Overview

In your position as an economic health care consultant, you have been asked by your manager to write a memo on the most pressing economic issue that is affecting healthcare delivery in the United States and to craft a plan for mitigating this issue. Your memo should include a detailed description of the issue, the application of economic tools to address the problem (e.g. supply and demand curve, cost curve), an analysis and comparison of the United States healthcare system with at least one other country, and a critique of the United States government and private sectors to effectively address the economic issue.

You may want to consider economic issues such as nursing shortages, pharmaceutical drug prices, access to healthcare, rising healthcare costs, or chronic diseases.

You may also want to review the resource, How to Write a Memo in 8 StepsLinks to an external site..

Instructions

Write a 3-4 page memo that includes the following:

1. State the purpose of your memo by explaining the healthcare economic issue that is affecting healthcare delivery.
2. Develop a problem statement and explain how economic tools can be used to analyze the economic issue. (e.g. supply and demand curves, cost curve).
3. Formulate a call to action that includes specific strategies that relevant entities/stakeholders may use to address the selected issue from an economic perspective supported with a rationale for the strategy.
4. Analyze the United States healthcare system in comparison with at least one other country, where the United States can apply economic best practices from the other country to support the strategies for addressing the issue.
5. Critique the likelihood of the government and the private sector to effectively address the issue. (e.g. cost, quality, and access).

Use at least three sources to support your writing. Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment. For help with research, writing, and citation, access the library or review library guides.

Formatting Requirements

For the purpose of this assignment, your submitted memo should follow these formatting requirements:

• Include a heading of who the memo is addressed to, who the memo is from, the date of the memo, and the subject of the memo.
• Must be double-spaced.
• Include in-text citations.
• Include a source list on the last page.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site for all support. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

• Analyze health care issues using economic decision-making principles.
• Evaluate health care cost and efficiency issues using economic tools from the public and private sector healthcare markets.
• Assess current U.S. health care financing and funding models, including policy, regulations, and national trends.