US Versus England Health Care Delivery System - Essay Example

"U.S. Versus England Health Care Delivery System" is an excellent example of a paper on the health system. With America ushering in a new period about the future of its health care system with various models being tested in individual states, this paper, therefore, tends to look at the differences between the National Health Service of America and the United Kingdom. A report released by the World Health Organization in June 2000 that ranked the health care systems of various countries across the world. The United Kingdom was ranked ninth whereas the United States was ranked 17th highest in overall performance system.

Access and Continuity

Both access and continuity are considered inseparable. Research has shown that prioritizing one can result in an unbalanced relationship amongst the two. Prioritizing prompt access has been considered disadvantageous to the patient to have themselves examined by doctors of their choice.

Any primary care finds good access as essential to health care systems. In England, this is mainly the patient’s route into effective health care. Limiting it can be dangerous to the patient and may result in health hazards and even cause harm. On the other hand, the department of health in the USA launched an initiative to improve access times based on the concept of advanced access. Even though there have been massive improvements that have been experienced, one primary factor identified by developers in the US, sufficient capacity, was often missing in the UK primary care (Peterson & Library of Congress, 2007).

Cost

In the United Kingdom, the government through the National Health Service with all permanent United Kingdom citizens having access to free public healthcare facilitates the health care system. Notably, this is usually paid through taxation making it expensive on the part of the government. On the other hand, the United States health care is led by the private sector thus many Americans, as well as their employers, spend millions of dollars per annum on health insurance policies. According to (Johnson & Stoskopf, 2010) this, as a result, makes it more expensive for individual citizens. Research shows that the United States spends close to 15% of its domestic product on health care. The United States spends about 15% of GDP on health care every year (close to $2.2 trillion). The government pays about 50%. Conversely, the United Kingdom spends close to 8% of its GDP on health care, allocating the department of health around $155 billion.

Quality

The American health care system is deemed to be of higher quality than that of the United Kingdom. Research reveals that unlike in the United Kingdom health care system where citizens often undergo delays as well as lack highly advanced technologies, in the United States there is speedier access to treatment and have advanced technologies. Based on quality health care services, the American system ranks higher in preventive health measures and patient-centered care (Baker, 2008). Therefore, it is not surprising that the survival rates for breast cancer are higher in the USA than in the United Kingdom.

Conclusion

From the discussion held above, it is evident that during the contemporary times, when National Health Service is no longer viewed as the desire of the world and the United States boasting of the most efficient medical care world over that is not cheap to sustain, it is appropriate for both countries to learn from one another. However, this can be extended to other countries that would enable the addition of various types of systems that would ensure a focus on high-performing organizations within the system.