In this paper, our task is to compare and contrast health care systems in such countries as the United States and the Republic of China. We have chosen these states because they differ significantly in terms of political and socio-economic structure, which immensely influences the functioning of medical institutions. In particular, it is necessary to mark out those features which are most conducive to the overall health of the population. Furthermore, we need to discuss those characteristics that are least effective toward comprehensive patient care. These are the major points of discussion.
While speaking about the American health care system, we should point out that it is believed to be the most financed one in the world at least according to the statistical data, published by WHO. This applies to both public and private medical organizations. They are able to find various sources of revenue, and this enables them to improve the quality of their services. In part, this is the reason why the health care system is viewed as the most innovative and modern in terms of technology. Overall, we can argue that Medicare in the United States is the most self-sufficient because to a certain extent it is market-based, and this principle of the free economy always imply competitiveness and customization, which is certainly beneficent to the countrys citizens.
Nonetheless, we should acknowledge that a customer-driven approach entails many adverse consequences. Namely, medical care has turned into some commodity or good, unaffordable to some layers of society. The major problem is that customization of the health care system can transform a medical worker into a mere shop assistant, who can treat patients in a biased or even prejudiced manner. As a result, the reputation of this profession has been tarnished as many public surveys indicate.
In sharp contrast, the Chinese health care system is predominantly state-driven, and it is fully dependent on the funding provided by the government. On the one hand, we should speak about the benefits of such an approach. The thing is that health care services are more accessible, which means that almost every person can obtain them irrespective of his or her financial status. Nevertheless, the control of the state gives rise to many problems, which Chinese people experience. First and foremost, it should be pointed out that hospitals in this country have fewer sources of profit and thus the quality of their work often leaves much to be desired. Moreover, Chinese citizens have to struggle against cumbersome bureaucratic apparatus. As a rule, every institution, which is under the jurisdiction of the government, can be characterized by bureaucracy, and this is arguably the major drawback of the Chinese health care system.
Therefore, having compared and contrasted American and Chinese health cares systems, we can conclude that they differ mostly in the way they are operated. The US. Style Medicare has much more resources either private or public whereas Chinese medical institutions are relying on the state, which makes it less efficient. Secondly, we should say that health service in the US is customer-driven, and to some degree, this commercializes the relationships between medical workers and patients.
Bibliography
- Anthony R. Kovner, James Knickman, Steven Jonas (2005). “Jonas and Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States”. Springer Publishing Company.
- Ofra Anson, Sun Shifang (2005). Health care in rural China: lessons from HeBei Province. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.