Health Care in America: For Better or Worse - Essay Example

?Health Care in America: For Better or Worse Table of Contents Introduction 3 Thesis ment 4 Factors That Affect Health Care Utilization 4 Major Policy Proposal Affecting Health Care Utilization 5 Facts about Health Care in America 6 Healthcare in America: Better or Worse 8 Conclusion 9 Works Cited 10 Bibliography 11 Introduction Health Care facility in America involves a national alliance of more than 1000 teams in 50 states indicating 30 million people. These teams work to endorse, protect, execute and improve the ‘Affordable Care Act’ (ACA) at the state and federal levels. They also promote themselves to defend Medicare as well as Medicaid and to enhance corporate responsibilities. They believe in developing jobs as well as provide the necessary health care programs on which the people are found to be heavily dependent (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Health Care in America Trends and Utilization”). Recently, the procedure related to offering healthcare facilities has been observed to undergo a tremendous and frequent form of change comparatively from the past few decades. Innovative and advanced technologies, comprising devices, tests, procedures and imaging equipments, have resulted in transforming the overall pattern with regard to the healthcare facilities. Over the past few years, both private as well as public healthcare organizations made immense efforts for recognizing the causes of illnesses and disabilities, exploring cures and treatments along with working with professional experts to educate people regarding the ways of reducing the level of diseases (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Health Care in America Trends and Utilization”). Thesis Statement This study intends to focus on the American healthcare’s amenities and systems. It would further attempt to discuss the condition of healthcare facilities and the manner in which it is provided to the citizens of America. Furthermore, this study will also help to gain an insight regarding the health insurance problems as well as the advantages of insurance for the common people of America. Finally, this study would also aim to ascertain that whether the present healthcare system in the United States (US) is worse or better. Factors That Affect Health Care Utilization Health Care of America Now (HCAN) was established in 2008 to develop a nationwide movement for complete healthcare improvement. HCAN was formed with a vision to improve and develop the health care facilities on the whole in terms of affordability and quality for the communities. This group or team is also known to organize widespread campaigns which assemble people for the reason of receiving feedback as well as for solving the public debate concerning healthcare facilities. Moreover, HCAN is known to protect, enhance and implement the new health care laws as well as doctrines through national as well as state based legislative regulatory promotions through action, public education, communication and innovative healthcare research (Health Care for America Now, “Mission and History”). There are various factors which are believed to determine the extent of availing healthcare facilities by the people along with the nature of the healthcare facility as well. Few factors encourage increased utilization of healthcare facilities such as growing population, innovative procedures and advanced technologies, newly made drugs, expanding the coverage of health insurance, modified treatment patterns and growth in consumer choices as well as demand. Moreover, other causes such as boost in the occurrence of unending illnesses may also escalate the level of healthcare utilization. It also needs to be mentioned in this regard that there also exists certain factors which entails the possibility to decrease the healthcare service utilization. According to the US Census Bureau, it was documented that individuals incapable of spending funds for availing healthcare facilities might be denied the necessary services or facilities in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Health Care in America Trends and Utilization”). Major Policy Proposal Affecting Health Care Utilization In the US, three key players have been identified who are believed to control the overall healthcare system. They are the governments (federal, state or local); employers who control through employee based health insurances and consumers themselves who spend personally for availing healthcare facilities. Primarily, services that are covered by the health insurance and payment programs are likely utilized frequently in comparison to the services which involve payments from the consumers. Medicaid and Medicare cost control attempts, such as ‘Prospective Payment System (PPS)’ for hospitals and ‘Resource Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS)’ for the payment of physicians created effective healthcare facilities. Alteration in payment policies encourages the healthcare system to offer services in a different and innovative way. Moreover, there are a few major policies such as the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), both of which are a part of Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) also affect the extent of healthcare utilization in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Health Care in America Trends and Utilization”). Facts about Health Care in America The United States is considered to be the only developed country all over the world which fails to possess a universal health insurance system. In 2006, the US Census Bureau declared that more than 46 millions of Americans had no health insurances. It was also observed in his context that more than 36% of the families falling below the poverty line were uninsured. The US health care expenses were estimated to be approximately US$2 trillion per year which indicates a sum of US$6,697 for each individual. This country is known to spend significantly more on healthcare facilities than any other country in the world. The US is known to spend around 31% of the entire administrative costs towards healthcare. The average overhead costs for private health insurance in the US are about 11.7% for Medicare and 3.6% for healthcare programs. The infant mortality rate in US is measured to be higher than any other developing countries. By taking into consideration of the aspect of US healthcare, 90% of the Americans were found to believe in the actuality that the country’s healthcare facilities or overall system needs to be altered and reconstructed in relation to the healthcare amenities (Sicko, “Facts about Health Care in America”). Moreover, it has been observed that there are definite facts which prove that the entire American healthcare system as well as industry has become one, with the sole intention of making money. In the US, the healthcare industry has become one giant money making institution and is completely subjugated by the health insurance and pharmaceutical companies as well as lawyers and business policies. Presently, one trip to a hospital can incur an expense of around US$10,000 in the US, even if the patients do not stay back for a single night. According to the US census Bureau, it was observed that most of the money which an individual spends after healthcare facilities does not reach to the concerned doctor. The local people perceive the US healthcare industry to be fundamentally broken and believe that it only aims at making profits rather than providing amenities and services. Taking into deliberation the circumstances of American healthcare system, it can also be observed that health insurance companies earn additionally huge profits when they provide worse or less healthcare amenities (Sicko, “Facts about Health Care in America”). Healthcare in America: Better or Worse Owing to the current situation of the US healthcare system, it was found that in 2009, President Barack Obama initiated the ‘Comprehensive Health Care Reform Act’. The successful implementation and pursuance of the Act is expected to alter the present configuration of the healthcare pattern by developing a new healthcare model by the year 2018. However, it was also learnt in this regard, that the act is supposed to be quite complicated as well as multifaceted for which it is being opposed by the existing political system (Hahn, Payne & Lucas 371-380). A great degree of turmoil among the health insurance, healthcare industries and their patients has been found to currently prevail in the US. Health insurance is deemed to be a financial contract between an insurance company and individual patient or group of consumers who are willing to pay for healthcare services. ‘Exclusion’ is a service or expense, which is not covered by the insurance policies. For instance, cosmetic surgery, abnormal practice of treatment, medicine prescriptions are found to be the common form of exclusions. According to the present unstable healthcare circumstance which is emerging with the involvement of the government, the insurance companies are finding it profitable to limit the individual health plan related to insurance restriction. With regard to the US healthcare system, Medicare is divided into two divisions. However, a certain gap is known to exist between these two portions of Medicare, where individuals witness difficulties during getting admitted to hospitals, as few of the areas in Medicare are not included by the insurance companies. Sometimes majority of the Medicare beneficiary are found to opt for extra insurance coverage for avoiding their own individual out-of-pocket expenses (Hahn, Payne & Lucas 371-380). Conclusion From the overall discussion, it can be inferred that American healthcare system is not worse and the government was trying to exert continuing efforts to develop the entire healthcare system. The overall discussion offers a strong basis for deciding, whether suggested health improvement might intimidate or alternatively reinforce the present level of US healthcare facility. Furthermore it was also found from the discussion that the main issue of US healthcare was insurance coverage as majority of the population were not insured by the health department. Therefore, it can be suggested that the US government must undertake initiatives for enhancing the aspect of health insurance so that the entire population receives the necessary healthcare facilities in future. Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Care in America Trends and Utilization, 2005. Web. 03 Sep. 2012. Hahn, Dale B., Wayne. A Payne, and Ellen. B Lucas. Focus on Health, 11/e. New York City: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2012. Print. Health Care for America Now. Mission and History, n.d. Web. 03 Sep. 2012. Sicko, Facts about Health Care in America. 2007. Web. 03 Sep. 2012. Bibliography Docteur, Elizabeth, and Robert. A Berenson. Timely Analysis of Immediate Health Policy Issues. How Does the Quality of U.S. Health Care Compare Internationally, 2009. Web. 03 Sep. 2012. McKee, Martin and Josep Figueras. Health Systems, Health, Wealth and Societal Well-being: Assessing the Case for Investing in Health Systems. New York City: McGraw-Hill International. 2011. Print. Read More