Health Care Crisis in the United States - Research Paper Example

HEALTH CARE CRISIS HEALTH CARE CRISIS Universal health care is well known as universal care. This is a system that ensures it’s citizens are provided with appropriate health care. It also ensures that people acquire financial protection from the government. It was started with the aim of providing the citizens or rather the residents with financial risk protection and also health services that are advanced and appropriate. By doing this the impact of health system will be positively felt and also beneficial to citizens of that country. Universal health coverage was established for specific purposes and not catering people for everything. Each country has some rules and regulations that govern the health care system and they have to be adhered to. The universal health care has three tasks in each member of the society. It covers the following in every individual. The first one is the person who is to be covered with the system. Secondly, the services that the system has to offer to that person. Lastly, the total cost when carrying the person. In most developed countries, the universal health coverage is of much helpful to the residents. This has been made true, by the primary funds the government of these countries gets through the local residents. The government imposes tax to the residents and this becomes revenue to the country and which ensures that the country’s health care system achieves its goals. Also, some countries get funds the merchants and private sectors. The Soviet Union was the first one to establish the health care system in early 1937 and it was well redistributed towards its rural areas. Despite that America is among the wealthiest countries in the planet, it does not have universal health coverage unlike other developed countries. This is true because of some reasons or rather facts that have hindered America from diversifying its economy from universal health coverage which is a bit cheaper. Historically, the United States has never had a labor party which becomes successful. The low income earners in the United States were able to buy in most parts of the country. Land mobility was also encouraged and the middle class were also able to own the properties. This led to totally acquiring free land or quasi free land in most parts of the America. Consequently, a large number of the middle working class owned land in the United States, unlike in most parts of the planet where the land was owned by rich people. This resulted in failure of the labor party since there was no need of one voice to push for equity among the America’s people. As there was no labor party, implied that there was no unity for one voice to push for universal health care. Also, American politics was unable to unite the blacks and whites who were living there during the 19th century. This led to differences when it comes to political aspects. Since people were divided, there was no one voice to champion for universal health coverage. The residents of America have a different perspective of the socioeconomic status of other people in different developed nations. They believe that they are all middle class workers. They have created this habit and it has grown to be their culture of referring themselves are middle class. These differences in aspect of socioeconomic status, has led to United States residents not to take or rather pay for health insurance cover. Consequently, the middle class culture of America has resulted to the absence of universal health coverage. Also the American culture has less or no respect of the ones who are above the law that is the authorities. Historically, the United States lacked the traditional aristocracy which has remained to exist till now. This has encouraged the United States residents to be independent on the own. They take the issue of universal health care as something that will make people to be more dependent leading to them becoming less hardworking or less productive. This is the contrary when it becomes to developed nations as they presume that the universal health care is of more benefits to the people and also to the nations. United nations have a negative attitude towards the ruling government. Recently as the ruling of president Obama came up with an idea of Obama care, there were so many opposition that hindered the passing of Obama care as a law. Also the structure of politics explains as to why United States has no universal health care for her people. The constitution which was designed by Madison has a lot of differences in the government and the country generally. Like the differences that is between the United States senate and the United States House of Representatives make it difficult for both of them to come up with one idea of championing for implementing universal health care in the nation. If one of them came up with an idea, then definitely the other party will be the opposition of that idea. American politics are much local despite the fact that it is a county that is most diversified in many sectors. This makes America to become divided both in politics and social lives and also in the aspect of health care system. It is clear that the political parties in the United States are not that strong and have no powerful influence to the people of America when it comes to health. This is true because these parties have never come up with policies concerning health issues. The American politics concentrate on the power of money and anyone who comes up with ideas concerning universal health insurance will be highly opposed. Also the change of presidents as a result of one election to another, has clearly shown that no single president has shown great improvement when it comes to the health sector. Problems of health coverage United States is being faced with health coverage problems. Due to the health coverage hospital costs have highly increased. According to the health care costs institute in united states, the rising hospital costs has been caused by increasing costs of health coverage to the American residents who have insured privately. It also indicated that the costs that was due to the services offered by the health care indicated by 4.8 percent in the year 2011. These costs include the hospital stay costs, and the surgical costs. Also, merging of hospital has caused the rise of hospital costs. The hospitals have become money oriented leading to high costs of hospital services like care. The impact of the rising hospital costs is being felt by the American people. Also, the health coverage has led to the inappropriate care system. This is because of the high number of consumers who have insured for health coverage. It becomes hard for the systems to have effective communications with the patients and also among themselves. Taking an example of health coverage of disjointed care, there is duplication in the test of radiology. This is about twenty percent of the tests that get duplicated hence wasting billions of dollars every year. This kind of problem is well known as fragmented care problem. Lastly, the health coverage has led to lack of transparency in prices and also the services offered. It has become a major problem in the country. Consequently, the patients have lost trust in the health coverage system since they get it to be more difficult to make effective decisions on the needs of health care because they are not led to have the costs of their medical procedures Statistics of health coverage The impact of rising costs of health care and medical care is felt either positively or negatively by united states residents. It has now become difficult for Americans who are already insured to pay their premiums and also more difficult to pay for medical care for those who have not insured. In 2012, according to commonwealth survey 48 percent of American adults aging between 19 and 64 which is approximately 86 million residents of united states ,had health coverage insurance but were unable to pay for their premiums. In other words they are under-insured. The rising costs of health coverage premiums makes it difficult for them to pay because in a period of five years, that is between 2001 and 2005,the health care insurance premiums inclined by 31 percent while the income of the income of insured only inclined by four percent. Also, the major residents of American residents becoming poor are due to the expenses of their medicines. Medical expenses have led to estimated fifty percent of American adults becoming poor. A good number of American couples get married so as to have marriage certificate that will enable them to benefit from health care. Also a good number of American adult population estimated 25 percent wish to get employed in companies that best provide health benefits. America is ranked among the developed countries which spend highly on health care. Its spending on health coverage is approximately 15.30 percent of gross domestic product followed closely by Switzerland which its spending on health is 11.6 percent of gross domestic product. In the year 2007, 72 percent of United States expenditure on health coverage was directed to treatment diseases such as diabetes which were so chronic. In every year American spending on health coverage is more than 2 trillion dollars while mean premium per year from an individual is approximately 5600 dollars and for those with families their mean premium per year is estimated to be 15000 dollars. Economic problems The health crisis in America has led to economic problems within the country. The rise of costs of health coverage has forced a large number of American populations to spend a large proportion of their income on medical services. It is true that, a mean of eleven percent of each person’s income in United States is spent on medical services. This has resulted to so many Americans going bankrupt and this forces them to live below the living standards. Consequently, if a large number of American people live below the required standards, then the economic growth will be slow. The American health coverage system provides the services which utilizes the available scarce resources. Unfortunately, the health care system has exhausted the available limited resources. Since there is high demand for the services provide by the health care, the prices for this services has inclined. Increasing the prices for the services offered by the American health system is one way of regulating the use of scarce resources in the provision of the services. This is because not all people afford to pay for the services. Hence, there are less number of people going for those expensive services. Consequently, there is a minimal provision of those services. This means that there less revenue that is generated from that sector and also some of the workers will lose their jobs. This poses a big problem in the economy as it slows the growing rate of the economy. Also, a shortage of the health care services poses a threat to the economy. Even though this is one way of curbing the high expenditure on the health coverage services, it may not be effective in other ways. Due to this shortage of the health care services, there will be long queues by American people so as to get the limited medical services. Consequently, this will lead to a very poor or rather annoying health care system. There will be a lot of time wasted by people queuing for medical treatment. The wasted time could be used instead in the provision of economic products which could result in the boosting of the economy. The poor system of health care has force people into experiencing hardship. Obama care It is the American plan that focuses on the health care issues. It is well known as reform for health care or the care that is always available and affordable to all according to act (ACA). Its main agenda was to provide Americans with affordable and standard quality of health insurance which is easily accessible. The second agenda was to regulate spending rate of the revenue in the American health coverage. Also it makes private and public health insurance more available to all Americans. Pros 1. The act was implemented so as to regulate the highly increasing health care cost. Health care services were given priority such that the thirty two million American populations could easily access them. 2. There is a decrease in the American budget deficit by approximately 140 billion dollars for the next ten years. Cons 1. There is a probability that less than five million American people have high chances of losing their company sponsored health coverage plan. 2. Still there is existence of high expenditure on the medical services such as cholesterol and cancer screening tests. This has definitely increased the general costs of health care. References Esteban, R., & Dickinson, S. (2013). OBAMAS HEALTH CARE REFORM AND THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES OF A CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUE. Revista Chilena De Economía Y Sociedad, 7(1/2), 40-50. This article gives information about the Obama Care act. It is useful in that it explains the role of the Act, gives the pros and cons of the Obama care. Mayes, R. (2004). Universal Coverage, Health Inequalities, and the American Health Care System in Crisis (Again). Conference Papers -- American Political Science Association, 1-38. doi:apsa_proceeding_29151.pdf This article talks about the inequality of funds in America. The reason as to why other people are not insured. It is useful in that it gives out the statistics of the health care system in America Prince, J. B. (2006). Health care crisis in America. New York: Novinka Books. The book talks about the reason why America is not having a universal health care coverage. It is very useful in that it talks about the problems of the economy under the health care system Read More