Introduction
The proponent of this study will examine three articles. The first one is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ report to the U.S. Congress (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2003). The second one is a report generated by the combined efforts of the AARP Public Policy Institute and Urban Institute (Smolka & Caswell, 2013). Finally, the third article is from the Washington Post (Bahrampour & Kahn, 2014).
Different Points of View
All three articles are in agreement with regards to the need to improve the health care delivery system in the United States of America. However, the similarity ends there. The three articles focused on different aspects of the health care problem. The Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) focused on the challenges related to the supply and demand issue health care workers. The AARP Public Policy Institute and Urban Institute focused on the impact of the Affordable Care Act. The Washington Post article focused on the socio-economic impact of the high cost of health care.
Experts and Astute Observers
The article from the HRSA was created by experts. They are experts when it comes to conducting scientific research. The people responsible for creating the said report were adept in using statistics and other scientific measurements. They manifested their expertise through the type of language used, and the techniques that they utilized to drive home the intended message of the article. A similar comment can be made regarding the article that was created through the collaboration of the AARP and the Urban Institute. However, a different commentary must be made with regards to the article from the Washington Post. In this particular case, the newspaper reporters were not experts in the field of health care. Nevertheless, they were astute observers. The said news reporters were able to describe the impact of high health care costs using a language that ordinary people understands.
Underlying Assumptions
Aside from the shared agreement regarding the problematic state of the American health care system, all articles share the underlying assumption that the complicated issue requires greater attention from public officials and other stakeholders. In other words, it will take a long time to solve the problem. In addition, the problem will require extensive participation from all sectors of society. It will also require greater expenses and greater involvement of the Federal government. The authors described the seriousness of the problem from their respective vantage points.
Depth of Discussion
The report from the HRSA was an in depth discussion of the supply and demand challenges in the context of the health care industry. The HRSA cited numerous studies, such as, the report from the Committee on Manpower for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Societies, and the American Medical Association. However, the report from the AARP and the Urban Institute only provided an overview of the issue. This assertion was made after studying the generalizations made by the authors of the said report. They made their conclusions after studying the outcome of the surveys. It can be argued that a more in-depth analysis of the impact of the Affordable Health Care Act is the more appropriate approach in order to learn more about this particular health care challenge. The same thing can be said about the article from the Washington Post. However, this is expected considering the nature of the newspaper article.
Learning Outcome
The proponent of this study was able to experience a deeper appreciation of the extent of the health care issue in America. The three articles mentioned earlier provided an insight into different sectors of society. Thus, it was made clear that the enormity of the problem does not only bother the ordinary individual. The health care issue is a tremendous burden even to the most powerful citizens of this country. The most important revelation based on the review of the three reports concerns the rapid decline of the health of Americans. Thus, it is not prudent to simply focus on the failure of the health care delivery system. Americans must also adopt healthier lifestyles.
Personal Perspective
The downward spiral of the American health care system is made clear from the assessment of different sources of data. Americans are contending with high health care costs and inefficient delivery systems. At the same time there is a looming crisis with regards to the supply and demand of health workers. It does not come as a surprise why the United States hire nurses from foreign countries. The presence of nurses imported from Asia and India is proof that the American health care system struggles to deal with high turnover rates.
It has to be made clear that the government and other stakeholders are doing their best to solve the health care mess. However, an overview of the issue, and the assessment of available information gleaned from several sources seem to suggest that there is no significant change to rectify the problem. As the population ages, the health care system will stretch to the breaking point. This is the reason why Americans must look beyond the issues of health care costs, and the inefficiency of the health care delivery system in this country. It is now time to consider alternative solutions, such as, the adoption of healthier lifestyles, and the establishment of programs geared towards disease prevention.
References
Bahrampour, T. & Kahn, N. (2014). As Americans age, families are critical to nation’s health-care system. Web.
Health Resources and Services Administration. (2003). The critical care workforce: A study of the supply and demand for critical care physicians. Web.
Smolka, G. & Caswell, K. (2013). Monitoring the impact of health reform on Americans: Use of insurance marketplaces. Web.