The Healthcare System Reforms - Research Paper Example

The Healthcare System Reforms al Affiliation The Healthcare System Reforms Introduction The world healthcare system varies dependingon the nature of governments. Each healthcare system has its positives and its negatives; there is need to focus on the positives in an effort to ensure a sustainable healthcare system. The government is responsible for designing an effective healthcare system. Healthcare system should keep in mind the needs of the beneficiaries thus if the public feels dissatisfied the system would be rendered ineffective resulting to crisis. An effective healthcare system is harmonized by including systems from other parts of the world and identifying measures that will improve the status of American health system. Positives from world’s healthcare system According to Frontline video there is need to focus on other healthcare systems with an aim of drawing comparison. The United Kingdom healthcare system is unique in that the governments pays for healthcare and are responsible for the national health services. This enables affordable healthcare to all while exempting the old and the young from payment related to drugs. In the case of Germany, citizens are allowed to purchase their insurance cover from private companies. This is positive in the sense that people are at liberty to choose an insurance cover that suits their needs. In Japan, the government ensures each individual has an insurance cover in that the employers enroll its employees to a suitable insurance company. The employee is required to pay a large amount of the required premiums those unemployed are enrolled in government plan. In Taiwan, the government monopolizes the health insurance hence minimizing healthcare cartels. The mandatory government insurance plan ensures low cost of drugs as well as a subsidized healthcare. In Switzerland, the country subsidizes healthcare services for lower income earners. This is an effort of ensuring that the healthcare system is accessible to all. Negatives from world’s healthcare system The cost of healthcare service is a major concern. In Switzerland, the amount of premium paid is slightly below $ 800. Citizens pay the premium amount totally and no exemption is given to citizens. The Germany case is such that the private sector is given more powers in matters insurance. The model applied by the country may be ineffective to those of low incomes. In Taiwan lack of competitor in social insurance would imply that the government may fail to regulate standards in the healthcare. In Japan there is need to focus on limited government participation in healthcare service provision. The private sector solemnly controls the health sector thus government lacks regulatory powers. In United Kingdom, the national healthcare system limits the private sector thus lacking competition. Previous problems in the USA health system Previous healthcare system was rendered expensive hence, 13 % of the total GDP was channeled towards the healthcare system (Emanuel, 2014). Despite heavy investment by the government, the system was ineffective compared to other system all over the world. The second problem was the non-involvement of the private sector. The available insurance firms were more concerned with profit generation rather than service provision. The premium rates did not translate to the services provided. The two factors were responsible for the expensive healthcare system. The public were treated with a series of reforms in an effort to ensure the healthcare system was affordable. The high premium rates by insurance firms meant that the service where limited to those with low incomes. The Medicaid as an alternative to the insurance policy was insufficient in ensuring the low-income earners access healthcare services at low costs. The healthcare policies meant that the government alternative to the private health provider was still expensive. Best component of the Affordable Care Act Years of Americans being subjected to substandard services from the insurance companies where solved once the Affordable Care Act took effect. The reforms meant that the country was given alternatives depending on their income bracket (Emanuel, 2014). The government regulation on insurance firms meant that insurance firms should standardize their rate at the same time offer accessible cover to all citizens. This meant that standardized pricing was in place to allow private insurance to access affordable services. The affordable healthcare services would then be a solution to lower premiums paid by insurance firms (Bernstein, 2014). The government involvement was effective; as it would set standard that, each healthcare provider must meet and at the same time collaborate with the private sector to ensure each American access affordable healthcare services. The employed hence have the assurance that their employers provide them with an insurance plan. The parents are also mandated to offer cover for their children until the age 26 meaning each citizen will be under an insurance plan (Bernstein, 2014). Worst component of the Affordable Care Act The mandatory insurance cover under the Affordable act saw the premiums rise. The argument was that, it would ensure that the healthcare system has improved service delivery. This meant that each stakeholder contributed to the health plan provide for by the state and the federal government (Bernstein, 2014). The limited the type of cover private insurances offered to the market. The health reforms were meant to offer accessible healthcare services to the public. This was to be done through lower premiums offered by insurance firms. In the contrary, the mandatory status of health insurance was the only component that ensured the public is covered by insurance firms (Basu, 2013). The basic assumption was that by reforms would lower the cost of healthcare but rather the public was treated to a scenario where the cost of service increased. The unemployed or those under low-income bracket may feel oppressed by the reforms. Integration of world healthcare system Having analyzed the world’s health system it is important to focus on the positives as means of harmonizing the American healthcare system. A common insurance plan for the public is a component that has been integrated into the current health reforms. The universal practice has seen the country transformed from a private managed healthcare system to that that has government participation. The mandated health cover for employees and the parents is similar to the social insurance practiced all over the world. The regulator remains the government, which is a practice all over the world. The government involvement ensures accessible and standard healthcare system. The involvement of the regulated private sector is an effort by the government to ensure completion while at the same time specifying on the types of insurance covers to be offered by the public. This move is an integration of the Germany system where the private sector offers insurance and the UK system where the government controls the health care system. The government thus is at liberty to choose an appropriate plan to its citizens. The integration of the health system will ensure reduced cost while at the same time improve on quality. The social insurance concept would ensure each citizen accesses medical insurance cover while the private sector will ensure quality delivery. This implies that the regulation of the private sector as is the case in Japan will ensure that people are at liberty to chose whichever plan they feel comfortable. This will hence create competitiveness in the healthcare sector thus improved quality. The government should remain the regulator to ensure certain standards are attained. Integrating these concepts with the current health reforms will ensure that each individual has accesses to quality health care. The government hence will be able to regulate while at the same time allow competition in the sector. This then will reduce the expenditure towards the health sector but at the sometime ensuring quality standards. Potential Barriers Health reforms through integration could have its challenges. The first challenge would be the system of government in that each state is at liberty to contribute a certain amount of its revenue towards the health system. This means that the regulator could be the state government rather that the federal government. This could mean that each state could have different standards while offering health insurance hand services to its citizens. The lack of a social insurance plan by the federal government will meant that integration plan could face challenges. The two forms of government could mean the states have different systems hence lack of a unified system. The private sector under the current plan could face difficulties if the government regulates premiums to be paid by the public. Conclusion There is need to focus on reforms as a means of ensuring the health sector improves its service delivery. The government’s aim is to provide a healthcare system that is accessible to all. The cost of service should reflect on the quality. Comparing the United States healthcare system with that of the world it is evident that the current system has both its positives and negatives. The work of the government is to ensure the current system is reformed to meet certain standards. This could be done by focusing on the positives of the world’s health system and using them to improve on the domestic system. The inclusion of both the private insurance and the government insurance plan in the health system will ensure competitiveness and at the same time improve on quality delivery. Reference Basu,R.(2013). The Broken State of American Health Insurance Prior to the Affordable Care Act. Pacific Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/BasuF2.pdf Bernstein, L. (2014, June 16). Once again, U.S. has most expensive, least effective health care system in survey. Washington post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/06/16/once-again-u-s-has-most-expensive-least-effective-health-care-system-in-survey/ Emanuel, E. (2014). Reinventing American Health Care: How the Affordable Care Act will Improve our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System. New York: Public Affairs Read More