U.s. Healthcare System : The United States

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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.…show more content…
In 2003, about 62% of Americans were enrolled with a private insurance company through their employers, 5% were individually enrolled in a private non-group insurance plan, 15% were enrolled with a public insurance company, and 18% were uninsured (Chua, 2006). Public health insurance includes programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, S-CHIP, VA, and many others. Medicare is a program that covers individuals who are 65 years and older and some disabled individuals. It is financed from the federal income taxes that are collected by the government. Part A of the program covers hospital services, Part B covers physician services, and Part D covers prescription drugs. Because Medicare does not fully cover all the needs of the elderly such as skilled nursing facilities, dental, hearing, preventative, and vision care, many of the enrollees seek supplementary insurance (Chua, 2006). Medicaid is a program that covers the low-income population, as well as disabled individuals. By federal law, states are mandated to cover children, disabled, elderly, parents, and poor pregnant women. Adults who do not have children are not covered. It is optional for states to expand eligibility, such as increasing income eligibility levels. Medicaid is administered by the District of Columbia and the states, resulting in 51 different Medicaid programs in the country (Chua, 2006). Like Medicare, Medicaid
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