A client living in the 1920s received health care services. Which would have been the most likely form of payment?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Until the 1930s, the predominant method of health care financing was self-payment. Health care providers charged a fee for the services they rendered, and the patient paid the out-of-pocket expense. The assumption was that those who could pay would pay and those who could not pay should receive care and pay what they could. Insurance companies did not exist in the 1920s.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The first efforts to control costs were made by the federal government when Medicare hospital reimbursement was based on a prospective payment system. Payment would be based on a classification system that identified costs according to diagnosis and client characteristics. Restricting insurance companies to add new members to their plan was not part of the first steps to try to stop constantly rising costs.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The five leading causes of death and illness can be positively affected by changes in lifestyle. Healthy lifestyles can modify or even prevent most chronic illnesses. Seeking care at a neighborhood health clinic, producing media campaigns, and engaging in self-therapies are all more expensive approaches to treating chronic diseases than choosing healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Society sees insurance as an economic shield protecting against all disease and illness. The belief in cure rather than prevention, combined with this financial safety net, encourages society to become a passive participant in health care. The pervasive societal thought is 'I don't have to worry; I have insurance.' Americans are aware of which behaviors are unhealthy, have knowledge on how to change their behavior, and are concerned about health, but insurance has allowed them to take a passive approach to health.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: As with other health care services, once a funding source has been established, usage and costs increase. Thus, the number of prescriptions ordered increased. For 2016, the U.S. expenditure for pharmaceuticals was about 10% of health care expenditures, and these expenditures continue to rise.