DQ1: Please respond to student response in 130 words & cite references. Professo

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DQ1: Please respond to student response in 130 words & cite references.
Professor post for students to respond:
What factors help explain states’ decisions to expand or not to expand the Medicaid program under the ACA?
Student initial post to professor:
States decision to expand or not expand the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be influenced by the fear of the increase in government spending and the public’s health needs. If you live in a state with a high number of uninsured, you may want Medicaid expanded, however other states who do not have these same issues could be against this since they are not having the same issue. These issues have been discussed with the expansion of Medicaid in some states in the hopes to lowering health care costs. However, there are several states who have not implemented this expansion. According to Neukam, S. (2023) some believe that Medicaid expansion is a step in the right direction toward universal healthcare, but others believe it’s an overstep of the federal government into the free market, raising costs, and threatening coverage quality. This is also an argument that often leads to a comparison of the United States and Canada’s health care system. According to Rosanes, M. (2022) Canada’s universal healthcare coverage does not include eye, dental, outpatient prescriiptions, rehabilitation services, and private hospital rooms. This has led to nearly 70% of Canadians taking out supplemental health coverage to cover those healthcare costs. This begs the question; how free healthcare really affects healthcare quality. 
 
Neukam, S. (2023) These 10 states have not expanded Medicaid. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3914916-these-10-states-have-not-expanded-medicaid/
Rosanes, M. (2022) Revealed-Canadas top Health Insurance Providers in 2022. Retrieved from https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/life-insurance/revealed–canadas-top-health-insurance-providers-in-2022-422603.aspx
DQ2: Please respond to student response in 130 words & cite references.
Professor post for students to respond:
In your opinion, what is the most important public health goal and why?
Student initial post to professor:
Public Health has so many facets to it with one general overarching goal. That goal is ensuring data is studied and analyzed to hopefully produce better patient outcomes. Public Health goals are to save money, improve quality of life, help children thrive, and reduce human suffering (Kaul ppt, slide 8). When asked to give my opinion on the most important goal I decided to think of the goal that holds the most impact. In my opinion, improving quality of life by promoting healthy behaviors would be the most important goal. Public Health professionals sit in a very unique spot. They have access to data and have the skillset to make connections between this data. It has been proven that 60% of factors related to individual health and quality of life can be correlated to lifestyle (Farhud 2015). Furthermore, it has been proven that in the US, millions of people follow an unhealthy lifestyle, causing illnesses, disability, metabolic disease, or even death (Farhud 2015). The impact that healthy or unhealthy behaviors have on a population can be hard to realize, however, there are direct links that can be made between lifestyle and outcomes. In my opinion, this goal of public health actually can influence the other goals of public health. Living a healthy lifestyle can prevent epidemics, spread of diseases, and injuries to occur. The ramifications that healthy lifestyle have on the public are much deeper than we think, therefore, I believe this to be the most important goal of public health that holds the most impact across different populations. 
 
Reference: 
Farhud D. D. (2015). Impact of Lifestyle on Health. Iranian journal of public health, 44(11), 1442–1444.
Kaul Powerpoint Presentation (Slide 8)

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