The Inexorable Healthcare Debate On America

“There are three basic goals for a National Health Care System; 1) keeping people healthy, 2) treating the sick and 30 protecting families against financial ruin from medical bills”, (Physicians for a National Health Program, 2016). No truer statement could there possibly be written or proclaimed as there is a crisis in healthcare costs across the United States. United States, one of the most developed western country, yet we suffer from – higher infant mortality rates, have shorter life spans and are affected by more chronic disease and or illness – than our contemporaries all while spending the most for insurance per capita and less annual doctor visits with less physicians, (OECD Health Data 2015). There is a question to be answered, “why”, why are we trailing our contemporaries and more important than that is, is our National Health Care system really working for us? The year 2010 was the beginning of change in the United States where we transitioned from primarily private insurance and welfare to a universal healthcare model, under President Obama with the signing into Law of the Affordable Health Care Act March of 2010. The purpose of the Affordable health care act is to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable healthcare, however in 2016 we are still questioning we’ve been successful based on funding, government sponsored healthcare programs, effects on the current HCO, elderly, military and accessibility.

The U.S. Health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance.” (WHO, 2000, p. 1) Progression in the United States has not kept up with the advances in other wealthy nations dealing with the population health. Disease and chronic disability report almost 50% of America health problem (JAMA, 2013).

According to Schroeder “ the United States spends more on health care than any other nation in the world, but ranks poorly on every measure of health status” ( Schroeder,1). Schroeder discussed the two main reasons why the United States ranks so poorly on every measure of the health system. One of the reasons for the low ranking in the American health system is “the pathways to better health do not generally depend on better health care” (Schroeder, 1); the fact that we have access to advance tools and technologies in our health care system does not necessary mean that we are healthier than other countries. Determinants such as behaviors patterns, environmental exposures and social circumstances also greatly influence our health.

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.

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.

Contrary to what many people believe, America’s health status is not quite “up-to-par,” to say the least. Over forty-seven million people in the United States lack health insurance; that is more than 15% of our nation’s population! At first this disturbing truth seems impossible to believe, being as America is one of the most technologically advanced and economically developed countries in the world. “We spend trillions of dollars per year on medical care. That’s nearly half of all the health dollars spent in the world. But we’ve seen our statistics. We live shorter, often sicker lives than almost every other industrialized nation. “We rank 30th in [global] life expectancy” (Adelman 2008). Knowing this brings rise to the question: why are

What does America have to show for all the money it is spending on health care? It wouldn’t be unreasonable to speculate that the U. S. would have the lowest infant mortality, the highest life expectancy, and the most efficient health care in the world. Unfortunately, however, that is not the case. The United States according to the same article, ranks 46th out of 48th in health care efficiency, Serbia and Brazil are the only two ranking lower. Infant mortality and life expectancy in the United States rank 167thand 44th out of 224 respectivelyaccording to the CIA World Factbook (2015). Additionally, approximately 15 percent of people in the U.S. are still uninsured. The return on investment in health care needs to have better results; a system that provides the highest quality care that leaves no one out.

In 1998, the United States devoted 13% of its economy to health care, and this figure rose to 16% by 2008. However, despite this rise in government expenditure on health care, outcomes for patients remained the same (Obama, 2016). The quality of the health care system in general was not great; health care

There can be no gainsaying as to the fact that a large fraction of the American citizenry remains devoid of health insurance. This means that average Americans, running into millions, find it increasingly difficult to access healthcare of whatever nature. As a consequence, this disadvantage has resulted in the proliferation of ailments and deaths that could well be avoided. Perhaps it is best we ask ourselves why the access to affordable healthcare has not been prioritized by previous administration regimes, being that it is the fulcrum of well-being and basically the backbone of a healthy, working nation. The answer should have been realized sooner, rather than latter, but

America, said to be the land of the free and opportunity, home of the brave, and yet the country of healthcare inequality. America is ruled by a principle “law of the land”, but the criterias that fall under the dominant law does not faithfully support American citizens. Moberg argues that the U.S does not have the best healthcare system in the world despite its best researchers, doctors and facilities. (“Rx for U.S. Health"). This is an issue because if the country has the best aspects of an effective healthcare system, why are the outcomes bad? Why are there still some people without healthcare and some people dying because they were unable to receive immediate attention for their health issues from medics? The editorial board of the New York Times published an article, journalists basically argued that the current American healthcare system, “Obamacare” is not efficient; in fact the American healthcare system is currently doing worse than many other industrialized countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, Britain and Canada. This is a large issue because healthcare is crucial for the American society because it should keep in mind the well-being of citizens. Specifically, “Some 37 percent of American adults went without recommended care, did not see a doctor when sick or failed to fill prescriptions in the past year because of costs, compared with 4 percent in Britain and 6 percent in Sweden. Nearly a quarter of

The U.S. is an industrialized nation that continues to be behind on providing health care coverage to all citizens. However, the German health care system came up with a plan that ensured all citizens are provided with some form of health care coverage; nevertheless, the U.S. continues to dispute health care reform and how to provide coverage to all citizens. “Health spending per capita in the United States is much higher than in other countries – at least $2,535 dollars, or 51%, higher than Norway, the next largest per capita spender. Furthermore, the United States spends nearly double the average $3,923 for the 15 countries ("Health Care Cost," 2011, table 1)”.

The United States is full of opportunity, individual choice and freedom than any other country (Cline, 2007, pg. 9). It is outrageous to think that our medical care would not be considered the best of any nation. However, the United States quality and overall healthcare fall dead last in comparison to eleven countries. A country rich in opportunity spends more money on health care than any other nation has one of the poorest health systems (The Commonwealth Fund, 2014, pg.26 ). This spending on healthcare predates the 2010 Patient Protection, and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) intent is to reverse the incentives that drive up the costs (Sultz & Young, p 33). According to a comparison made by Baribault, decent medical care is available in other advanced countries at lower healthcare costs than the United States.

This year being an election year means that the American people are confronted with many issues and disparities that plague our nation. One of these hot button topics is that of healthcare. The United States is the only developed nation without a universal healthcare system, but spends the most for health services. With so many Americans lacking the adequate care needed or facing bankruptcy due to piling medical bills, one must look at the health disparities that are causing this super power nation to inadequately serve its citizens.

People today consider America one of the world’s greatest countries. Many Americans enjoy a high standard of living compared to many other parts of the world. Yet somehow the health care system in America ranks number 37 in the world. (The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health system) Although the United States is known to be one of the most advanced countries in the entire world, they spend more money on healthcare than any other country. (Zablit) America does not have universal healthcare coverage. Ultimately, lives are being lost due to proper and affordable healthcare being out of reach for some citizens.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 states that every human being has the right to a high standard of living that is adequate for his health and well-being. Similarly the Preamble to the World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution also says that it is one of the fundamental rights of every human being to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health.