Summary: The United States Healthcare System

As Americans we should all be afforded access to healthcare. Access to healthcare is an individual right according to the human rights amendment. The human right to health guarantees a system of health protection for all. The human right to health means that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services, sanitation, adequate food, decent housing, healthy working conditions and a clean environment (What is the Human Right to Health and Health Care, 2015). However there are strengths and weaknesses to every healthcare system and the U.S. Healthcare system is not exempt. I plan to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the U. S. Healthcare system (What is the Human Right to Health and Health Care, 2015).

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.

When it comes to the U.S. healthcare system, there are two sides of the argument. Some Americans may argue that the U.S. healthcare system is the best in the world given the many state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and innovative and advanced medical technology available, and there are those who argue that it is too costly and inefficient on many different levels (Chua, 2006). Despite the large amount of spending invested on their healthcare system, the U.S. consistently underperforms on most indicators of performance compared to other countries (Davis, Stremikis, Squires, & Schoen, 2014). Healthcare costs such as doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription drugs are more expensive in the U.S. than any other country in the world.

The United States Health Care System has developed and evolved over the past three millennia. The health care system can be broken down into three major components: medical education and training for professionals, the financing of health care, and the government’s role in the delivery of health care. All of these work together to create an efficient health care system that maximizes quality of health. The progression of medical education in the United States has led to reform, the establishment of health insurance benefitted many consumers, and the government created many programs to allow more American’s access to affordable health care.

This discussion paper will compare the American health care system to the German, Japanese and Canadian systems and describe the strengths and weakness of each of them.

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 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 Canadian system is often considered the model for the U.S. health care system. Both countries ' health care systems are very different-Canada has a single-payer, mostly publicly-funded system, while the U.S. has a multi-payer, profoundly private system but both countries appear to be similar and suggesting that it might be possible that the U.S. to clone the Canadian health system.

The United States’ healthcare system is not easy to define. It is a complex, decentralized, market-based system with multiple stakeholders. In this paper we will try our best to discuss the organization, financing, and delivery of the American healthcare system, as well as identify respective flaws. We will conclude this paper with a discussion on potential solutions to the flaws we have identified.

Healthcare costs in the United States have increased dramatically over the last few decades compared to healthcare cost in other countries. In return, this has caused many issues like political reevaluation of our health care system, which involves funding and performance. Furthermore, the reasons for the high health care costs includes administrative costs of running the health care system sine about one quarter of health care costs are associated with administration. Additionally, the United States spends a large amount of money on drugs, professionals and required medical equipment to keep up with patient in need of health care. Moreover, high health care costs are a result of lack of competitive free markets, rapid diffusion of new technologies,

Out of the nineteen candidates running for president, Ben Carson, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump were chosen for the analysis of their plans for the United States health care system. The United States health care system has been in need of adjustment for years, with prices being paid over double per capita compared to other countries. While they have some similar views on current issues, there are drastic differences in the candidates’ ideas for change.

The level of activity at the national level in regards to healthcare is currently very high. There are many healthcare policies, initiatives and trends that will affect the delivery of healthcare locally, nationally and globally in the future. Healthcare costs alone are rising due to emerging high end technologies, global pandemics (with increased international travel), and the continued increase in numbers of the aging population (which traditionally has shown a higher use of healthcare services).

Healthcare system is the main concern in the U.S. The United States healthcare has many strengths and weaknesses. For Starters, our biggest strength is that we have the strongest most educated professionals, doctors and researchers in the world. America is so well educated and experienced that all professionals are so dedicated to what they do. Our main weaknesses are that America has so much fraud that is always over looked.