Compared with other developed nations, America lags behind in the provision of quality and affordable healthcare to its citizens. This research paper will discuss some of the challenges facing the industry and solutions that can be applied to rectify them. Rising costs of medical care Healthcare is the leading socio-economic challenge affecting Americans. The ever increasing cost of medical care and insurance in affecting the American way of life in many aspects. Having problems paying for primary healthcare is no longer the preserve of the poor or the unemployed, but is affecting even those with medical insurance (Shea, 2005).
This is also invalid because it is better to pay taxes rather than over priced medical bills. The last con is that people will have a longer wait time. That is also invalid because the more people that visit the more of a demand there will be for Doctors. A universal health care system would extend care to all Americans regardless of social status or bank account. Health care has become extremely unaffordable for both businesses and individuals.
According to Shi & Singh (2012), reports showed that 1 in 3 or 87.6 million Americans were uninsured between 2008 and 2009 under the age of 65. This has contributed to the raise in health care costs. In order to reduce costs, the U.S. health care delivery system needs to have a plan in place to ensure that all of America’s population is insured such as the creation of the Obama Care Plan. The term delivery refers to the provision of health care services by various providers (Shi & Singh, 2012). Providers include physicians, hospitals, clinics, private doctor offices, and other entities.
Analyze the main causes of a major problem in our society National Health Care Even before the recession cost millions of Americans their jobs a full 15% of the American population did not have health insurance and the majority of them worked full time (CDC, 2007). Indeed, while Americans equate work with health insurance the truth is that aboot 20% of working age Americans, people between 18 and 64 years of age, do not have health insurance (CDC, 2007). These numbers may seem small. However, additional investigation will show that this is only a small part of the problem in the country. The issue is not that all employers do not offer health insurance, but that Americans view health insurance as something only employers offer.
However, working adults can use the benefits of the medical insurance, which will give them an opportunity for a decent medical service and reduce the general taxation burden. The issue of health care throughout the years has been a major issue in the society in the United States and it is one of the most important aspects of an election campaign of any political party. One issue concerning healthcare is that it is very expensive and more than 52 million people do not have any coverage or they have less adequate coverage. In addition, it is very important for people to have coverage for general healthcare maintenance and just in case, something drastic occurs, in their life. A well-organized, efficient health care system is not that easy to provide and one of the key problems on the way to the ideal hospitals and medical help is proper funding.
However, when doctors began to learn more about diseases they then began to charge more for treatments. This ended up costing more money than many individuals could afford. Costs increased when new treatments began to require more technology so it was necessary for patients to stay in the hospitals. The first healthcare system was Blue Cross, which helped individuals pay for their hospital bills. It succeeded and became a stable program in the late thirties as doctors used it for a way to protect their own interests and bills.
It has to do with a person’s willingness to work hard, and I think it’s always been that way” (Scott and Leonhardt 2005:5). There are many arguments within the book that describe why class does matter in America today. One argument is the argument that the upper class lives longer than those individuals in classes below them. This is because individuals with a lot of capital have better insurance and means to pay for treatments and medical attention, where the lower class is unable to pay for medical treatment. As quoted in the book, “As advances in medicine and disease prevention have increased life expectancy in the United States, the benefits have disproportionately gone to people with education, money, good jobs, and connections” (Scott 2005:29).
Of the many reasons that exist, two are particularly important. The United States has a highly flawed system of funding health care and a flawed system of allocating its health care resources. In the United States, a multitude of private health plans cover the lucrative sector of society—low cost, healthy workers and their healthy families. But public programs must cover the higher costs of the elderly, individuals with permanent disabilities, and some low-income individuals. Since the uninsured are frequently unable to pay for the care they receive, the costs for their care are shifted to government programs or private plans, or to the charity of providers, even if unintended.
It can be quite prevailing for individuals to have financial problems towards health coverage. Based on the Health Affairs reference, “In the last decade, health insurance premiums costs have increased by 80%... whereas 58% of Americans report they are not able to seek medical attention due to high costs” (Gary Claxton, Matthew Rae, and Nirmita Panchal, et al). Statistics also present many factors exhibiting millions of individuals facing the risk of losing their insurance. Above all, health insurance is a basic health necessity. Medical services being available to everyone will benefit the public health not only with quality, but along with quantity.
D. Crawford Alicia K. Hatcher Eng 112 March 18,2013 Private healthcare insurance for all, or universal free health care? Although health care is a universal need, unfortunately not all citizens are able to afford it. Not to mention government has proved that it's difficult to balance the healthcare budget; and the costs of medical healthcare is steadily increasing. Should we as Americans be totally responsible for our own health costs and eliminate private insurance? Or should we have an encompassing healthcare system which provides free service for all?