Introduction
Various policies have been developed to guide dental public health. This is aimed at ensuring that each is taken care of regarding their dental health. However, these policies are designed while having the interest of general health in mind and not specifically the dental aspect. It then becomes the responsibility of dentists to shift what is relevant to their area of the already developed policies. There are two types of health policies that are of interest to this study, the allocative, as well as the regulatory policies. This paper will compare and contrast between these policies. Besides, suppliers and demanders of dental public health will be discussed, as well as giving attention to their motivation as regards dental public health.
Allocative and Regulatory Policies
According to Longest (2010), allocative policies are aimed at distributing certain services to a particular category of people at the expense of other individuals. For example, the less fortunate in society may not afford the access to basic health. If left uncared for, they may never get medical attention even when faced with deadly diseases. As a result, the government introduces certain medical schemes where the poor and the less fortunate can access medical health at relatively less or no cost. On the other hand, the rich are exempted from such schemes to help in distributing equal and affordable health care to the citizens. The most common and recent examples of allocative policies are the Medicaid, as well as the Medicare. These are policies that have seen the abolishment of discrimination in the access to public health and as such the dental health. Thus, both rich and poor can access good dental care irrespective of their age, color, sex, and age.
Regulatory policies are more concerned with those rules that will guide the health sector in a way that will ensure a high caliber of professionals in the health industry. The primary aim of regulatory policies is to achieve the public health objectives at the minimum cost. There are five levels of regulatory policies, where four of them are economics-based, with only one of them being socially oriented to achieve goals like safe workplaces and non-discrimination in the dental health. Regulatory tools also direct the behaviors and actions of a particular group of people. Those who do not comply with the set regulations are sanctioned and their professional membership as well as certificates withdrawn. Both the federal and state governments are involved in setting up the regulatory policies. For example, the federal government may set up various standards to ensure equity in the provision of dental health to the public. On the other hand, the state government may set up regulatory policies that will direct insurance companies against exploitation of their members.
Longest (2004) argues that both allocative and regulatory policies are aimed at ensuring that the health of all citizens is taken care of regardless of their origin, race, sex, and age. They help in providing equitable dental health to all at an affordable cost. However, they differ in their manner of development, targeted groups and their administration. Allocative policies are mainly developed by the federal governments. However, the state governments may also participate in the management of the same. They are primarily targeted at particular groups of people. On the other hand, regulatory policies are developed by both the federal and the state governments. An example of a regulatory policy that has been established by the federal government is the standards developed under the Medicare program. On the other hand, the state government has established certain policies to monitor insurance companies from imposing excessive premiums on their members. All these policies help in ensuring that the dental public health is maintained at all levels. Also, they promote a healthy nation and reduce adverse environmental impacts on the environment by ensuring that all individuals take good care of their health.
Suppliers and Demanders of Dental Public Health Policy
According to Folland, Goodman and Stano (2007), suppliers of dental public health policy are the various arms of government. These are the organs that have been mandated to draft, implement and monitor these policies as they are being rolled out. Both the federal and the state governments are involved in the supply of such policies. However, both differ in the scope and methods of implementation. The federal government develops policies that will be provided in all regions of the country. On the other hand, state governments supply their policies only within the specific state.
The demanders of dental health policies are those people who see the importance of these policies for their own good or for the benefit of others whom they care. They go out of their way to utilize their resources such as time and money in advocating for these policies. Sometimes, politics are involved in the pursuit of the particular dental related policies. This normally happens if certain laws need to be passed before the drafting of policy. The intervention of political leaders is thus sought so as to influence the development of the policies. Both single individuals, as well as particular groups, can participate in demanding for certain public dental health policies. However, this process can be very demanding. As such, demanders who organize themselves into groups have been seen to be more successful in expressing their thoughts than single persons who have participated in the same. Examples of those groups that have been active as demanders of these policies include the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Association of Health Plans.
Conclusion
Various policies have been developed in the health sector with the motive of ensuring that the health of the public is maintained well. This includes all aspects of human health, including dental public health. Allocative policies are developed with a motive of providing certain services to a particular group of people at the expense of other people. For example, the poor are made to access public dental health care at a relatively low or no cost and at the cost of the rich in the society. This, in turn, reduces disparities in the health sector. Regulatory policies, on the other hand, are aimed at ensuring that certain rules and regulations are followed to that letter when providing health services to the public. Most of these policies are economics, based on only one category being aimed at developing the social aspects of health. Both the federal and the state governments are involved in developing and administering these policies. Suppliers of public dental health policies are the different arms of government while demanders could be single individuals or groups.
References
Folland, S., Goodman, A. C., & Stano, M. (2007). The economics of health and health care (Vol. 6). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Longest, Jr., B. B. (2010). Health policymaking in the United States (5th ed.}. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.
Longest, Jr., B. B. (2004). Managing health programs and projects. San Francisco, CA: Jossey8ass.