I. What is society’s obligation to ensure access to a basic level of health care for all its citizens and how can it be accomplished?…
There are three issues in health care reform accessibility, affordability, and sustainability (Shortell, 2009). The first challenge of health care reform is accessibility. Accessibility; basically meant that insurers would have to expand insurance…
More than fifty million Americans today are lacking health insurance. The health care laws available to Americans are not improving the number of people who cannot seek medical help. Health care is so expensive and unfair, that the only way to help this problem is to have single payer health care (America Needs a Single Payer Health Care System).…
We are stuck between a free-market system and a government-run system. As the government continues to increase subsides and provide insurance for more and more people under Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare, as well as new stipulations under the Affordable Care Act, the system can not realistically be described as a free-market. This has created dramatic price increases in health care and has also made the costs of care entirely unrealistic because there is a total diffusion of responsibility for the payment. Additionally, as emergency rooms are required to provide care to people in need, all people technically can access care. However, this care is extremely expensive and an inefficient use of valuable resources. In order to prevent people from “free riding” in this system and just going to emergency rooms but never paying their bills, it follows that everyone must have health insurance. However, in order for that to be possible monetarily, there have to be subsidies and policies that prevent people from being excluded from coverage for preexisting conditions or other factors. Ultimately, it makes little sense to provide universal coverage of emergency care but not provide primary or preventative care, which is much more cost effective, efficient and…
I agree with you, the United States health care system is very expensive. Because of this many people do not have health insurance. People how to have less income they cannot afford the health insurance because of premium and copayment. That makes them jeopardy their health. Uninsured people have less access to recommended care, receive poorer quality of care, and experience worse health outcomes than insured people do. People who are uninsured suffer significant health consequences as a result of not having insurance. Being uninsured has been correlated with poorer quality of health care, lower rates of preventive care, and greater probability of death. Many uninsured people avoid seeking medical care unless they are faced with an emergency,…
“Successful health reform must not just make health insurance affordable, affordable health insurance has to make health care affordable” (Elizabeth Edwards). Universal health care is one of the primary goals the United States wants for all Americans. The fight for universal health care dates back to 1993 when Bill Clinton suggested a reform bill for employers to provide health insurance, but the Senate rejected it and proposed individuals instead of employees to buy insurance. This specific proposal prompted the government with the necessity to create a health care reform. To give all of the nation’s residents basic health insurance, The Affordable Care Act was passed also known as Obamacare in 2010.…
There are some adjustments that need to be made in order for healthcare in this country to be more affordable and effective. One thing is to consider the time verses quality concept which is where the doctors see more given patients within a day and save time…
Affordability of health care – Many Americans, with and without health insurance, faces crippling financial debt from their medical care.…
Prejudice is unfortunately a common theme in today’s society, especially in America. Certain races and ethnicities are immensely affected by the inequity. America is supposed to be the land of the free where everyone is equal and there are no judgments based on your past or where you live or even who your relatives are. However, that is far beyond the truth. In reality, your wealth and your opportunities depend on the color of your skin and even your name. America is not the best, it is a work in progress with the potential to be the best.…
Introduction: The problem: Access to health care physically and financially, healthcare system in today’s society has failed to provide quality care for the U.S. Americans. There are so many ways that the system falls short in providing proper care. The healthcare is mainly based on the government to provide care for a particular group of people according to their income and not everyone has the same treatment, some having to pay for care through some type of insurance premium. When looking at this system of care, families are all dealing with the same issues in relations to not getting the treatment and quality care that they need. Many providers is having to see more patients in clinics than anticipated in terms causes a shorter visit with patients to address any kind of concerns and with uncoordinated care this leads to decrease in quality care of patients. High risk patients could be an issue for providers, because of the risk of malpractice, and increase of having malpractice insurance therefore providers are reluctant to see these patients which causes the patients to have less options for treatment choices. Healthcare Expenditure: this will continue to increase and families will continue to struggle and stress over how they will pay their medical bills. Healthcare systems are not slowing down on their costs and most of them are not willing to give families an efficient healthcare system for a better quality of care. The healthcare expenditures are increasing and the families incomes are not sufficient to compensate which makes this so stressful and hard for families to afford. When looking at the pharmaceutical spending, this has increased drastically. Medications is continuing to increase in costs, therefore, families are not able to get medications…
The problem of access reaches beyond the 44 million Americans who lack health insurance-a number that is expected to reach 52 to 54 million over the next 10 years. The growing numbers are of concern because those without coverage tend to delay or forego important preventative and primary care services. Community-based efforts are needed to track health problems and assess unmet needs.…
“Thirty-two of the thirty-three largest developed countries have some form of universal healthcare coverage”; we are the exception (www.who.int/en/). The United States healthcare costs are the highest of all developed nations, as well as the highest death rate for people who are uninsured. Healthcare has always been a for profit industry in America. The industry has maintained record profits each year while more people face financial ruin because of their healthcare costs. Healthcare costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States, and there continues to be many families on the verge of filing. Healthcare costs cannot be managed by middle/lower class individuals in the United States. The private market has failed to provide affordable access as well as quality of care; Universal Healthcare will provide preventable care, access without having to pay, and peace of mind to American citizens. We currently offer two federal/state programs to help those who need healthcare coverage: Medicare, for those sixty-five years of age and above, and Medicaid for low income people/families. Both of these programs cover medical costs, but they do not cover all medical costs or preventable care. Our country needs to eliminate these two programs and…
Inequality are the clear boundaries in society that prevent people from attaining equal status, opportunities, or positions. Social inequality occurs when the process of distributing resources is unequal. On a day-to-day basis, I do not believe that I contribute to inequality but recognize the opportunities and positions I hold that further the gap between an equal society. Growing up within the middle class has allowed me access to a higher level of education. Higher levels of education lead to higher paying jobs contributing to unequal income distribution. Although the level of education is achieved, it still produces inequalities. Healthcare inequality is another example of how my given opportunities and positions further the gap between…
Studies have found that the truly at risk teens are those who live in areas of higher income disparities. Take Mississippi for example. According to the U.S. Census Bureau figures released Mississippi had a poverty rate of 22.6 percent in 2011, while its median household income is $36,919. With these statistics Mississippi remains the poorest state in the nation. Mississippi was also ranked 2 out of 50 states on 2011. More than 4,700 girls ages 15 to 19 gave birth, that’s approximately 13 per day. The connection between these numbers are quite high and one would think why these numbers are so high and what are causing…
One of the many things that American society has always struggled with is equality. Due to America's diversity, this is not surprising. Discrimination or stereotyping exist in all aspects of society. America has always dealt with this issue of inequality, dating back to its early beginning. Some of the most renowned examples of this are mistreatment of Native Americans, African slavery in America, and women's rights.…