Free «Issues in American Health System» Essay Paper

In the whole world, United States of America is known to be the largest nation of all other countries with the poor health facility. This was proved by their medical facility of which they spend more of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare than other industrialized countries. Nevertheless, with all that much spending, they end up getting lower quality results and they become less efficiency. it is because of this is that it is ranked the last one as compared to other countries such as Britain, Canada, German, Netherland, Australia and New Zealand (Dranove, 2002). This is shown in the data collected by the Commonwealth Fund report.

Surprisingly, US$ 2 trillion is normally spent per year on the healthcare which is nearly one in every 7 dollars in the economy of the US but interestingly, it is one of the nation whose citizens do not posses the medical cover despite having the most technologically advanced medical system in the world (Cutler, 2008). The reason why they spend that much on the medical health system is because of some factors such as, the rising cost of technology and prescription drugs, high administrative cost from the country’s complex multiple payer system and defensive medicine which is the cost tests by doctors who are normally afraid of missing anything and who risk being sued for malpractice. Other factors are such as the growth of for-profit hospital chain. Furthermore, the large number of uninsured people are also some of the contributing factor to the rising cost because some conditions which could have been detected earlier on goes undetected and later those conditions becomes worse to the person thus making him or her to undergo through the intensive care or emergence room treatment (Farrell, 2009).

 

Type of service

Type of assignment

Title of your paper *

Academic level

Pages

Timeframe

Spacing

Currency

  Order now

It is because of this rising cost in healthcare that most of the employers have been forced to cut back or drop their insurance plans. However, as much as there is growth of the uninsured people, which is estimated to be over 47 million U.S. residents, this has become one of the many problems within the system and it is because of this reason that that the hospitals and other healthcare facilities must compensate that through cost shifting as the expense of taxpayers focuses high for those who are insured. The public programs have also become the victims of the healthcare problems because of the Medicare funds being used to give life to those who are about to die (American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1996).

Furthermore, this system is highly fragmented with some set complicated rules whereby they normally focus on the state-by-state and city-by-city with the combination of some private and public bureaucracies who make the decisions on which kind of patient is supposed to get some treatment. That is why the doctor of any healthcare facility has to be a genius one in knowing the rules of how to treat or take care of the patient without being responsible for questioning by the insurance companies or others incase something bad happens to the patient. By this we mean, the Americans are more relaxed with fragmentation than other nationalities (Almgren, 2007).

Another issue which has contributed to the healthcare issues facing the US is the obesity issue which is on the rise. It is estimated that 64.5% in the year 1995 of the American citizens’ adults were obese of which people tended to assume this fact. This problem resulted to high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart disease which became a challenge to the American health system (American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1996). Pharmaceutical companies who are out to make profit have contributed to people suffering in the US due to their excess profits they demand. The rising costs of prescription by those pharmaceuticals has become so stressing to the Medicaid and Medicare programs hence making the doctors to refuse accepting such prescriptions and covers (Almgren, 2007).

Hospital staff shortages have contributed to the killing of more patients. Most hospital staffs are overworked hence leading to the high level of mistakes being performed sometimes others turn out to have deadly consequences. This has led to lack of adequate documentation in the health system (Andersen, et al. 2007). Employers have also decided to take advantage of this crisis of growing cost pressures by also shifting more and more health care cost onto their employees. This normally happens through their large co-pays and deductibles that must be paid at the treatment of those employees. Apart from that, there are also larger hikes in the cost of family coverage.

Stay Connected

Live Chat Order now

With the above mentioned, most American citizens especially those with insurance covers and those who are not covered view this system to be far much expensive than what they expect. They believe that lack of quality healthcare in the United States has led to the system’s lack of comprehensive quality measure and assurance programs (Helms, 1993). With all the above problems that are affecting the medical health system in America, then, there is a need for a potential solution to overcome the challenges facing the Americans especially when it comes to those medical systems. Some means have to be implemented to give some medical covers to all the American citizens. Some ways also needs to be created to get a better value for the US$2 trillion of what is being spent in America on the health care (Cutler, 2008).

For the Americans to achieve this there is need to fund the uncovered people and make sure they are offered the medical covered. This can only happen if there is enough money. It is because of that reason that it is believed that US$12,000 averagely can be used to insure a family of four (Cutler, 2008). By this it means that, the money an American citizen earns from the job he or she does cannot cater for the purchase needed for such insurance because most Americans do not want to pay more taxes and poring money into a healthcare system. This is because they do not have trust in the health system. Other thing which seems to be gaining a lot of support is single-payer system which should be a government healthcare system which should be similar to that of Canada and Western Europe nations which are known to be a government provided healthcare (Andersen, et al. 2007). This system will achieve some universal coverage and try to control the inflation of the healthcare costs. By doing so, it would have resolved problems of cost promoted access and fairness to the American citizens.

Better information technology in the medical globe will make it easier to resolve all the sorts of duplicative tests that have been performed by the doctors. However, by this tests that have been performed, knowledge would have been provided on what kind of medication that is needed to be performed on the patients who has undergone the tests. This process will lead to their medical engagement with the appropriate care needed (Trouth, et al. 2010). For this to take place, it would have made work easier for the doctors who would have computerized their patient’s medical records. This act of computerizing will saves the paperwork writing of every patients that have been their before and transferring them from place to place in terms of the files for the patients will be a foregone thing since it will be done over the network. To accomplish this mission, then there is need for the federal government to contribute to those projects because of the government paying nearly half of the medical care in its budget (Shi, & Singh, 2008).

Effectiveness of drugs should be looked upon, this will put into consideration whether the drugs provided are old or expired or whether the drugs are the newer ones. Procedures or medical health protocols needs to be observed to avoid any from any inconveniences happening that may arise so as to deliver better results for the patient. Another factor that needs to be looked upon in America is the better payment of doctors especially those who produce better results in their medical professions is also important because it motivates the doctors’ morally in performing its duties well in the health facility (Sultz, & Young, 2010). The insurance companies should put their attention on those sick patients who are incapable of affording the medical cover other than putting their focus on those ones who are rich and capable and they seem to have a better health.

When it comes to better health, personal responsibility in the health improvement is another important aspect. This should be done by eating a better balanced diet and regular exercise so as to avoid diseases such as diabetes, obese and many more. Having a sufficient sleep, living less stressful and most importantly obeying the laws and principle of God which are designed to benefit human being both physically and spiritually will make the person to remain healthier.

To achieve the above changes in the American medical system, the only way is to get enough money and knowledge right. With that, most mentioned strategies will be accomplished by being amended and some significant changes will be seen within a period of time. If the healthcare is rationalized, then America healthcare will be delivered effectively; in that case the average cost of the family health will reduce in terms of insurance (Kronenfeld, 2002). This will be an advantage of making others to be able to access the insurance cover thus the American System becoming the best in the world.