicare and Medicaid aim to address significant disparities and improve health outcomes, they face challenges related to implementation, data collection, resource constraints, provider participation, and structural barriers. Addressing these limitations is crucial to achieving the goals of health equity.
