Chapter 03: The Changing U.S. Health and Public Health Care Systems

Chapter 03: The Changing U.S. Health and Public Health Care Systems

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. In the United States, the majority of health care dollars are spent on:

ANS:   B

The largest share of health care expenditures goes to pay for hospital care, with physician services the next largest item. The money spent for PHSs is significantly lower than the other categories of expenditures. Other significant drivers of the increasingly high cost of health care include prescription drugs, technology, and chronic and degenerative disease.

DIF:    Cognitive level: Remembering          REF:    p. 48

TOP:    Nursing process: Assessment

MSC:   NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care

2. The number of uninsured Americans has dramatically increased because:

ANS:   D

Although the majority of Americans continue to obtain health insurance from their employer as a benefit, employment does not guarantee insurance. Employer-sponsored health insurance is sensitive to both the general economy and changes in health insurance premiums. As costs for insurance premiums rose, employers either shifted more of these costs to their employees or declined to offer employment-based health coverage at all. Medicare provides coverage only to the elderly and other special populations. The costs for health care are continuing to rise regardless of the size of the population. There has not been a significant change to nursing salaries, and a change in nursing salaries would not impact the number of uninsured Americans.

DIF:    Cognitive level: Understanding         REF:    p. 49

TOP:    Nursing process: Assessment

MSC:   NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care

3. A nurse is working with a community to decrease the occurrence of influenza. Which of the following U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS; or simply HHS) goals is being applied?

ANS:   B

One of the objectives of Advance the Health, Safety, and Well-being of the American People is to reduce the occurrence of infectious diseases. The goal of Strengthen Health Care focuses on improving health care services, quality, and coverage. The goal of Increase Efficiency, Transparency, Accountability, and Effectiveness of HHS Programs focuses on improving programming and application of found data. The goal of Advance Scientific Knowledge and Innovation focuses on scientific discovery and application of the new knowledge.

DIF:    Cognitive level: Applying                  REF:    p. 52 (Box 3-2)

TOP:    Nursing process: Implementation

MSC:   NCLEX: Health Promotion and Maintenance

4. According to the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, as many as 98,000 deaths each year could be attributed to:

ANS:   C

In 1999 it was thought that our health care system was expensive and that access and quality were not optimal, but we had not considered this important fact: many people die of preventable medical errors in the United States. This number is not the correct statistic for cardiovascular disease, obesity, or drug overdose.

DIF:    Cognitive level: Remembering          REF:    p. 49

TOP:    Nursing process: Assessment

MSC:   NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care