The American public health care system has arisen from a variety of unique events in American history. Over the course of this country’s growth, there have been several milestones in history that led to the public health care system being formed as we know it. In this paper, several of these events will be described, as will their overall contributions to the field of American public health care.
In America, the Factory Act of 1864 was a revolutionary new law that brought medical care up to the level of the Industrial Revolution. Beforehand, factory workers and the like had no medical protection, and their conditions were often considered unsafe and unsanitary. This act led to a greater sense of safety in the workplace, as factories then had to deal with keeping up conditions for its workers (Rosen, p. 245).
The Food and Drugs Act of 1906 further protected the people from dangerously made food, cosmetics, and the like. It was comprised of 200 laws that created a detailed, comprehensive network of public health considerations that had to be followed by businesses and consumers alike (Legislation, 2011).
The passing of the Public Health Service Act in 1944 led to the establishing of a public health care system in the United States, as well as the US Department of Health and Human Services. This created a comprehensive system for establishing health codes and standards by which all people were compared, taking the already established principles of public health and applying them in a standardized way to the citizens of the United States (Rosen, 1958).
References
Legislation. (2011). U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Legislation/default.htm
Rosen, G. (1958). A history of public health . New York: MD Publications.
