Comparison Of The Health Services In U.S And Brazil - Essay Example

COMPARISON OF THE HEALTH SERVICES IN U.S AND BRAZIL al Affiliation) Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Population and Health Status Demographic characteristics of population……… ………………………………………………………………3 Mortality, Infant mortality data, causes of death 4 Other data of health status 4 Related information (such as on quality if life); analysis 4 Availability of Health Services 5 Basic organization/general description of services institutions, providers of care 5 Issues related to access 5 Utilization of services (data, if available) 5 Other related information/analysis 5 Expenditures 6 How are health services paid for; any roles for the government here 6 Data on total expenditures 7 Other related information/analysis 7 Macro environmental influences on the health care system 7 Political 7 Socioeconomic 8 Cultural 8 Technological/other relevant influences 8 Summary comments 9 References …………………………………………………………………………………………10 1.0 Executive summary The proper administration and building of a reliable healthcare system have been put as a major and current challenge to professional who have been given the mandate to handle the various constraints available worldwide. In Brazil, every citizen has a right to access medical services since a new healthcare policy was drafted in the late 80’s. Consequently, financial barriers could not be an issue since citizens who earn little money can have access to health care services without spending any money. However, improper investment in Brazil’s government has cast it into doubt of carrying out its role to make healthcare services readily available to all its citizens. On the other hand, the US healthcare system is a market driven venture and has some characteristics of a cohesive healthcare system similar to the one found in Brazil. This report focuses on comparing the health care systems in the US and Brazil. The comparison is mainly focused on how the health care systems are organized and financed in both countries with more emphasis laid in the differences on how each of the system performs. By the end of the topic, one will be able to know how the health care systems of the two countries are organized and how investments and costs have shaped medical services in the two countries. 2.0 Population and health status 2.1 Demographic characteristics of population Demographic trends in the US during the early 2000s indicate a continued separation of various families and households because of various reasons such as divorce, remarriage, re-partnering, childbearing among single parents and dissolution of cohabiting unions. The separation cuts across all families including transnational families of immigrants. Moreover, demographers have been able to prove that over the past few years, trends such as divorce and marriages were diverging according to education. Also, demographic trends indicate an increase in the elderly population, with the trend in the age structure expected to increase from 40 million in 2014 to 80 million over the next 15 years (Nascimento, 2013). This implies that by 2032, the number of people over the age of 65 will be more than those who are below 15 years of age. At the same time, the number of potential workers per retiree will be few, as the social and financial costs of the aging population will be increasing. Without any behavioral and policy changes, the fiscal burden experienced by individual taxpayers and workers will skyrocket. In Brazil, however, there has been a decline in the fertility rates in the past few years. This has had severe consequences on the demographic pattern of its pyramid with information collected indicating an increase in the number of old people (Efdeportes.com, 2015). However, despite this increase and a decrease in the number of children, the young age group remains to have a higher proportion when compared to the US. As a result, Brazil’s demographic trend shortly will still have an elderly population that is less than 10% and characteristically, it will be composed of the “young-old” who will be between 60 to 69 years of age. 2.2 Mortality, Infant Mortality data and the causes of Death in the US and Brazil In the US, the infant mortality rate stalled, placing the US among the worst rated nation, in nations that have developed. According to statistics collected in 2013, 6 out of 1000 babies born die during their first year of life if not during birth. When these figures are compared to other nations such as Japan, Israel, Norway, and Italy, the figures are thrice the number expected in the mentioned countries. These absurd figures can be attributed to the high prenatal birth rate and high rates of low birth weight babies. Mortality rate refers to the number of deaths that arise from a certain cause. In the US, there are quite some cause with cancer, suicide, homicides, and infant mortality rates topping the list as some of the major causes of death. Overall, the US has a total death rate of 5.24 deaths in every 1000 people in the whole population (Zhang, 2008). On the other hand, Brazil has is divided into different classes when it comes to the medical services being offered. Brazilians living in the South, who tend to be wealthy, tend to receive better medical services as compared to their counterparts in the North of the country. This is evident by the high infant mortality rates experienced in the North as compared to the South. 2.3 Other data of health status In the Northeastern part of Brazil, they have around 0.58 doctors per every 1000 people. On the contrary, the wealthy individuals living in Rio de Janeiro have 3.44 doctors for every 1000 people. Moreover, 1/5 of the rich people in Brazil’s total population are twice as likely to receive prenatal care in comparison to the poor. 2013 statistics indicates that of the 62% to 75% individuals living in the South and suffering from Kidney related problems, one was able to receive treatment. However, only 15-25 individuals in the other parts of the country received treatment from the same. All this factors can be attributed to the fact that the North lacks enough/better laboratories, insufficient intensive care units, few blood circulation support networks, and a huge shortage in basic health care infrastructures such as X-ray machines and beds. 3.0 Expenditures 3.1 How are health services paid for; any roles for the government here In Brazil, the Brazilian government funds the health care system. Any foreigner or legal citizens are entitled to receive free healthcare services at the public hospitals/clinic as long as they produce the SUS card or RG respectively. Since the medical services offered at the clinics and government funded hospitals are free, the places tend to have long queues and will normally be overcrowded. The facilities at these hospitals will also not be as good and up to date as those in private hospitals (Nascimento, 2013). 3.2 Data on total expenditures Brazil also has the private and non-government organizations that offer and fund medical services in the country. In fact, Brazil has been ranked/rated as one of the best countries in South America in medical tourism. This can be attributed to the superb medical facilities found in the country. Some of the NGO’s responsible for offering and funding medical services in Brazil include the Red Cross, Academia Nacional de Medicinia and the Med Center. In the USA, there has been a change in the amount of money spent in the health care medical industry. Over the past 50 years, there has been a transformation in how the health care system in the S is funded (Zhang, 2008). The private insurance and private players are funding more money to the health care system. Similarly, almost 50 years back, the existence of Medicaid and Medicare was never heard or known of, and almost half of the hospital care was not covered by insurance. 3.3 Other related information/analysis In the 60’s, almost 100% of the money that was spent on prescription drugs was forked out of the consumers’ pockets. However, according to a current report published on the same topic, it indicated that this figure had come down to around 17%. This is associated to the fact that the private sector and the government are allocating more and funds to the health sector. 4 4.0 Macro-environmental influences on the healthcare system. 4.1 political factors Macro environmental factors are uncontrollable and external factors that will influence the health sectors decision-making process. These factors will consequently affect the strategies and performance of the health sector. They can include political, social-economical, technological and cultural factors. Political macro-environmental factors play a very big role in shaping the health care systems in both Brazil and the US. It is these factors that determine how much and which manner the government will meddle with the hospital. Such factors include how the government regulates the medical sector and legal issues arising from the government. In Brazil, the government is the biggest contributor to the health sector. It is responsible for funding the health care system and responsible for overseeing the public health programs such as Farmacia Popular, a program that ensures all the chemists and pharmacies in Brazil are fully stocked with drugs. In addition, it has the SUS (Sistea Unies de Saude) that allows both the locals and foreigners to have full access to the public hospitals absolutely free. In the US, there are quite a number of government policies that are aimed at improving the already well-defined policies. Standardizing, simplifying and introducing negotiable pricing into the health system to control the health expenditures and improve the efficiency are some of the policies (Zhang, 2008). 4.2 Socioeconomic factors In Brazil and the US, how the society is structured play a very big role in how you receive your health care services. People in the high-end social class have access to better and faster health care services as compared to individuals who are on the low-end social class. Also, there are individuals who tend to drink and smoke, a lifestyle that is linked to those who love partying a lot. Such individuals tend to seek the health care services as compared to those who avoid such lifestyle. In Brazil and the US, junk food is relatively cheap as compared to healthy food. As a result, individuals who eat more junk will tend to seek more health care services (Efdeportes.com, 2015). 4.3 Technological factors In the US, research and development activity has greatly improved the healthcare system within the country. With the continuous technological advancement, there has been a breakthrough in various fields of medicine and consequently improved health care services. The research and development activities in Brazil may not be as good as in the US. However, this does not mean that the country is lagging back in the health care sector. In fact, according to research, Brazil is among the best countries in the world in medical tourism. In South America region, it was ranked as the best in the field, receiving hundreds of thousands of patients from other countries for medical purpose (Nascimento, 2013). In addition, Brazil has the Department of Science, Technology and Strategic Supplies that is has been given the role of implementing all the pharmaceutical evaluation policies and incorporating health care services with technology. This body is also responsible for directing the industrial health complex policy to work in sync with the state agencies and ministries so that there can be the development of health technologies, development of pharmaceuticals and development of medical equipment. 5.0 Summary comments The amount of money the US government is spending in health care has been on the rise for the past six years. As a result, there has been an escalation in stress in businesses, families, and various public budgets in general. Health spending in the US is on the rise and has overtaken the economy’s’ growth. What makes it worse is the fact that it is even growing faster than the workers earnings. In the past years, the insurance administrative overhead is on a rapid increase in comparison to other sections of the health care sector, while pharmaceutical spending is surpassing the health care services in spending. The US government spends almost 20% of its GPD on the health care services when it is compared to 5 to 10 percent in other industrialized countries. 6.0 References Nascimento, I. (2013). Healthcare Systems in Brazil and the United States: A Comparative Analysis (1st ed.). Kennesaw State University. (Digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu, 2015) Digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu,. (2015). "Healthcare Systems in Brazil and the United States: A Comparative Anal" by Ingrid Jeber do Nascimento. Retrieved 24 November 2015, from http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/567/ Efdeportes.com,. (2015). A comparison between the Brazilian and the American Health Care System. Retrieved 24 November 2015, from http://www.efdeportes.com/efd187/a-comparison-bazilian-and-the-american-health.htm Zhang, Y. (2008). Encyclopedia of global health: 2. Los Angeles, Calif. [u.a.: Sage Publ. Read More