The debates about the healthcare system that would embrace all communities not depending on people’s income have raged in the USA over decades. Today, with the pandemic on the march and healthcare bills steeply increasing, the debate is as bitter as ever. Many people believe that it would be better if the US adopted a universal healthcare system and made quality services accessible to all citizens with or without insurance. However, the US is not willing to give up on its healthcare system established throughout the years.
Under the US system, the quality of services provided directly depends on the level of insurance a person can afford. Healthcare services are relatively costly due to several factors: a high level of bureaucratic expenses, inadequate level of competition in the pharmaceutical industry, and high salaries of doctors and nurses (Braithwaite, 2018). The US healthcare system attracts a lot of investment, and many healthcare facilities are privately owned. By many, the US healthcare system is seen as a profitable industry that generates income through private payments by patients and insurance coverage (Braithwaite, 2018). These investors can be influential enough to lobby their interests in Congress and finally get what they want.
The other reason is that, in reality, few people understand how healthcare insurance works. In most cases, healthcare insurance is paid by the companies who assure their employees that they get the beat there is. The people are unaware of how the resources are allocated and what part of their money goes to bureaucratic costs. With a vast majority of hospitals and clinics, there is still no universal standard of how much this or that procedure must cost, and the clinics may ask as much as they want. Moreover, the insurance cartels spend vast amounts of money to influence the public and convince people that no changes to the system need to be introduced.
My home state is Charleston, SC and the level of healthcare available for different communities is very different. There are clinics for low-income and uninsured people that offer free medical services and dental care, and there are clinics for those who can afford better treatment. Looking at the services provided by clinics for different communities and their sources of funds, I will discuss the differences in the level of healthcare, which is directly influenced by the funding and recourse allocation within the area.
Cares Primary Care Clinic, Dream Center Clinic Network, and Fetter Health Care Network are among the well-known free clinics. These clinics provide free healthcare services for low-income families and are primarily engaged in primary healthcare services, including basic diagnostics, immunizations, family planning, and behavioral healthcare. For complex diagnostics and in cases where consultation of several healthcare specialists is needed, people are advised to seek outside consultation. The state finances these clinics, and the level of financing is relatively low. Moreover, it differs from year to year and is highly unstable. While these clinics do have a number of board-certified doctors and nurses, mostly, they rely on volunteering work done by medical students and non-medical volunteers. Thus, Cares Primary Care Clinic was started and is still operated by MUSC students whose primary aim is to learn about medical services at large and primary care in particular. The level of service at these clinics is much inferior to the one provided by private clinics.
Private clinics in Charleston, SC, largely rely on funding by insurance companies and out-of-pocket payments from patients and can afford a much better level of service. Investments and donations are a part of their funding; considering the variety of sources, their financial position is stable. They have a large staff of board-certified doctors and nurses who are often well-known specialists in this or that field. These clinics provide a wide range of services beyond primary care and usually have long-term care facilities within their structure. Often these clinics are specialized, and their staff provides in-depth consultations and comprehensive treatment in this or that medical area. The most well-known among these clinics are Palmetto Cardiovascular Thoracic Assoc PA, Sweetgrass Pediatrics, Upper Cervical Chiropractic of the low country, and others.
Reference
Braithwaite, J. (2018). Changing how we think about healthcare improvement. BMJ, 361.