Introduction
Recent research on healthcare cost and quality shows that Americans remains more positive about their personal healthcare situations as compared to healthcare situation in the nation. This suggests that the general population in America responds negatively to the new healthcare laws partly as the majority have not faced any personal problems with their healthcare system (Americans' Views of Healthcare Quality, Cost, and Coverage, 2016). About seventy percent of Americans rate their personal healthcare good and are more positive about healthcare coverage after Barack Obama became president. There is a relatively high personal satisfaction with healthcare coverage. The satisfaction with the costs of healthcare was low earlier but has remained at a satisfactory stable level for the past few years. However, the lower ratings for healthcare cost and coverage contrast with the high ratings of quality of healthcare. These findings revel that Americans are more concerned about how treatment is paid for.
A new poll shows that there is a need to work towards the accountability as there is a serious divide between the high-quality care promised and what is delivered. There is poor coordination between different health care providers because of misuse of medical treatments and many errors. The consumers feel that the health care is as markedly better, but they tend to focus more on their own care as compared to the health care system in general. Recent data have pointed to racial and ethnic disparities in health care, but the majority of Americans do not acknowledge this and believe that African Americans get the same quality of care. Polls revel that the perception of the quality of health care is influenced by the income they receive. Those earning less than $50,000 a year, did not grade a good quality to the health care they receive (When it comes to quality, 2016). Moreover, consumer prefer to go to the hospital they are well familiar with or where they have been treated for years and may avoid another heath care facility rated much higher in quality.
With the United States health care system one of the most expensive in the world, it is essential to understand why it underperforms on most dimensions as compared to other countries. Compared with the others, the U.S. fares best on preventive and patient-centered care, but scores lower on safe and coordinated care. Without any universal coverage, it is no surprise to see most people in the U.S. go without the much-needed health care (Davis et al., 2014). The U.S performs low on efficiency, equity and administration. The nation also scores lower in the three indicators of health- healthy life expectancy, infant mortality, and mortality amenable to medical care. The nation has already taken the first important step in improving health insurance coverage for the low- and moderate-income families. Still, it needs to make more concerted efforts to reach the best position in the world.
References
Americans' Views of Healthcare Quality, Cost, and Coverage. (2016). Gallup Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/165998/americans-views-healthcare-quality-cost-coverage.aspxDavis,K, Stremikis,K., Squires, D., and Schoen, C. (2014). Mirror, Mirror on The. commonwealthfund, 1(1), 1–32.
When it comes to quality, new poll shows Americans give U.S. health care low grades. (2016). The President and Fellows of Harvard College Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/poll-us-health-care-quality/
