Why Focus On Specialty Care Essay

For the last five years of my life I have worked in the healthcare industry. One of the biggest issues plaguing our nation today has been the ever rising cost of health care. If we don't get costs under control, we risk losing the entire system, as well as potentially crippling our economy. For the sake of our future, we must find a way to lower the cost of health care in this nation.

The biggest issue in America is not just hunger, education, and crime- but health care. Perhaps the cause of these other issues, health care is expensive and hard to access. The high cost is tolerated in the belief that more expensive health care leads to better care. This is not true, as studies show that 20% to 30% of patients are issued the wrong treatment or medicine. These medical errors have caused thousands of lives to be lost- at a higher cost. As more Americans are aware of our low ranking in worldwide health care- Japan, Sweden, and Canada making the top three-the need for a nationwide health care reform is much debated. Even with other great countries to mirror we are still hesitant in reforming health care to make it accessible to every American citizen. Although the United States guarantees it's citizens access to fire and police services, protection by military, national postal service, and education as well as many other free federal- and state-funded services they have yet to commit to ensuring them health care coverage.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) strives to improve the quality of the lives of Americans. The most current healthcare policy that endorses the ACA, is the ObamaCare initiative that has received a fair share of both support and criticism. (Hwang, et al. 2013) talks about the “Effects of the integrated delivery system on cost and quality”. According to the authors, most people criticize the American healthcare system because of its complexity, high cost and excessive fragmentation. The same scholars confirm however that the fragmentation and the provision of various services, benefit different people that require healthcare attention. The article focuses on several advantages of the integrated healthcare delivery systems (IDSs) in the United States. Furthermore, the scholars identify existing gaps, which include the various arguments of current health policy experts that have endeavored to discuss health policy issues in America. Americans can also access health care services through virtual technologies, which allow them to have different electronic health record databases. (Hwang, et al. 2013) uses relevant materials from peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed articles to describe the fluctuating nature of healthcare service delivery in America. Conclusively, the authors agree that the virtual systems create room for accountability, academic research in healthcare and efficient service delivery.

25% or more of one’s income going toward health care is too much for today’s economy this

There are many problems with healthcare in America today. One of them including the astronomical cost. According to CDC.ORG in 2007 the average person spends seven thousand four hundred dollars per year on health care alone. This rise in healthcare is extremely detrimental for families, seniors, and people of all ages. With such a high cost of insurance people are forced to make hard choices in

The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the current level of national healthcare expenditures and to determine if we as Americans are spending too much on healthcare. The author of this paper will provide examples and solutions where we as a nation should add or cut from the healthcare expenditures. This paper will also detail how the general public's healthcare needs are being paid for, the biggest economic healthcare challenge, why the challenge should be addressed, and how this challenge to be financed.

America faces a choice, keep The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, or scrap it and come up with something better. The ACA in its entirety leaves room for improvement. It could do better, much better, if it weren’t for matters of political expediency. Currently the United States spends more on health care than any other country. According to a Huffington Post article (2013) the U.S. spends about 17.2 percent of their GDP on medical care. Health care per capita is approximately $8,608, second only to Switzerland, which spends $9,121.

The rise of the cost of healthcare has been a hotbutton political issue in the United States in recent years, especially with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. In 1995, the United States spent a little over 13 percent of its GDP on healthcare. By 2013, spending on healthcare had increased to around 17 percent of GDP (World Bank). This trend is projected to continue; healthcare spending will reach some 34 percent of GDP by 2040, with state and federal Medicare and Medicaid spending reaching 15 percent of GDP (Council of Economic Advisors). For comparison, the entire US federal government spent only 20.7 percent of GDP in 2015 (Office of Management and Budget 163) What is driving this

America faces a choice, keep the health care coverage it has, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or scrap it and come up with something better. While the ACA in its entirety leaves room for improvement could do better, much better. Currently the United States spends more on health care than any other country. According to a Huffington Post article (2013) the U.S. spends about 17.2 percent of their GDP on medical care. Health care per capita is approximately $8,608, second only to Switzerland, which spends $9,121.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) strives to improve the quality of the lives of Americans. The most current healthcare policy that endorses the ACA, is the ObamaCare initiative that has received a fair share of both support and criticism. (Hwang, et al. 2013) talks about the “Effects of the integrated delivery system on cost and quality”. According to the authors, most people criticize the American healthcare system because of its complexity, high cost and excessive fragmentation. The same scholars confirm however that the fragmentation and the provision of various services, benefit different people that require healthcare attention. The article focuses on several advantages of the integrated healthcare delivery systems (IDSs) in the United States. Furthermore, the scholars identify existing gaps, which include the various arguments of current health policy experts that have endeavored to discuss health policy issues in America. Americans can also access health care services through virtual technologies, which allow them to have different electronic health record databases. (Hwang, et al. 2013) uses relevant materials from peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed articles to describe the fluctuating nature of healthcare service delivery in America. Conclusively, the authors agree that the virtual systems create room for accountability, academic research in healthcare and efficient service delivery.

Though difficult, there are multiple ways to help and lighten the weight federal spending is used on healthcare. First off is to increase the savings in the current healthcare law. This could be done through reduced Medicare payments to health providers and insurers, cutting cost if savings don’t materialize.24 We can incentivize both employers and employees to choose cost-effective health plans. This is down by capping the tax exclusion of employer-provided health benefits.25 We could also increase the retirement age. This is down by gradually raising it first to 67 from 65, and further increasing it as needed.26 A out worldly idea is to pay the patients rather than the physician.27 Patients would use the insurance to receive a fixed cost based on the medical condition they have and will be able to use it in a medical provider under any terms and conditions the patient wants.27 This will allow the patient to have a freedom of choosing where they want to get medical service and would minimize spending since it is a fixed amount.

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.

Everyone has their own views on what they think the United States healthcare system should consist of. Consequently, the healthcare system has been flawed for many years and does not plan to change anytime soon. According to Luft (2006), “rapid and wide-reaching technological innovation, the ready access to care for the insured, and clinical and patient autonomy” (p.1). These are some of the strengths the US healthcare system are proficient in providing. In contrast, the weaknesses of the healthcare system outweigh the system’s strengths. Luft (2006) examined and acknowledged the following:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that "The health of the individual is almost inseparable from the health of the larger community and that the health of every community in every state and territory determines the overall health status of the nation." It has now become clear that our economy in terms of healthcare insurance is not healthy; the healthcare system in the United States spends 1 cent of every healthcare dollar in the prevention of diseases and 99 cents on the cure. Our healthcare system is the most expensive and yet arguably among the least cost effective in the developed world. Despite the highest per person health care spending among the Organization for Economic Cooperation

The healthcare system plays a key role in the economic stability of our country, as every year trillions are spent in attempt to combat disease and health issues that plaque humanity. As it makes up a significant amount of the expenditures in the economy, so the costs associated with health care of those in pain from illness and injury, including lost productivity, increased need of assistance in living and also the cost of death in some cases, is important to the economic stability and over all standard of living in our country. The key to economic prosperity is balancing the need for care with the costs of illness to keep as many people healthy and well without breaking the bank of collective society. The costs of healthcare have been increasingly problematic in recent years with so many issues surrounding the current system. With the “total health care spending in the United States expected to reach $4.8 trillion in 2021, up from $2.6 trillion in 2010 and $75 billion in 1970, meaning that health care spending will account for nearly 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), or one-fifth of the U.S. economy, by 2021” (Aetna). With this in mind it is apparent that as we look at the trillion-dollar industry of the medical community it seems that it needs to be a major focus of our nation as a whole and with the many issues come many creative solutions. First let us analyze the reasons behind the current cost and the major problems facing this industry and than discus what