The Health Care System in the United States - Essay Example

The Health Care System in the United States Introduction Health care is one of the basic human rights. Health is crucial for social and economic development. The health care system of the United States today is from decades of growth and maturity. It has undergone many reforms which have had both positive and negative implications. The provision of health care is a major national issue that has led to a huge portion of the government’s budget being directed to health system. This is in the aid of better health care and improved public health. Stakeholders are the people who have a vested interest in an issue at hand. The United States health care system has many stakeholders that hold different interest, one may consider this as too many moving parts. The stakeholders, however, have one common interest; improvement of the health care system and better public health. The major stake holders in the health care system of the United States are patients, physicians, employers, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms and government. The Government Basically, the government plays a vital role in the health care system. It is usually the policy maker and regulator of the health care system. It has formed entities to ensure compliance with the current laws of the United States that affect and govern the health care industry. These entities include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Health care is a basic human right and it is, therefore, the responsibility of the United States government to ensure that all citizens can access affordable and quality health care. According to Wolper (173), as a stakeholder in the health care system, the government plays various roles. It provides and ensures access to health care especially to the vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with disabilities. The government does this by building public hospitals that provide cheaper and quality medical care to all its citizens. It supports acquisition of new knowledge, regulates health care markets and develops and evaluates new health care technologies and practices. The government is known to be a very supportive stakeholder in the adoption of new technologies in medical care particularly in the adoption of electronic health records. The government offered incentives to health facilities to help in the adoption of electronic health care systems. Government entities such as the FDA are also charged with the role of evaluating health care technologies and practices to ensure that they meet the safety laws set for the health care industry by the government. The government also informs health care decision makers, develops a heath care working team and brings together stakeholders from all the healthcare systems. The government is charged with law making. Laws regarding the health sector also pass through various arms of the government before they become law. Politics are bound to entangle in the government debates on making and passing health care legislation but in those debates the people government should always aim at protecting the people’s interest. It is the role of the government to pass health care legislations that are for the well-being of the public. The united states government has done this on many occasions; for example the health and information technology for economic and clinic health legislation that became law in 2009 that calls for use of information technologies in healthcare technology and protects the security and privacy of patients health care records (Kovner James and Steven 45). Patients Wolper (83) argues that a patient is the person who is receiving health care; are recipients of the health care system. Patients have various rights and responsibilities being stakeholders of the health care system. Although no law can be enforced to force patients to engage only in healthy practices such as exercise and healthy eating, it is the responsibility of the patients to ensure that they look after themselves. In regards to patient rights, all citizens in the United States have a right to access affordable and quality health care. Patients also have the right to security and privacy in regards to their health records. They also have the right access their health records electronically so as the keep check of their health progress. The rights of patients are protected by the constitution and when these rights are broken a patient has the right to take the necessary legal action against the concerned party. Physicians According to Shore and Eric (22), physicians are the people who are legally allowed to practice medicine. A physician has to undergo training from a certified institution and then given a medical license that allows them to practice medicine. Being at the center of health care, physicians provide primary care to patients. They diagnose signs and symptoms of patients and provide treatment. Physicians are bound by law to confidentiality not to disclose about their patients. The physician is also the voice of the patient. The physician is the intermediary between the pharmaceutical companies and the patients. Physicians are obligated to thoroughly study new drugs advertised by the pharmaceutical companies before recommending it to patients. They do this by conducting research on the drug, its side effects and levels of success. These way physicians can look out for their patients’ well-being. Employers Nash and Nei (26) articulate that employers are a stakeholder in the health care system in the United States because they provide insurance health covers to their employees through an agreement that includes deductions and copayments. Proving medical care to employees is beneficial to employers. This is because when the employee is in good health the employer is assured of optimal performance and maximum output. Employers represent their employees in acquiring health care plans putting them as part of the stakeholders in their health care system in the United States. Insurance Companies Insurance companies sell health care cover plans to patients directly or indirectly through employers and government as intermediaries. Insurance companies are profit driven and this has made them focus more on profits than affordability. This has prevented those in need from receiving medical care (Wolper 73). Individuals and organizations purchase insurance covers to mitigate their risks in case of an unseen problem. A medical insurance cover is supposed to help citizens cover their medical expenses. Pharmaceutical Firms Pharmaceutical companies play an important role in health care provision. They firms are the companies that make and sell medication. Pharmaceutical companies usually invest a lot of money on research development and marketing of drugs. Many patients rely on pharmaceutical firms because they provide the medications prescribed by physician. Pharmaceutical companies make drugs from vigorous researches but it is only after the FDA approval that they are allowed to market these drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are charged with the responsibility of visiting health care practitioners in hospitals to educate, update, and give drugs samples from their companies This way they provide assurance on the quality of their products by answering all questions that health practitioners may have about the drug; for example the side effects and insurance cover. It is through marketing those patients and physicians are able to learn about new drugs. These way patients can ask for these drugs that may be of help to their health. Physicians are also able to learn of new drugs that may be of great help to a patient’s health when prescribed (Nash and Nei 51). Current issues in the provision of health care Health care in the United States is significantly higher than in the rest of the world yet the adult and child mortality rate as well as life expectancy is average. It can therefore be said that one of the major problems in the health care system systems is unaffordable health care. Different stakeholders in the health care system have contributed to the lack of affordability of medical care to patients. Insurance companies are supposed to provide health covers that will help reduce the medical costs of patients. Their role is to simply make health care affordable. It has been a trend among insurance companies to deny coverage for already existing conditions such as cancer, asthma and diabetes. Strict policies and premiums by insurance companies have led to an increase in the uninsured and underinsured population. This has made it difficult for a large number of people to be able to afford getting medical care. This also caused the government to spend a lot of money on health care (Kronenfeld 41). The government being the stakeholder obligated with the duty of providing accessible and affordable healthcare. The government should adopt a national health insurance program that is run by the government and funded by generated taxes. This will enable all citizens to receive health care services that will include both routine and basic health care; this is what is commonly referred to as universal access. According to Rouse, Williams and Denis (20), pharmaceutical companies on the other hand of drugs push the costs of research, development and advertisement of drugs to the consumer. Patients are therefore forced to pay a lot of money to access certain medications. Americans pay higher for new medication and medical devices than any other patients in the world. Over reliance on medicine is another issue that is affecting the health care system. People are no longer keen on preventive measures because they think there is medicine to treat their illnesses. Diseases like cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure have been associated with lifestyle. These diseases have been the major causes of death in America. People still choose poor lifestyles regardless of the knowledge they have on lifestyle diseases. Leading poor lifestyles has financial implication to both the individual and the government as both will spend more money on health care. Patients and physicians are some of the stakeholders that have an influence on this. Physicians should encourage their patients to take more preventive measures other than just relying on medication. No person or law can force an individual to lead a healthy lifestyle. Patients have the responsibility to take care of themselves by making the choice of leading a healthy lifestyle for their own good. Lack of insurance coverage or underinsurance can also lead to lack of preventive care. Waiting for a problem to escalate before getting medical attention is dangerous as it leads to overcrowding in hospitals, lack of continuity in receiving medical care, expensive treatments and prolonged waiting periods before receiving medical attention; this usually worsens the medical condition. Preventive care also calls for regular medical checkups. This can lead to early detection that allows for treatment on time; leading to elimination or treatment of the disease before it causes much harm to the body. Preventive care also leads to improved medical outcomes, fewer hospitalizations and reduced length and charges of hospital stays (Rouse, Williams and Denis 31).Lack of access to health care is also another issue in delivery of health care. With the number of Americans that are uninsured and underinsured; the result is that a good population won’t be able to access health care because they simply cannot afford it (Kronenfeld 46). The most affected will be the vulnerable populations; the elderly, children and people living with disabilities. Adoption of national health insurance coverage will go a long way in ensuring universal access. Thus, United States citizens are in a position to access health as their basic rights demand. Conclusion The health system is composed of various stakeholders who play different roles. The basic priority for all stake holders however should be ensuring that all American public is able to access quality and affordable health services. The current health system may have undergone a lot of reforms and changes to get to where it is today but it still has a long way to go. The health care system is still faced by many challenges some of which have been discussed in this paper. The stakeholders in the health care system should work closely with each other to ensure that they solve some of the problems in the health care system. Work cited: Shore, David A, and Eric D. Kupferberg. High Stakes: The Critical Role of Stakeholders in Health Care. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Nash, David B, and Neil I. Goldfarb. The Quality Solution: The Stakeholder's Guide to Improving Health Care. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett, 2006. Print. Wolper, Lawrence F. Health Care Administration: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Organized Delivery Systems. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004. Print. Kovner, Anthony R, James Knickman, and Steven Jonas. Jonas & Kovner's Health Care Delivery in the United States. New York: Springer Pub, 2011. Print. Rouse, William B, and Denis A. Cortese. Engineering the System of Healthcare Delivery. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2010. Print. Kronenfeld, Jennie J. Health Care Policy: Issues and Trends. Westport, Ct: Praeger, 2002. Print. Read More