As policymakers and healthcare managers consider various ways to contain the rising costs of health care, it is useful to examine the patterns and elements of health care costs that are needed to run the United States delivery system.
Explain the difference between fixed and variable costs in healthcare. Give an example of each from a healthcare setting.
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 Difference Between Fixed and Variable Costs in Healthcare
In the context of healthcare cost management, it is important to understand the distinction between fixed and variable costs. These terms refer to different types of expenses incurred by healthcare organizations in running their delivery systems. Let’s explore the difference between fixed and variable costs and provide examples of each from a healthcare setting.
Fixed Costs: Fixed costs are expenses that do not change regardless of the level of service provided or the volume of patients treated. These costs remain constant over a specific period, regardless of fluctuations in patient volume or activity levels. Fixed costs are typically associated with the infrastructure, resources, and equipment necessary to support healthcare operations.
Example of Fixed Costs in Healthcare: A prime example of fixed costs in healthcare is the rent or mortgage payment for a medical facility. Regardless of whether the facility treats ten patients or a hundred patients in a day, the rent or mortgage payment remains the same. Other examples of fixed costs include property taxes, insurance premiums, and salaries for administrative staff.
Variable Costs: Variable costs, on the other hand, are expenses that fluctuate based on the level of service provided or the volume of patients treated. These costs are directly tied to the level of activity within the healthcare organization. As patient volume increases or decreases, variable costs will correspondingly rise or fall.
Example of Variable Costs in Healthcare: A typical example of variable costs in healthcare is the cost of medical supplies and medications. As patient volume increases, there will be a greater need for supplies such as syringes, gloves, bandages, and medications. The cost of these supplies will vary depending on the number of patients being treated. Similarly, direct labor costs, such as wages for nurses and physicians, can be considered variable costs as they are directly tied to patient volume.
It is worth noting that some costs in healthcare may have both fixed and variable components. For instance, utility expenses like electricity and water usage may have a fixed component (e.g., a basic monthly service fee) and a variable component based on usage (e.g., cost per kilowatt-hour or gallon).
Understanding the difference between fixed and variable costs is crucial for healthcare managers and policymakers as they work towards containing healthcare costs. By analyzing the cost structure and identifying opportunities to manage both fixed and variable costs effectively, healthcare organizations can achieve greater financial sustainability while maintaining high-quality care for patients.
References: [Include any references or citations used to support the explanation]
