Health Care Delivery And The United States By Jonas And Kovner

Financial burdens greatly limit the system’s accessibility; however, many in the U.S. are unable to fully utilize either option. Census estimates from 1999 indicate that 43 million Americans live without health insurance even though 75 percent of them have a full-time job or live in a household with at least one member working full-time (Mueller, , 5) In addition to the totally uninsured, census estimates also reveal that approximately 42 million other people in the U.S. are underinsured. This means that they have some insurance, but are still unable to afford all of their needed prescriptions, tests, visits to physicians, or hospital

Money plays a huge role in access, therefore it is a vital issue to discuss. Within the current system, lack of money results in lack of health care, which leaves thousands of people without any health care coverage. Between 2001 and 2005, the number of people paying for health insurance increased 30%, however income only raised 3% (Health Care Problems). Adequate income is a necessity and unfortunately that is not present. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the average annual premium across the country is $16,000. Currently, the average annual income in the United States is $51,107. Mint Money Management suggests that about 4-6% of one’s total income should be spent on insurance, including life, disability, and health insurance. However, the averages in the United States show that the average person spends about 31% of their income on health insurance, which is not financially beneficial. When this rise in health insurance is not parallel to the inflation of income, innocent people are left without a method to achieve health care. There is a program for those who can’t afford health insurance out of pocket nor have access to it, and that is called Medicaid. Issues still exist with the program. There is only so much funding, which leaves many still uninsured. Additionally, people with Medicaid have difficulty

Despite the countless advanced in technology and the abundance of health care organization popping up all over the place, whether they are free standing clinics, hospitals, urgent cares or etc, many people still lack the ability to receive quality health care. This has become a concern throughout the world, but especially a more vocal concern for residents of the United States in the past few years. In this paper we will discuss the reasons preventing access to quality health care and how we can overcome the many obstacles that stand in our way to provide quality health care to many who lack it today.

The U.S. health care system faces challenges that indicate that the people urgently need to be reform. Attention has rightly focused on the approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured, and on the many insured Americans who face rapid increases in premiums and out-of-pocket costs. As Congress and the Obama administration consider ways to invest new funds to reduce the number of Americans without insurance coverage, we must simultaneously address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. To do otherwise casts doubt on the feasibility and sustainability of coverage expansions and also ensures that our current health care system will continue to have large gaps even for those with access to insurance coverage.

Health care reform in the United States is a hot topic and the source of legislation meant to make health care obtainable to Americans. Recent presidential elections have been platforms used to promote health care reform yet no one can agree on what the resolution will be. This paper will discuss ways recent health care reform measures have expanded or inhibited access to health care. This paper will discuss how changes to access may lead to influences in utilization. Concepts of what universal health care may be and how current care reflects or contrasts

The United States’ access to health care services is limited. Access is granted only to individuals who have health insurance through their employers, (market justice), or are covered under a government health care program, (social justice). Some can afford to buy insurance with their own private funds and can pay for services privately (Shi, L. 2010, pg. 16).

In 2005, the federal government considered the poverty level as an annual income of approximately $20,000 for a family of four. If we consider families with incomes between 100% and 200% of the poverty level (between $20,000 and $40,000 annually), the rate of uninsured families is a staggering 33%. For families with incomes between 40,000 and 60,000 dollars annually, the uninsured rate is still about 16%. How do these figures translate into access to healthcare? In 2005, a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 31% of the uninsured had no regular source of health care, 35% postponed needed care due to lack of money and insurance, and 36% spent less on basic needs to pay for health care. Parents with children comprise about a quarter of the total uninsured population. Women are disproportionately represented – 20% of women ages 18 to 64 have no health insurance. That figure rises to 38% for Hispanic women. With such statistics, is it any wonder that we rank 46th in life expectancy and have high rates of infant mortality?

Under a free-market system, health care is characterized in three ways – cost, access, and quality. In the United States, a mixed economic system that favors a free market system, health care is characterized as high cost, low access, and high quality. As such, these dichotomies pose an imperfect, inefficient scenario – the high cost and low access of health care lead people to not purchase insurance, while the high quality of health care drives people to still receive health care services. As a result, millions of Americans are currently uninsured, yet still utilizing various health care services, and are unable to pay their medical bills. This poses yet another conundrum - how can uninsured individuals receive medical care without paying for it? More importantly, who ends up paying for these services? Having recognized this gap between receiving medical care and paying for medical care,

Healthcare in America is a tricky thing, most people have it but should they pay or should the government pay for subsidized or free healthcare. "Universal healthcare is the practical road to health care reform in terms of improved quality and cost containment" (Kingson 6 of 9) Kingston states. We say we're one of the best nation but "The United States is one of the few developed nations that has not implemented nationalized healthcare" (Kingson 1 of 9). We have on of the best army's and some of the best cheese. When the house talks about how healthcare spending will negatively affect the top 1% but Harrop confirms "What about the rich? All this conservative talk about "redistributing wealth" ignores this reality: Every time medical spending

With this definition, it’s easy to see that health care reform impacts the economics of health care in many ways. The most significant change is the decrease in health care disparities between those with private insurance and those with limited or no coverage. The ACA brings much-needed resources to those underserved groups. Even with the Medicare/Medicaid expansion and the addition of Marketplace insurance, disparities still exist. In my unit, patients with private health care can often not schedule their procedures immediately, while those with Molina and Care Source must try conservative therapy first. Overall, levels of disparity are improving, but the two health care delivery systems are not yet equal. Lawmakers should consider universal health care to provide equal access to health care for all citizens. Other examples of how health care reform affects health care economics include focusing on preventative care, moving from the fee-for-service model to one in which the provider is paid based on quality, efficiency, and value of care given, developing accountable care organizations in which health care networks and physicians join to deliver improved care at a lower cost, and incorporating a universal EHR which decreases costs by decreasing errors and decreasing the duplication of services (Ballotpedia, n.d.). Next year, Ohioans may feel

Ahmed, Lemkau, Nealeigh, & Mann (2001), focused their study on problems facing non-elderly Americans attempting to access health care. In particular, their research shows that there is a correlation between greater access to care and better health status, along with reduced hospitalization rates. This is strong testimony for the need to remove barriers to care. Barriers encountered in this study were lack of telephone, transportation issues, and difficulty taking time off work to obtain care to name a few.

A person’s ability to access healthcare services has a significant effect of his or her health, yet 1 in 4 Americans do not have access to primary care providers who they can receive preventive care services or regular health services (Healthy People 2020, 2014). Approximately 1 in 5 Americans (i.e. approximately 48 million in 2012, OECD, 2014) do not have medical insurance (including children and adults under the age of 65). The ability to access healthcare services is linked to social, economic and environmental factors. A lack of medical services in rural and remote areas, shortage of healthcare professionals, cost of medical coverage, lack of transportation, communication barriers, etc. all have a profound effect of a person’s ability to access healthcare services. According to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (2012), the percentage of individuals’ age under 65 without insurance decreased 0.6%, differences in rates of health insurance exists by race and ethnicity and level of education. In an attempt to improve the nation’s access to healthcare services, one provision of the Affordable Care Act implemented in 2013 provides additional Medicaid funding for states providing low cost access to preventative

The implementation of the health care reform law has yielded the largest reduction in the aim for uninsured for the last couple of decades. But, while the uninsured rates have decline access to care has now become a prevalent issue. “ The expansion of coverage is not an expansion of actual care and this distinction is becoming very clear’ Heritage ( 2014) Access to

In understanding some of the reasons health care in American is so expensive, one reason centers around cost. In the United States, when a person has a doctor's visit, it cost more than when someone in Mexico goes to the doctor. In part, has to do with the price per unit of health care in the United States. Everything from imaging scans to prescription drugs, nearly everything costs more when it is prescribed in America. Take for example the heartburn medication Nexium. In researching the cost, here in America Nexium cost $215 and $23 in the Netherlands. Nearly all other countries have some form of price controls. These other countries government negotiates with drug companies and device makers for lower prices. Thus, the government has the

US health care expenditures have been rising quickly over the past few years; it has risen more than the national financial system. Nonetheless a number of citizens in the US still lack appropriate health care. If the truth be told, health care expenditures are going to continue to increase; in addition numerous individuals will possibly have to make difficult choices pertaining to their health care. Our health system has grave problems that require reform, through reforming, there is optimism that there will be an increase in affordable health care and high-quality of care for America. Medicaid, Medicare and private sector insurances are all going through trials and tribulations because of