The US Healthcare System

United States is the largest and most diverse society on the globe. It spends almost 2 trillion dollars every year on health care, which is one in every seven dollars in the economy. U.S is one of the very few nations where all its citizens do not have medical coverage. Although it spends heavily on per capita on health care, and it has the most advanced medical technology system in the world, still it is not the healthiest nation on earth. The system performs so poorly that it leaves 50 million without health coverage and millions more inadequately covered (Garson, 2010).

In today’s world, healthcare is provided in one of two ways. Most developed countries provide it free. Either the required care itself is free or one pays for it with free insurance provided by the government, known as not-for-profit. The alternative is obviously for-profit. In such systems, individuals pay for services either out of pocket or using private insurance provided by their employer. In which case, part of the payment for policy premium is generated through payroll deduction. Furthermore, the healthcare system can be considered either as a closed or an open system, for which the United States (U.S.) has both. The U.S. healthcare system when compared to the French system has its similarities and differences. Funding for healthcare

Globally, the United States has one of the largest and most convoluted healthcare systems, whereas universal healthcare coverage seems extremely farfetched. Annually, the US spends over $3 trillion on healthcare. Nevertheless, we have the worst health outcomes when compared to other industrialized countries. As stated by Anja Rudiger (2008), “Recent data suggest that around 101,000 deaths a year can be attributed to the underperformance of the US healthcare system.” Thus, the United States’ healthcare system greatly relies on revenue. Both funding and the distribution of services are commercially structured and held accountable by investors to increase financial gains. According to Andrew Jameton and Jessica Pierce (1997), “the US healthcare system increasing appears to have

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.

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 healthcare system in the United States is a system composed of many private insurance companies who act independently from one another. These companies make their money through premiums which are paid by the insured; therefore a major part of the healthcare system is privately funded. This type of market is considered to be an imperfect market because it does not meet the true requirements of a free market where there is unrestrained competition between providers. In our healthcare system there is an absence of a central agency to govern healthcare. There are multiple payers and third party insurers serving as intermediaries between financing and the delivery of healthcare. The United States has a multi-payer, heavily private system in which thousands of private insurance companies are responsible for paying some claims, while federal and state

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.

In the United States, there is a third party, aside from the patient who is the buyer, and the hospital who is the seller. The insurance company or government agency is considered the third party. The money flows through the third party. The reasons for having a third party is for patients to be prepared against large unseen costs of treatment, and so governments can assure their citizens access to health care. Healthcare is in part, market based, and is paid for privately by employers or an individual. Another way healthcare in the US is financed is by the government. For example, the US government funds supports Medicare, insurance for the elderly and disabled, and Medicaid, which covers low income Americans. In France everyone has health care. Health care in France is also financed by both private and government insurance, and people generally get insurance through their employer. The French national insurance program is mostly funded by payroll and income taxes (Shapiro 'Health care '). The funds are

According to Joe Conason, "America 's current health care system wastes considerably more than a trillion dollars every year. We know that because countries such as France, Germany, Japan and Finland, with comparable standards of living to ours, spend roughly half what the United States spends annually on health care per citizen, while covering everyone and achieving better results." (Conason, 2009) The United States healthcare financial systems are severely flawed - affecting the overall cost control, services, and care made accessible to its clients. The rising costs in healthcare are reaching new highs, and with rising costs, there doesn 't seem to be much change in the quality of the care being given. Clients coming in and out of these

One of the issues that is widely discussed and debated concerning the United States economy is the healthcare system. Unlike in the majority of developed and developing countries, the healthcare system in the United States is not public, meaning that the state does not provide free or cheap healthcare services. This paper addresses many of the factors contributing to the rising cost of healthcare.

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).

Healthcare performance is strongly dependent on the economy, and on the health systems themselves. There are many debates on the type of health care system. Insurance companies are the crucial investor that is not only demanded but also an essential priority for most societies due to some of the complex challenges in the health system, in part derived from new pressures, such as ageing populations, growing prevalence of chronic illnesses, and intensive use of expensive yet vital health technologies (Frenk, J. 2004). Government has a diverse role in the health care system. However, based on the need and preference of majorities of American societies, a system with single government control in U.S, might not be effective and qualitative in long run. The present multi payer system is more effective in health care delivery. The reform in the overall management system of government organization focusing its role on supervising and controlling the health services’ system than distributing one is necessary.

Understanding the classification of healthcare services in terms of acute and long term care enable us to plan for services, to describe institutions, and to allocate funding and reimbursement. In the United States, healthcare services provided by health care providers (such as doctors and hospitals) are paid for by the following including, private insurance, Government insurance programs, people themselves (personal, out-of-pocket funds). Additionally, the government directly provides some health care in government hospitals and clinics staffed by government employees. Examples are the Veteran’s Health Administration and the Indian Health Service.

It is a patchwork of loosely connected financing mechanisms varying in terms of sponsorship and provider type. It also reflects the age, health and economic status of the specific patient groups that are being served. Considering the growing number of Americans who are uninsured for health care and the low ranking of the United States among a variety of health indicators, one may say that it is a disappointing financing system. These observations provide a basis for supporting our position for a national health care system. Where possible, comparisons will be drawn between the United States and other countries. Special focus will be paid to similarities in the public and private financing components of the system, reimbursement of various provider categories and trends that we may expect to see in the future.

In the United States almost all levels of healthcare are delivered by the private sector providers. Many hospitals and health facilities are owned and run by profit making companies. Doctors and other health workers are either independent practitioners or happen to work for private-sector healthcare institutions. Access to healthcare is acquired through