I believe that establishment of medical care across the developed world covers a broad spectrum of national policies and standards. The United States is the only developed nation in the world without universal health insurance. The majority of American citizens pay for and receive healthcare through private organizations. In other countries, a significant part of medical care is financed and provided by the public sector. Bodenheimer & Grumbach (2016) applied key issues for analyzing the health care systems, including “access to care, level of health expenditures, public satisfaction with health care, and the general quality of care” (p. 170). They examined the U.S. medical system in contrast to Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, which are considered more successful in managing health care costs. The passage of a national health insurance program ensures universal coverage, meaning that all the residents of the country are provided with health insurance.
In 2010, the United States attempted to increase the coverage to millions of uninsured people. It was the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA or “Obamacare.” The ACA implied that 32 million uninsured citizens would receive insurance coverage through Medicaid expansion and the individual mandate. In my opinion, such measures would not benefit illegal immigrants. The American public did not welcome the new reform since its enactment due to the problem of patient cost-sharing. Another reason that I find relevant is the role of interest groups that impact the political processes. The ACA was considered unable to generate crucial health care cost management. From my perspective, the political institutions of the U.S. complicate the legislation of major entitlement programs such as Obamacare. The absence of universal health insurance is closely linked to high costs in terms of history and economics as well. To this day, the Unites States keep pursuing a single-payer approach within a healthcare system.
Reference
Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2016). Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (7th ed.) McGraw-Hill Education.