Introduction
The U.S. is the 3rd largest nation in the world next to Russia and Canada. The total population of the United States is approximately to be 294 million people. The United States has a number of both publicly and privately financed insurance plan whose purpose is the provision of health care services to the citizens, (Aaron A., 2004). This nation spends the largest percentage of its GDP in the provision of health care in comparison to other countries, this is the highest.
The United States, however, is the only industrialized, wealthy country that does not provide a universal system of health. Eighty-four percent of the citizens in the States have been covered by health insurance which is purchased by the individuals, granted by the government, or provided by their employer. The number of American citizens who live without this insurance is approximately to be 15.3% or 45.7 million people.
Analysis of Health Care in the United States
The United States is not renowned for having one of the best systems of health care worldwide, rather the U.S. is known for its best system in emergency care worldwide. The advanced medical technology in the United States has not transformed into better care for the citizens of the U.S., rather the States is ranked close to the bottom of the list when compared internationally. Partly, in the United States, it’s more profitable to cure diseases than prevent them. In addition, America is well known for its inequality levels in income and poverty among all the developed nations.
The quality of care in u. s raises concern among many people. Any patient who has adequate insurance cover and patients who reside at appropriate locations have access to the best care there is in the world. The patients are able to access tertiary care hospitals that are fully equipped with modern facilities for the purposes of diagnosis as well as treatment. This system unfortunately is not uniform in regard to the quality of health care. It highly varies depending on the location, insurance type, and quality.
The patients who come from the rural parts of the United States experience serious problems, (Grzeskowiak M. 2008). For one, they lack adequate personnel to provide health care, they do not have medical insurance cover, and where they do it is not adequate. The unfortunate patients who are not insured can access ER but they thereafter receive little follow-up care or no care at all.
The cost of health in the United States has been rising over the years. The government allocates the largest part of its health care budget to hospitals. In comparison to other services provided by these hospitals, the amount of money spent on drugs prescription has been increasing by the day.
The quality of the care is however notably good. On the other hand, there is a variation in the quality of health care in the country’s urban cities and the remote and rural. There have been concerns about the intensity of funding by the government as well as on the overall quality of the services provided. The provision of health care in the U.S. is facing imminent challenges like extended delays in the seeking of health care, sharing the cost of uninsured patients, poor coordination in health care, and parity in mental health among other issues.
Factors that make health care a significant social problem
Parity in mental health: Despite the fact that the highest cause of disability in the U. S. is mental illness, America lacks a system that covers mental health. Over the years, it has been feared that approximately less than a half of patients with mental illnesses are able to receive treatment as a result of eminent factors like the inability to access the much-needed care and stigma.
The uninsurable and medical underwriting: To purchase a medical cover in the states, people are often required to undergo underwriting. The insurance companies before taking the risk screen the residents for any pre-existing conditions, (Aaron A., 2004). Consequently, some of the people with such conditions fail to get the much-needed cover. Citizens with conditions like heart diseases, cancer, and arthritis.
Health inequality among the minority groups: People from the minority communities like Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans are affected by disparities in care. In comparison to the white people, these groups are more prone to poorer outcomes in health, chronic diseases as well as higher mortality rates.
Poorly coordinated care: Doctors in primary care are supposed to be the entry point for the majority of the patients who require care. This is however not the case in the United States, due to the fragmented system of health care. In addition, it has been noted that there has been deterioration in the doctor-patient relationship.
Concepts that are currently looking promising at addressing the problems
- The establishment of a benefit plan for Medicare
- Approval of drugs for efficacy and safety
- High salaries for clinical staff and other health professionals
- The use of professionals at a lesser cost
- Potential unforeseen social problems that may arise with the solutions under consideration
Potential unforeseen social problems that may arise with the solutions under consideration
The cost of health care may rise even more than it is presently. The cost of drugs is already an issue, particularly to old people. If the benefit plan for Medicare is affected, it will only have some limited benefits since it is not widely accepted, ( Krugman P., Wells R., 2006). The approval of drugs for efficacy and safety will not regulate their price or even the therapeutic duplication. The distributors of such approved drugs in the U. S. have the full discretion of the prices to be charged.
Conclusion
The issues raised about the system of health care in the U.S affect the access of care by the citizens. Though the country has been rated among the most developed countries of the world, its system needs to be addressed such that the citizens have equal access to medical care.
References
Aaron A., (2004); Class and a Chance for Life in Inequality and Justice, Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago.
Grzeskowiak M. (2008); Health care in Canada. Web.
Krugman P., Wells R., (2006); The Health Care Crisis and What to Do About It, New York Review of Books.