Discussion

DISCUSSION 1

Inferential statistics are important since they help to drawconclusions regarding a certain population (Weiss, 2015). It isimpractical to obtain data from each person within a population. Suchmeasures may not only be time-consuming but also expensive. Hence,inferential statistics use probability to make generalizations(Weiss, 2015). The data from the sample is usually subjected toregression analysis, correlation testing, and hypothesis testing.Inferential statistics adopt measures such as degrees of freedom toreduce the margin of error (Weiss, 2015). Therefore, inferentialstatistics provide reasonable conclusions on a particular population.

Inferential statistics predict the characteristics of a populationwhile descriptive statistics infer facts about a certain sample(Gravetter &amp Wallnau, 2016). Furthermore, inferential statisticsanalyze the observations and data obtained from the dataset. On theother hand, descriptive statistics highlight particularcharacteristics about a dataset (Gravetter &amp Wallnau, 2016).Inferential statistics deal with deeper concepts such as confidenceinterval and hypothesis tests while descriptive statistics examinemeasures of central tendency and frequency distribution. Moreover,inferential statistics can attain both continuous and discretemeasures while descriptive statistics always lead to exact numbers(Gravetter &amp Wallnau, 2016). Inferential statistics consider thewhole population while drawing conclusions. Predictions are made onthe basis of the population’s parameters. Making such inferencesmay compromise on the accuracy of resultant measures. However,descriptive statistics provide accurate results since they deal withsmall samples (Gravetter &amp Wallnau, 2016). Neither conclusionsnor guesses can be made beyond the provided dataset.

Inferential statistics are manifest when calculations are done toascertain factors such as z, t, chi-square, and F-ratio (Weiss,2015). Statistical tests such as t and z are used to draw conclusionsabout an entire population. In this regard, various hypotheses areestablished as a basis. The null hypothesis may hold when the teststatistic exceeds a certain value (Weiss, 2015). Hence, inferentialstatistics contribute to a general understanding of the subjectmatter.

References

Gravetter, F. J., &amp Wallnau, L. B. (2016). Statistics for thebehavioral sciences. Boston, Mass.: Cengage Learning.

Weiss, N. A. (2015). Introductory statistics. Upper SaddleRiver: Pearson Education.

Discussion

InstitutionAffiliation:

Medicaidis one of the largest health coverage services in the United States.According to Dalmia (2017), Medicaid is a joint state and federalprogram that avails health coverage to about 75 million Americans.Medicaid has a footprint in thirty-one states and the District ofColumbia. Although the scope of its coverage is biased towards themarginalized and special needs groups within our society, the systemin its modus operandi is flawed making it far much expensive than theprivatized health care system. States have the ability to reduceMedicaid spending without reforms but with the vulnerability of theMedicaid system, state politicians are justified to push for reforms.

Beforethe introduction of Obamacare, Medicaid was one of the largestentities in most of the states` budgets. This budgetary allocation isbecause, for every dollar spent by states purchasing health coveragefor the poor, fifty cents were reimbursed by the federal government.The amount of money spent on Medicaid became astronomical. Like a bigjoke to the system, the enormous costs constitute lousy health careservices. Medicaid`s huge presence and massive budgetary allocationswould be acceptable if it offered quality health care at affordablecosts. This program`s annual costs exceed half a trillion roughlytranslating to $7,000 for each beneficiary. The costs are at par withprivate healthcare coverages, but the services offered by Medicaidare substandard (Dalmia 2017).

Statepoliticians are after reforms in Medicaid because of the costsinvolved in the program and its vulnerability to fraud. The 45^thgovernor of Florida, Rick Scott, made millions of money in a Medicareand Medicaid fraudulent scheme. Although Rick Scott`s firm paid a 1.6Billion dollar settlement to the federal government, this shows howfaulty the system is. Medicaid system can be exploited by fraudulentbusinessmen and health care providers to siphon millions oftaxpayers’ money (Donovan, Smith &amp Mooney, 2012).

Thebest way for the states to cut down the costs of this faulty Medicaidcoverage scheme is by empowering the recipients of this aid to affordindividualized health coverage plans. For instance, in 2011, GovernorRick Perry of Texas spearheaded a pilot program that allows Medicaidrecipients establish health saving accounts. These health savingsaccounts gave individuals the power to acquire privatized healthschemes especially since they are tax-free (Donovan, Smith &ampMooney, 2012).

Conclusion

Byprivatizing the sector through giving these beneficiaries tailor madebeneficial plans is a huge step towards reforming this area. Reformscan help institute a framework that ensures quality of servicesoffered to Medicaid beneficiaries. These reforms can lead toefficiency in the Medicaid system and guarantee delivery of qualityservices.

References

Dalmia,S. (2017). ReformingOur Awful Medicaid Program Requires Massive Doses of PoliticalCourage. Reason.com.Retrieved fromhttp://reason.com/archives/2017/02/18/the-impossible-politics-of-medicaid-refo.

Donovan,T., Smith, D. A., &amp Mooney, C. Z. (2012). Stateand local Politics: Institutions and Reform.Cengage Learning. Boston, MA. USA. P.564. Retrieved fromhttps://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amplr=&ampid=yQ8KAAAAQBAJ&ampoi=fnd&amppg=PR3&ampdq=State+and+local+Politics:+Institutions+and+Reform.&ampots=vQVEMDqm_H&ampsig=KVnp-ZY5atU86ZNNXWa6Rr82pr4&ampredir_esc=y#v=onepage&ampq=State%20and%20local%20Politics%3A%20Institutions%20and%20Reform.&ampf=false.