U.s. Health Care System

The first characteristic of the US health care system is that there is no central governing agency which allows for little integration and coordination. While the government has a great influence on the health care system, the system is mostly controlled through private hands. The system is financed publically and privately creating a variety of payments and delivery unlike centrally controlled healthcare systems in other developed countries. The US system is more complex and less manageable than centrally controlled health care systems, which makes it more expensive. The second characteristic of the US health care system is that it is technology driven and focuses on acute care. With more usage of high technology,

In 2014, Americans choosing private insurance accounted for 66 percent of the U.S. residents (55.4% from employers, 14.6 percent acquired insurance directly) (The Commonwealth Fund, 2016). For public programs, 36.5 percent of Americans are covered. 16 percent of individuals receive coverage from Medicare, 19.5 percent receive coverage from Medicaid, and 4.5 percent are covered under the military (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2014, 33 million Americans were uninsured, taking up 10.4 percent of the population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014).

If you combine the fifty-five million who have been uninsured in a given year with the additional thirty million Americans who are under-insured, you get to a total of eighty-five million Americans with inadequate protection against the cost of illness" (Blumenthal, 2014)

In the United States, there are many health insurance offered in the market for its citizens. Either through their employer or in the private market where coverage in not guaranteed and if you have a pre-existing condition, you will likely be denied. As private insurances soars, high premiums becoming unaffordable in the US, having the healthcare system failing to cover over 46 million Americans and leaving millions uninsured leading to bankruptcy (Palfreman, 2009). As most of the developed countries have removed the dependence of the health insurance

The number of Americans who do not have health insurance has grown rapidly over the years. The high cost of premiums implemented by insurance companies is regarded as one of the leading causes of this problem. Some people are not financially competent to purchase the insurance they need due to these prices. However, the PPACA health care reform assures to make health insurance coverage available to people who are legal residents of the US. Proof of insurance coverage is compulsory of all Americans while insurers are free to charge what they want. Coverage is universal under the new law, and it demands that all Americans obtain coverage. As of this year millions of

Regardless of the range of programs available in the United States, it is estimated that as many as 48.6 million citizens, or 15.7% of the populace, remain without health coverage (U.S. Department of Commerce). Citizens obtain health coverage from employers, 55.1%, while government administered programs cover 32.2%.

How many times have you heard, America has the best health care system in the world? This may be partially true however, Americans are paying the most for health care in the world. Actually, many wonder whether we 'd be better off adopting a universal health care system. The Unites States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care for its citizens. Many feel the health care system either costs too much, covers too little and virtually makes it impossible to obtain. Somewhere down the road many Americans have seemed to inherit a unique ideology, that health care must be “earned,” no matter how much or how little control a person has over their health status? There is a dark stigma among some that truly

The U.S. health care system faces challenges and it is urgent that the American people become aware of these challenges. There are approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured, and many insured Americans who face rapid increases in premiums have to pay out-of-pocket costs. As Congress and the Obama administration consider ways to invest new funds to reduce the number of Americans without insurance coverage, people must address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. If something is not done soon, there will be many more who will not have health care coverage that is affordable or they will be without coverage altogether.

The United States is the only industrialized nation without Universal healthcare coverage. It is privatized with low level of government involvement, however most Americans will receive their coverage through private health insurance, such as employers and individuals leaving over 47.5 Americans without coverage ("Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally,"2014). The US sets age and income requirement in order for health care coverage which only leads to an enormous amount of the population without health coverage. This leads to many

It’s time that people know the truth about the American health care system and the harsh realities that come from associating with a free market health care system. We should also know about the different health care system offered in other industrialized countries. The Documentary “Sicko” shows us the lives of many people American and Non-American and their experiences with healthcare / health services ranging from U.S, Canada, France, England and Cuba. In all these countries, the only one that requires its citizens to pay for health care is the U.S. Health care in the U.S is dominated by the free market and private enterprise / HMO organizations and their thirst for profits, because of this I feel like health care should be owned by the

The United States health care system is the most expensive in the world. It spends

The United States health care system may be unique in being a true melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and races. Health care and maintenance of one’s health is a necessity of life, regardless of ethnic, social, or cultural background. The cultural landscape of America is a constantly changing as evidenced by some projections stating by the year 2045 that non-Hispanic Caucasians will represent less than 50% of the U.S. population for the first time (Alba, 2015). However, this estimate may actually be inaccurate due to the numerous American families that already incorporate multiple racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. Nurse anesthetists that provide anesthesia for surgery are exposed to a myriad of cultures and all the differences that come with them. These many differences may affect how an anesthetist interacts with their patients, may cause a simple procedure to become a more challenging one, or it may also affect an anesthetist own beliefs and how that approach a case.

The United States and the United Kingdom are very different countries. They have fish n’ chips, we have a burger and fries. They drink tea and we drink coffee. They follow football and we follow (American) football. In terms of healthcare, we are still just as different. The United States healthcare is run by private sectors and the United Kingdom healthcare system is run by the government. People are able to make money off of insurance companies in the U.S. and you can’t make money off the healthcare system of the U.K.. This is why, economically speaking, the United States healthcare system is better. In terms of economics, the United States is a better healthcare system because how it is run.

There are more than 43 million people right now in the U.S. that live below the poverty line (Poverty Talk, 2016). There are 43 million Americans who struggle to make ends meet, provide for their families, and receive adequate health care. Those under the poverty line have a difficult time maintaining specific needs; I am especially interested in the effect that socioeconomic status has on the health of an individual, particularly those in a lower socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status focuses on either an individual or a group within a hierarchical social structure; it focuses on a combination of variables including occupation, education, income, wealth, and place of residence (Dictionary, 2005). The variables I will mainly be focusing on are income and wealth. While most working Americans have their healthcare paid for by employers, what about the 4.9% of unemployed Americans? The American health care system works on two different plans, Medicaid and Medicare, these plans were designed with the elderly, disabled, poor, and young in mind; I will be focusing specifically on factors of health for those with little to no income. Access to healthcare is another important factor that has a direct relationship to overall health of an individual. Research has shown that those with a lower socioeconomic status have a lower overall physical and mental health. The argument can be made that health is directly impacted by socioeconomic status with income being the biggest

Health care systems are organizations that are formed to meet the overall health needs of the population. Health care is regarded as one of the leading cause in promoting not only physical and mental health but the well-being of the population. Legislation is implemented requiring government to offer services to all members of its society. The role of health services and the organizations that provide aid is to focus on the health of an individual and to uphold their human rights. According to WHO (2013), a “well-functioning health care system requires a robust financing mechanism, a well-trained and adequately-paid workforce, reliable information on which to base decisions and policies, and well maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies (World Health Organization; 2013).