Introduction – pros and cons of US health care system
“The American health care system has both good and bad points and provides both excellent care for those who can afford it and denies medical attention to those on the poverty line.”
The US health care system is private, requiring its patients to hold medical insurance or to be able to pay their medical bills on an individual basis. Unlike in other nations, such as the United Kingdom, where the National Health Service is free and paid for by taxes and government funding. In short, the US health care system is massive and consists of a number of bodies that cover insurance, training, research, claims processors, payers and medical suppliers amongst others and, in terms of health care delivery, there are roughly ten million people working within the system (Shi & Singh 2). Much like everything in America, the statistics that surround its health care system are huge and these stretch to the American public too – 174.5 million Americans have private health care insurance, 41.7 million are Medicare beneficiaries and a further 42.5 million are Medicaid recipients (Shi & Singh 4) which is where low-income and poverty struck families are given financial support in their medical needs. For many, the privatisation of the American health care system means two things: positively, it means that the services provided are of the absolute highest standard because there is money to be used for resources, training, staff and standard of care meaning that for those who can afford it, they receive some of the best health care in the world. However, negatively, it also means that those who can’t afford it struggle to survive and have to spend a lot of money on health care that could be better used towards food, shelter and clothes, for example. The American health care system has both good and bad points and provides both excellent care for those who can afford it and denies medical attention to those on the poverty line.
Many complain about the American health care system’s tendency to favour the rich – in short, ‘private’ usually translates as ‘expensive’ and many argue that the American system is designed chiefly to generate revenue rather than treat sick people which, in practice, should be its primary focus. However, that aside, the fact that the system does produce vast amounts of money means that it is able to provide those who can afford it with some of the best health care in the world. In comparison to other countries and their health care systems, the United States of America is ranked as number 41 for infant mortality rate and 46th for overall life expectancy (CIA) implying that whilst their health care is expensive, their figures are respectable – although, arguably, these figures could be higher if more people were able to receive the medical care in the first place. However, there is an argument that suggests that if the US health care system switched to being a a single payer health care system, then there would be an even greater rise in standards: “A single payer plan would cut down on bureaucratic costs and eliminate investor profits releasing more money for patient care.” (Brennan-Hughes Newton).
The implication of this is that too much money is ploughed into profit-margins rather than having more put into the medical care of American citizens. This would suggest that the system is fundamentally flawed when its main focus as a health care program should be to care for and treat the American public whilst, in reality, its primary goal is to generate money for the government and the pockets of investors. In short, this means a fundamental failing on the part of the government to care for and support its citizens.
Further proof is that, in 2009, there were some 50.7 million American residents who did not have medical insurance (US Govt. 22-28) including 8 million children (KFF.org). This means that a significant proportion of the American public are unable to afford insurance and/or do not qualify for the Medicaid scheme which requires quite a strict criteria of poverty and/or other circumstances in order for individuals and families to be covered. In short, the expense of health care in American means that, for many, being unwell simply isn’t an option.
References
“Health Care Coverage of Children: the role of Medicaid and Chip.” Kaiser Commission. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Feb. 2011. Web. 22 July 2011.
“Infant Mortality Rate.” CIA.gov. CIA. July 2011. Web. 22 July 2011.
“Life Expectancy at Birth.” CIA.gov. CIA. July 2011. Web. 22 July 2011.
“P60-238 Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009.” Census.gov. 2009. U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 22 July 2011.
“The US Needs a Single Payer Health Care System.” Kathy Brennan-Hughes Newton. The Advertiser-News. 21 July 2011. Web. 22 July 2011.
Shi, Leiyu & Singh, Douglas A. Delivering health care in America: a systems approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2008. Print.
