America spends two and a half times more on healthcare per capita than any other developed nation, quickly approaching $3 trillion EVERY year. With this kind of expenditure, you would expect our citizens to be the healthiest in the world, but this is not the case.…
The US health system is structured in a way where the “Haves” get good care and the “Haves not” don’t. It is a system that is based on treating, rather than preventing illnesses. Our…
For the past 8 decades, the U.S. has run its country on a private health care system where the individual pays for their choice of health care. Depending on the coverage of the health care amounts to the cost. In the U.S, government funding for health care is limited to Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which covers senior citizens, the very poor, disabled people, veterans and their families and children. The United States is the only country in the developing world that does not have a fundamentally public tax-supported health care system.…
The controversial issue of healthcare coverage for all individuals is an ethical and moral issue that Americans struggle with and as socially proactive as they are on there are many issues arising of it. Healthcare is not only about health and coverage but the major issue is about funding, what can be funded and what cannot be funded and how is going to be funded. Universal healthcare in other countries offers insight into some of the biggest issues and best alternatives for providing healthcare to all and to resolve the health care rising cost. The ethical issue of health care has led to the Accountable Care…
According to the World Bank, in 2014, America spent 17.1% of its GDP on healthcare, or $9,403 per person, and Cuba spent 11.1% of its GDP, which is $817 per capita (“Health expenditure, total” ; “Health expenditure per capita”). Considering how much money is spent per capita on healthcare in the United States, it is particularly alarming that the 2010 census found that Americans were visiting their primary physicians less frequently “working-age adults made an average of 3.9 visits to doctors, nurses or other medical providers, down from 4.8 in 2001,” and that, “in 2010, 21 percent of uninsured adults in poor health received…
Today, the United States has what many consider to be the worst health care system in the world. The United States has the most expensive system as it accounts for nearly 17.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (The World Factbook, 2013). This amounts to a cost of $8608 per person (Health Expenditure per Capita, 2013). The extreme cost of health care make it the leading cause of bankruptcy throughout the United States, and the reason why there are over 48.6 million people who are uninsured with no access to health care at all (Howard, Access and Underserved). This high cost has not translated…
Despite general agreement that equity is a part of the United States political culture, there is a little consensus on what is meant by equity in health care in US. There is a variation in health status by location, race/ethnicity, gender, and poverty level. This variation highlights the inequality in the health of the US population, a reflection on insufficient access to care and health insurance coverage for such a big group of population as immigrants (1).…
Marmor, puts forth a comparison of the healthcare systems of Germany, Canada, England, Japan, and France to the United States. “Each, as distinct from the United States, has created a universal health care program fundamentally based on the idea that medical care is a merit, not a market good. The equal access standard does not, of course, mean ideal practice, but care is more equally distributed as a result” (Marmor p.569). This is now what ObamaCare seeks to do by imposing on the health care system that is seen to be run by private-profit companies, whose bottom line is money and not health. This idea of medical care being a “merit” and having more equally distributed care are two factors entailed in ObamaCare. This is where the elements of democracy - freedom, equality and solidarity once again come into play. Healthcare becoming more equally distributed directly deals with equality which is directly linked to solidarity and the sense of belonging or acceptance as those previously without healthcare are now in the…
I believe that the United States of America should adopt a system of Universal Healthcare and based on the Frontline program I believe that the Switzerland health care model would be the most palatable to Americans. I say this because Switzerland’s old system was most like the system we have now in the US with passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Switzerland had an uninsured rate of 5% before their referendum and here in the US, according to the obamacarefacts.com the US’s uninsured rate is 9.2% for the first quarter of 2015. (Obamacare Facts. (2015, August 13). Retrieved September 15, 2015, from http://obamacarefacts.com/?s=uninsured')…
Contrary to what many people believe, America’s health status is not quite “up-to-par,” to say the least. Over forty-seven million people in the United States lack health insurance; that is more than 15% of our nation’s population! At first this disturbing truth seems impossible to believe, being as America is one of the most technologically advanced and economically developed countries in the world. “We spend trillions of dollars per year on medical care. That’s nearly half of all the health dollars spent in the world. But we’ve seen our statistics. We live shorter, often sicker lives than almost every other industrialized nation. “We rank 30th in [global] life expectancy” (Adelman 2008). Knowing this brings rise to the question: why are Americans so sick? One can conclude that this must simply be related to individual health behaviors and choices. But is that really it? Do we just choose not to be healthy? Upon further investigation it is determined that this is far from true. Although it may be true for some, one cannot deem an entire countries health status as unsatisfactory by just the few. “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick (Episode 1: In Sickness and In Wealth),” a reputable PBS documentary, brings new light to the cause of America’s current health status. Through statistical and case-study related research it is determined that health status and social status show a direct correlation. Social status is comprised of economic and social factors that impact individual and communal health. These factors are referred to as the “social determinants of health” (Adelman 2008). The social determinants of health include: education, employment, income and race.…
Imagine living in a country where when you are sick or hurt, you pick up the phone, make an appointment with your family doctor, and go get medical attention without having to worry about paying for co-pays, deductibles, prescriptions or any other health care related expense. Does this scenario sound too good to be true? Some Americans are lucky enough to have insurance that pays for at least part of their medical bills, but there are people in the United States that do without healthcare because they cannot afford health insurance or doctor bills. When these people do have a non-emergency medical situation, they end up going to an emergency room for care, causing overcrowding and long wait times in our hospitals. Most civilized countries in the world offer citizens health coverage, whether they work or not. Everyone is treated equally without regard to his or her income, race, or beliefs. Why does the United States not offer this for its citizens? Even though universal health coverage would make health care available to everyone, the United States does not have universal health coverage because the majority of the citizens do not want it. Americans feel that if the United States had universal health coverage they would pay higher taxes, the government would be moving away from democracy, and the quality of healthcare could decline for patients.…
In 2009 a U.N. index has identified 44 nations as ranking very high in human development. Among these nations the U.S. ranks thirteenth, which may seem surprising (Makdisi 119). The reason for the U.S. ranking is due to our split spending on private sectors and the public, and no other nation expends our per capita amount. The U.S. has a high standard of living because of the healthcare program's set in place to improve the public health. Everyone is given the opportunity to have health insurance in the U.S.…
Do people believe the United States should prove free health care to everyone? Some people believe that the United States should provide a health care plan. People believe the health care should be affordable for everyone. That vaccinations should be affordable for everyone to purchase. The United States should provide a right to health care plan.…
The United States, as a leading developed country, is very attractive to many foreigners. Everyone dreams of coming to the United Sates to study or work. However, they are concerned about their health care while stay in the United States. The health care system in the United States is problematic. It is so extensive and complicated that it is almost impossible for the government to make everyone satisfied. Reformation of health care occurred many times in the history. President Bill Clinton tried to overhaul the health care system and failed. Before Clinton’s failure it had been Carter’s. Before Carter’s it had been Nixon’s.…
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (2011). In . Retrieved October 24, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act&oldid=456759152…