The United States healthcare system is ranked last among industrialized countries, and it is struggling between equal access and priority access. When there is a gap between socio-economic classes and healthcare access, there will be a decline in the quality of life. “Although economic growth has been the most important driver of human progress in the past and still has a crucial role to play in improving lives in developing countries, we in the developed world must now look elsewhere for further improvements in the real quality of life.” (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). Comparing America’s healthcare system with that of other countries, as in the book The Spirit Level, helps to shed some light on what the United States is doing wrong (and what it could be doing better.)
The more economically unequal a country is, the more people suffer from mental health problems, physical conditions, drug abuse and high child-mortality rates. The presence of a high population of trained, easily-accessible doctors these countries who are easily accessible are hallmarks of a high-quality medical healthcare systems. In good, government-subsidized healthcare systems, patients have access to high-quality medication and direct consultation with doctors. The presence of medical specialists also provides patients with the ability to diagnose diseases, prescribe correct measures and deliver adequate preventive and treatment measures. Hospitals with doctors and medical staff working 24/7 are also a hallmark of good healthcare, working in shifts so that the effects of overworking or underworking are not encountered. In addition, sick people are attended to quickly and effectively, saving many lives in the process. In the United States, a country run by private healthcare systems, this level of healthcare is not yet there, as there is still a debate between access to health care for all citizens (Dorling, Wilkinson & Pickett, 2011).
The United States healthcare system is ranked 15th in overall performance by the World Health Organization, but comes first in overall expenditure per capita (Dorling, Wilkinson & Pickett, 2011). Because of this level of expenditure, its overall ranking should be 37th. Furthermore, in 2010 the Commonwealth confirmed that United States as being dead last among the seven developed countries in the world in healthcare ranking. This ranking is based on health condition among citizens, health equality, responsiveness, responsiveness equality and a fair financial contribution to healthcare system. In order for the United States to improve its healthcare system, a few fundamentals should be put into practice: the healthcare personnel should be given the opportunity to acquire high levels of experience and skilled education to perfect their skills, and be more inclusive with foreign-born medical practitioners(Waldman, 2010). Furthermore, the government should introduce online education in tandem with financial support to educate their citizens to create awareness on the importance of better healthcare. This will help improve the living standards of citizens.
The failings of the United States are even more pronounced when compared to the accomplishments of other countries. Apart from government sponsored hospitals which constitutes the highest percentage of healthcare system, residents of Hong Kong can also opt for private and self-sponsored hospitals (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). In that case, they constitute the healthiest population in the world, with a population of 6 million people. Hong Kong the best healthcare system in the world, when compared to industrialized countries like United States. Its medical system is the cheapest and affordable to its citizens; high quality treatment is available from a large number of highly trained doctors, trained in advanced medical techniques. This kind of healthcare quality gives confidence to citizens and confidence in their treatment options (Dorling, Wilkinson & Pickett, 2011). Unlike the United States healthcare system, the system in Hong Kong does not have to deal with the same number of undocumented patients due to strictire and more regulated laws involving immigration and healthcare. There are a number of people within the United States who seek health care only when they absolutely need it, which is due to the inaccessibility of treatment for those who are considered “invisible” or illegal aliens; this increases their mortality rate and provides negative health outcomes.
Other government-funded health departments, like in nations such as Sweden, provide similar levels of care. Healthcare in Sweden is financed chiefly through taxes levied by county councils and municipalities (Dorling, Wilkinson & Pickett, 2011). The cost of healthcare is also much more affordable to most patients, providing mobile services to other countries in which patients receive free, cheap and/or affordable rates that increase access to medication and healthcare interventions. With the help of programs like these, major operations such as eye surgery, kidney transplants, and removal of brain tumors, among others, can take place. Life expectancy rates in Sweden and France, as compared to countries like the US, is high because of a moderated population of citizens leading to settled living environment and high living standards (Byock, 2012). Good diet and nutrition plays a major role in life expectancy, since the practice of a balanced diet is a direct indication of good health among a country’s citizens. Sweden’s life expectancy is estimated to be 84 years of age for women and 78 for men - the second-highest life expectancy in the world.
In the past fifty years, Sweden has enjoyed a reduction in infant mortality compared to Ireland, France, Switzerland, The United Kingdom and the United States. The healthcare system is organized and managed on three levels: national, regional and local (Byock, 2012). At the national level, the ministry of health and social affairs establishes principles and guidelines for care and sets the political agenda for health and medical care. At the regional level, responsibility for financing and providing health care is decentralized to the county councils. At the local level, municipalities are responsible for maintaining the immediate environment of citizens such as water supply and social welfare services. These tiered systems make the healthcare process more streamlined.
In France, the government spends 90% of its medical expenditures on preventative care, which drastically reduces mortality rates and lowers the rate of expensive emergency care (Dorling, Wilkinson & Pickett, 2011). The way it works is thus: the government pays a stipend to people seeking medication, as well as their medical fees, in order to address certain extreme ailments such as cancer. France also seeks out the help of skilled healthcare personnel from other countries and permits them to work in their facilities. France’s government budget for healthcare is high, and they also provide education for health care systems to produce more doctors and specialists, ensuring high pay for them to motivate these skilled practitioners to work. In tandem with the high living standards for France, an advantageous situation is provided to healthcare personnel, which then translates to better work. Universal healthcare provided by the government ensures that people also keep a better eye on their health (Byock, 2012). With healthcare being the most basic need of a population, it is necessary for the US to invest a great deal in this sector to improve life expectancy, reduce infant mortality and ensure equal access to health care services.
There are many things that the United States should do to bring its healthcare system up to the same level of quality enjoyed by countries like France and Hong Kong. Legislators and medical professionals must consider providing better healthcare equipment that will ensure treatment of most diseases that affects their citizens, and well-furnished medical facilities to provide good working conditions for their personnel. They must have highly-skilled personnel who can specialize in a vast variety of medical practices to provide maximum diversity, as well as a fast, effective means of providing ambulance and emergency care. With the help of these attributes and more, the United States could enjoy a higher quality of life due to an improvement in their healthcare systems (Dorling, Wilkinson & Pickett, 2011).
References
Dorling, D., Wilkinson, R. G., & Pickett, K. (2011). Injustice: Why social inequality persists. Bristol: Policy.
Wilkinson, R. H., & Picket, K. (2009). The spirit level: Why equality is better for everyone. London: Penguin.
Byock, I. (2012). The best care possible: A physician's quest to transform care through the end of life. New York: Avery.
Waldman, D. (2010). Uproot U.S. healthcare: To reform U.S. health care. Abuquerque, N.M: ADM Books.
