Health Care System In The United States

The cost of healthcare has and will continue to rise in the United States. Some factors that contribute to those hikes are due to the consumer demanding more complex services from health care providers. Things such as new technology, equipment, research and testing procedures, along with pharmacy, and the number of uninsured are all dynamics of the increased cost in health care. The U.S. health care system relies heavily on third-party payers; these payers include commercial insurers and the Federal and state governments. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, the National Health Expenditure grew 3.6% to $2.9 trillion in 2013, or $9,255 per person, and accounted for 17.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Id.

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.

In recent years, health care has been a huge topic in public debates, legislations, and even in deciding who will become the next president. There have been many acts, legislations, and debates on what the country has to do in regards to health care. According to University of Phoenix Read Me First HCS/235 (n.d.), “How health care is financed influences access to health care, how health care is delivered, the quality of health care provided, and its cost”.

2008 was an election year and also the year Frontline’s program, Sick Around the World was made. A big topic pertaining to the election year was healthcare reform. How were the presidential candidates going to “fix” the U.S. health care system that is supposedly the best in the world? At the time of this program, the U.S. was 37th in the world in terms of fairness and quality (Palfreman, 2008). Other rich countries were ahead of this U.S. in this ranking but were spending a lot less. Frontline’s reporter, T.R. Reid traveled to 5 different countries to examine their health care systems on how this was possible and hopefully come away with any ideas that could potentially help with the U.S. health care system.

Health care systems are organizations that are formed to meet the overall health needs of the population. Health care is regarded as one of the leading cause in promoting not only physical and mental health but the well-being of the population. Legislation is implemented requiring government to offer services to all members of its society. The role of health services and the organizations that provide aid is to focus on the health of an individual and to uphold their human rights. According to WHO (2013), a “well-functioning health care system requires a robust financing mechanism, a well-trained and adequately-paid workforce, reliable information on which to base decisions and policies, and well maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies (World Health Organization; 2013).

The U.S. health care system faces challenges and it is urgent that the American people become aware of these challenges. There are approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured, and many insured Americans who face rapid increases in premiums have to pay 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, people must address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. If something is not done soon, there will be many more who will not have health care coverage that is affordable or they will be without coverage altogether.

The United States health care system is one of the most expensive health care systems in the world, yet ranks last in performance when compared to other wealthy countries health systems. Among those countries the United Kingdom ranks number one because it is more effective and accessible. The United Kingdom’s universal coverage allows for a higher performance of quality care, access and efficiency as compared to the US which ranks at the bottom of the list due to its absence of universal health care. The United Kingdom spends around “$3,405 per person” whereas the “United States spends around $8,508” ("Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally," 2014) yet still fails to succeed in providing efficient health care to many Americans.

The first characteristic of the US health care system is that there is no central governing agency which allows for little integration and coordination. While the government has a great influence on the health care system, the system is mostly controlled through private hands. The system is financed publically and privately creating a variety of payments and delivery unlike centrally controlled healthcare systems in other developed countries. The US system is more complex and less manageable than centrally controlled health care systems, which makes it more expensive. The second characteristic of the US health care system is that it is technology driven and focuses on acute care. With more usage of high technology,

The United States health care system may be unique in being a true melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and races. Health care and maintenance of one’s health is a necessity of life, regardless of ethnic, social, or cultural background. The cultural landscape of America is a constantly changing as evidenced by some projections stating by the year 2045 that non-Hispanic Caucasians will represent less than 50% of the U.S. population for the first time (Alba, 2015). However, this estimate may actually be inaccurate due to the numerous American families that already incorporate multiple racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. Nurse anesthetists that provide anesthesia for surgery are exposed to a myriad of cultures and all the differences that come with them. These many differences may affect how an anesthetist interacts with their patients, may cause a simple procedure to become a more challenging one, or it may also affect an anesthetist own beliefs and how that approach a case.

The quality of and lack of healthcare in the United States has been a major issue and in fact a major failing in terms of keeping the society healthy. This paper relates to the lack of good health care for many people based on the insurance companies' unfavorable policies. It also delves into the Affordable Care Act and how that legislation is designed to remedy some of the unfair policy and other flaws in the commercial health insurance industry.

The U.S. health care system faces challenges and it is urgent that the American people become aware of these challenges. There are approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured, and many insured Americans who face rapid increases in premiums have to pay 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, people must address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. If something is not done soon, there will be many more who will not have health care coverage that is affordable or they will be without coverage altogether.

A majority of concerned individuals have often perceived the United States to be at the verge of national health reform. Over the past few years, the cost of healthcare has been on the rise because over forty-six million Americans are still uninsured. On the other hand, millions more experience under-insurance while other worry that they are not appropriately insured. The quality of healthcare in this country has been under scrutiny because the United States is viewed as one of the most developed countries in the world. Major problems surrounding the state of health came into the limelight in 2008 during the presidential campaigns. The costs of healthcare were among the major issues presented in many debates. It is undeniable to state that the United States has been on the brink of many national health reforms as early as the 19th

Is it possible for two countries which are thousands of kilometers away from each other to have some similarities in their health care system? Health care system is one of the most important and fundamental sectors in any country or region all around the world. Many countries pour a major amount of their overall income to support the health care system. And the main reason behind this tremendous effort provided by the countries all around the world for the health care system is that each country wants to provide a good and high standard health care services for all the population occupying the land whether they were local citizens or Non- local citizens . This essay will compare and contrast the health care system in two wonderful countries:

A health care system is the association of institutions related to people's health and resources. It delivers health services in order to meet the health needs of the targeted populations (Nigam, 2011). There is a wide variation in the world of how different nations organize their health care systems, with almost all nations having differing health care organizational structures. Planning in some countries for health care distributes to those participating in markets. In other countries, however, planning is as a result of joint efforts between the government, religious bodies, and charities among other groups (Nigam, 2011).

Have you ever thought about the differences between the United States and other countries around the world? If you were to move across the world and live in Europe or Asia, you may see that the government, economy, and culture are different; In addition to those, the type and quality of health care will also change which is quite important regarding your health and wealth. Health Care by Noel Merino covers topics and issues around the world regarding health care. Throughout our American Government class, we have discussed and focused on topics that influence voters to vote for a certain party: The decision on what we should do with health care is one of the influencers. Since we have only studied what goes on in the United States because