The Achievability of Universal Healthcare Coverage Case Studies of Mexico and Rwanda In this paper I use a case-study approach to discuss the feasibility of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in low and middle-income countries. First, I define UHC and contextualize it within the goals of a health system. Then, I describe healthcare reforms aimed at achieving UHC in one middle-income country—Mexico—and one low-income country—Rwanda. Through these descriptions, I attempt to identify common patterns that promote UHC by analyzing three dimensions of healthcare reform: the contextual factors; the health services design, implementation, and evaluation; and the financing. Defining Health System Goals and Universal Health Coverage There are many different frameworks to define the purpose of a health system, many of which contain very similar concepts.1 For purposes of this paper, I use the health system goals described by Murray and Frenk.2 Murray and Frenk define three intrinsic goals of a healthcare system: 1) health, 2) responsiveness (respect for persons and client satisfaction), and 3) fair financing.2 For these goals, both averages and distributions are important.2,3 For example, it is not enough for a healthcare system if the average health of a population is good, but the level of health is poor in some subpopulations. The goal of the healthcare system is also equal distribution of health outcomes. UHC is an approach by which a healthcare system may achieve the goals
The healthcare system in each country is intended to meet the best possible medical services needs of its citizens. One country’s healthcare system can vary from another. This is according to their administration strategy, training, education, technology, and spending plan. Social, economic, political, and physical parts of the nation also play huge role in defining a country’s healthcare system. There are many similarities in the delivery of medical services between United States and Nepal. For the middle class people, affording a good healthcare system is still an unresolved issue of these two countries. The issue of financing the system of healthcare has been the biggest challenge to the government of Nepal, and it is similar to the Medicare and Medicaid programs in the United States. Although Nepal and the United States have similarities in healthcare system, they also equally share significant differences in providers, spending and the medical professionals. Some people consider that the healthcare system in the U.S. is superior.
Currently the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world and some 45 million Americans are uninsured under the current health system, these numbers continues to grow. Using the theory of an Utilitarianism perspective and developing a single-payer system such as universal health care all Americans could enjoy equal access to quality health care. The single-payer system will provide tools to manage health spending more effectively and ensure health care for everyone. If the United States would follow the blueprint of other developed nations who have successfully implemented universal health care coverage it would protect citizens from high medical premiums, co-payments and give everyone access to equal health care. In the United States people go without health coverage, it is a problem that needs to be resolved, yet we remain one of the last developed countries to implement universal health care coverage. Despite efforts to enact polices for
In The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care (2009), the author of the book, T.R. Reid travels to industrialized democracies to discuss the different methods of health care delivery system used in these developed countries and compare them to the health care system of the United States. According to T.R. Reid (2009), “the thesis of this book is that we can find cost-effective ways to cover every American by borrowing ideas from foreign models of health care” (Reid, 2009, p. 11). This thesis illustrates that the American health care system can manage health care costs effectively and provide care to all by using some of the successful health care delivery models of foreign nations. The purpose of this book analysis is to discuss the four different health care models presented in this book and provide my prioritization or ranking of these models. This analysis also aims to investigate a case known as the Nikki White case described in this book and discuss the lessons learned from it. Furthermore, this analysis is going to provide my remarks on the, “An Apple a Day” comment relative to the Public Health Model. Lastly, in this book analysis, I will share my conclusion on the basic premise of the book along with my take away messages that I will remember into my future as a Public Health professional.
Universal Healthcare sounds appealing, but it actually lowers the quality and quantity of healthcare services that are rendered to patients, thus downgrading the healthcare system as a whole. Not having to pay, with everyone having coverage leads to longer wait times for medical service and many people overusing health care services. Implementation of Universal Healthcare in the United States would lead to a detrimental crippling of the nation’s health system. For those countries that have implemented Universal Healthcare or a system similar to it, all or most aspects of the coverage such as cost and care is generally provided by and tightly controlled by the government, a public-sector committee, or employer-based programs, with most of the funding essentially coming from tax revenues or budget cuts in other areas of spending. This paper will conclude with comparing the US healthcare system to others and how the US has one of the most advanced systems in the world.
Increasing healthcare costs without a corresponding increase in health outcomes is something the United States has been dealing with for years. In fact, it is estimated that thousands of individuals die every year due to errors (To Err is Human, 2000). Finding a way to reign in those costs and increase health outcomes has been a hotly debated topic in United States politics. With the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) there is now a sense that containing costs maybe on the horizon. This paper will focus on the Triple Aim model to improving health outcomes. It will breakdown implementation of Triple Aim, define the key element population health, and provide an example of a Triple Aim success story.
A Health care system of any country is an important consideration for the purposes of the overall development. One of the most important and essential feature of the human body is the health and the systems. In the same manner, proper management is also necessary. Furthermore, all the countries of the world have few targets and achievements to be made. On the other hand, it should also be noted down that, economic development and social welfare the two most are the two important factors. Economic welfare is connected with the increase in the wealth of the people at large (Niles, 2011).
Health care systems are highly complex and require vast resources. Moreover, providing healthcare coverage to all citizens can be challenging for many countries. Different models and theories abound all over the world about how best to provide care and only the most developed countries have adequate resources to truly provide universal coverage to their citizens.
Increasing healthcare costs without a corresponding increase in health outcomes is something the United States has been dealing with for years. In fact, it is estimated that thousands of individuals die every year due to errors (To Err is Human, 2000). Finding a way to reign in those costs and increase health outcomes has been a hotly debated topic in United States politics. With the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) there is now a sense that containing costs maybe on the horizon. This paper will focus on the Triple Aim model for improving health outcomes. It will breakdown implementation of Triple Aim, define the key element population health, and provide an example of a Triple Aim success story.
There are two main distribution principle regarding health care in the United States. The first being social justice, and the second being market justice. The delivery system has continued to undergo periodic changes, mainly in response to concerns with cost, access, and
Have you ever thought about how many people in the world suffer from diseases but can’t afford to be taken care of? 45,000 people die annually in the U.S. alone because of their lack of healthcare. Well, with universal healthcare, this can definitely help change this all around. I am able to inform you on this possible implementation because I have done extensive research through study of political stand points and geographically for a prior research assignment as well as knowledge from the media and government on this topic. With this plan in action, people all around the country don’t have to suffer from disease simply because they are poor. I will tell you all about our current healthcare system and why it needs to change, what universal
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.
One of the major problems facing our country today is the healthcare crisis. The inequality in our current healthcare system has created a huge gap in the difference between the level and the quality of healthcare that different people receive. Having an improved and reliable health care system available for everyone should be a priority that the government must make available. There are countries whose health care system meets the needs of the patients while there are countries whose health care systems need a great amount of overhaul for them to be able to attend to their patients. In this essay I will discuss the healthcare crisis and the differences in many countries
With the focus on these five areas, Governments in each country are creating health systems that aim to provide services that are affordable, equitable and accessible. To achieve a sustainable health system, cooperation and participation of all health care providers is vital. This will work towards WHO’s goal of achieving “better health for all”
Currently, the issue of health insurance has been a bone of contention for the public regarding whether the United States government should provide this health plan or not. People often possess different perspectives and refer to pros and cons on both sides of the spectrum. While some believes a universal healthcare system will set a foundation for a lower quality of service, increasing governmental finance deficit, and higher taxes, others do not hold the same thought. A universal healthcare system brings enormous advantages rather than disadvantages, such as all-inclusive population coverage, convenient accessibility, low time cost, and affordable medical cost, all of which not only provide minimum insurance to the disadvantaged but also improve the efficiency of medical resources distribution.
According to the United States census Bureau 47.9 million persons in the US which is approximately 15.4% of the entire US population, in 2012 lacked health insurance. Mexico and the US are the only nations of the thirty-four member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that do not provide their citizens with universal health care. On the other hand, health care right should be provided to any person in the developed world and no one should be excluded from it. Universal health care would enhance public health, put an end to medical bankruptcies, minimize overall spending in healthcare, assist small businesses as well as the fact that health care must be a crucial service offered by the government (Mangan, 2014).