America's Bitter Drill Analysis

Simultaneously, health and healthcare policy plays a tremendous role in the quality of life of every American. Likewise, by the government constantly interceding, health and healthcare is significantly influenced by the political climate and undertakings of administration; therefore creating a conflictual split between republicans and democrats. Health care is regarded as a product rather than a human right shaped by policymaking. Policies establish healthcare service stipulations, which are rooted in local, state, and federal statutes combined with landmark court decisions. Not only does policy focus on healthcare services; but, it also places a substantial emphasis on cost-efficiency and equality.

The United States health care system is unique among other advanced countries. This system does not have a central governing agency, it is delivered under imperfect market conditions, there are multiple players and payers, and there is no universal health care coverage (Shi & Singh, 2015, p. 9). In a time where healthcare reform is being discussed, it is important for the United States to consider what is proactive as well as what is failing the system. That is what Sick Around The World did; the documentary compared five other countries’ (United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland) healthcare systems to see how they stacked up against the United States.

T.R. Reid uses cost, quality, and choice to fully evaluate healthcare systems all around the world. As an American citizen, I have always thought our system was unfair. The poor suffer more than the rich for going to see a doctor for the same reason. In chapter one of The healing of America, T.R. Reid comments on how many Americans have also started to notice that the American healthcare system is not as great as we once thought. Not only is it unfair, but it is also expensive and unsuccessful (9). By looking at all the other countries’ healthcare systems, Reid would then be able to better pinpoint how America can better its health care system by taking portions of those health systems.

In The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, T.R. Reid, a Washington Post reporter and NPR commentator, compares the United States’ health care system to the systems of other industrialized democracies. In this journey, he analyzes costs, quality, and overall functioning of the different systems. Through his first hand experiences around the globe, Reid illustrates a variety of systems, emphasizing the changes America needs.

Carol Liebau discusses in her article, “ObamaCare Limits Patient Choice”, that hospitals such as Cedars-Sinai and the Mayo Clinic are high-priced and under competitive pressure because of Obamacare. Insurance corporations are in a larger hurry than ever to cut costs (Liebau). However, Americans are coming to realize that those hospitals aren't just thoughtless profit centers. They are pricey because they provide advanced medical care or they offer the specialized treatments that the most ill patients require. Many Americans who had plans they could afford and had access to leading healthcare providers, find that under ObamaCare, they are being excluded from high-quality care unless they want to pay much more for

Healthcare in the United States has reached a level of complexity which has perplexed Presidents, Congressional members and private industry for over a century (Palmer, 1999). While the healthcare system has evolved over the last century, policy decisions which have attempted to effectuate changes to cost, quality and access have been

Regulations that prevent insurance companies from participating in interstate commerce have caused competition to grow stagnant in the United States. This lack of competition has allowed the adoption of wasteful procedures by healthcare providers, which in turn passes the increased expenses back to the insurance companies. Therein, insurance costs increase, crippling consumer’s cash flow and quality of life. While healthcare costs continue to rise, people must scrutinize the current healthcare system.

Looking back at our former healthcare system, we see that it was far from flawless, some say it is due to the government, while others claim the health insurance and the healthcare system in general is to blame. So it 's no wonder that the healthcare system is constantly fluctuating. These fluctuations have let us to a system that was very flawed and in dire need of rectification. Furthermore, the health insurance market wasn’t readily accessible to the middle and lower class, due to high costs, bizarre prerequisites, and complicated terminology.

The United States is not acquiring 20 or even 30 percent better health care or outcomes than other countries do. While there are points of greatness, particularly at some of America’s prominent academic health foundations and in unified health care strategies, the quality is unequal. And quality is a problem that affects us all, whether rich or poor. Practically no matter how we calculate it, whether by life expectancy or by survival for particular diseases like asthma, heart disease or cancers; by the rate of medical errors; or merely by gratification with health care

(Weinstein, 2008)” The fear of being sued that is driving physicians to defensive medicine is dramatically increasing healthcare cost and threatens the success of health reform efforts,” says Dr. Manish Sethi, a researcher with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. (Goodnough, 2009)

Thesis statements: Healthcare should be viewed as a right not a privilege for some. Not all Americans are aware of the benefits of Universal Healthcare. It is time for our country to offer coverage for all of our society. Universal healthcare is a healthcare plan that allows all citizens be covered for care despite of earnings, race, age, sex or pre-existing conditions.

healthcare system preforms inadequately and is ranked 37th in the world next to countries who don’t have the advanced medicine or technology like the U.S. which is terrifying. Among the top wealthiest countries we are dead last and highest health expenditures according to common wealth fund. How is it possible that a country like ours that has all the technology in the world fall short in providing health care? The answer – money, America’s health care has become more of a business than a service. America has, become an over medicated country consumed by greed by private practice insurance and physicians. Unlike other countries where it’s a service provided to its citizens everybody is insured, everybody has access to quality health care at a low cost.

In The Truth About Health Care, David Mechanic the director of the Institute for Health explains how health care in America has evolved in ways that favor economic, professional, and political interest over the patients. Mechanic states “The United States spends significantly more per person on health care than any other country but the evidence shows that care is often poor and inappropriate” (27). Money has played a big role in medical care and the quest for profits has become dominant, making meaningful reforms difficult to achieve. This proves that despite expenditures of over 1.9 trillion dollars, health care services remain fragmented and uncoordinated. Mechanic examines the strengths and weaknesses of our system and how it was evolved. “The failure to provide universal health insurance is a long-standing theme in American health policy discussions and an embarrassment for the best financed health system in the world” (49). Loss of public trust in medicine, the tragic state of long-term care, and the relationship of mental health to health care are areas often neglected.

Our poor healthcare is not the only characteristic that sets America apart from other industrialized nations; our healthcare system also does. Despite our increasing wealth and presence in the global economy, as a recent Institute of Medicine report clearly states,“the United States is among the few industrialized nations in the world that does not guarantee access to healthcare for its population”. Our healthcare system has left 26% of the population, or 45

Health care is considered as one of the top priority in U.S. Healthcare works nothing like any market transactions. As a consumer, people are kept away from the real action that takes place between providers, hospitals, labs, drug companies and device manufacturers and the private and government entities that pay them. The same providers push Americans to newer and more expensive treatments, even when there is no evidence that these are much better than the previous one.