Us Healthcare Delivery Systems

Some of the key drivers affecting the U.S. healthcare delivery system are cost of care, increase in need for healthcare workers and the demographics and needs of the patients. An article written by Ed O’Neil states, “the first and most overwhelming factor will be the current cost of care. At greater than 16% of the nation’s total productive effort, the US approach to organizing and delivering health care services is the most expensive in the world in the aggregate and per person” (2008, p.1). Health care expenditures have seen a great increase throughout the years and there is much debate about what can be done to not only control the costs and to cut down the costs, but also how funding for health care will come into play. There is also an increased need for health care workers in the health care system as well. With the increase in demand for services, there is an increase in demand for workers as well. The demographics and needs of the patient are also changing due to the change in the population in America. This is also reflected in the overall increase in cost and the demand for more workers. Currently costs are increasing and expected to continue to rise if there are not changes made. Costs are a concern in not only the public health service system, but also in the private sector as well. In the private sector, there are many issues related to costs, on the provider side but the consumer side as well. In the book, Delivering Healthcare in America: A Systems Approach, it states, “The greatest challenge in insurance is maintaining a balance between healthy and sick enrollees” (2008, p. 569). Insurance companies and private medical coverage must make sure there is a balance of enrollees because having an unbalanced amount will lead to higher cost for the providers and will result in high cost for the consumer. Consumers also have high costs with high insurance coverage premiums, high co-pay amounts and high deductibles. There has also been growth in the

References: Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2008). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/from_the_director.hmtl. 2008, O’Neil, E.