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Understandably, there are mixed opinions in regard to the effectiveness of the current healthcare system; because it has worked well for some, but not all. It may not be perfect, but it is’t a total loss. Unfortunately,the cost of healthcare does not equal the quality, and with or without health insurance, it is creating financial hardships for common society (Dudek, 2017); thus leading to sustainability concerns. With the cost of healthcare continuing to rise and without equal increases in the average American income, many individuals are at risk of losing coverage, and therefore not having access to needed care.
Secondary to the financial evaluation, is the concern in the quality of care provided (Rice, et.al, 2014), one way the quality of care is measured, is by life expectancy (Etehad & Kim, 2017). In 2016, the life span in the U.S. was 78.5 years, whereas the longest is 84.2 years, representing the people of Japan (World Health Organization, 2018). The number of people that die from complications or conditions that could have been avoided with timely and effective care, is referred to as mortality amenable to healthcare (Nolte & McKee, 2012). In 2007, the rate was the highest in the United States and doubled that of France, which was the lowest of the four countries researched (Nolte & McKee, 2012).
However, despite these drawbacks, there have been advancements made as well. For instance, increasing the availability of electronic medical records so that multiple providers have the capability to always have current information to safely care for their patients, as well as implementing evidence-based policies to prevent hospital admissions and readmissions.
That being said, this shows that our healthcare system posses both positive and negative elements, proving a fair score when compared globally. Nevertheless, we still have mountains to climb in order to improve issues such as the economics and quality of care.
References
Dudek, A. (2017, October 14). U.S. Health Care System: American Taxpayers Paying A Lot, Getting Little In Return--A German-American Perspective. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alev-dudek/us-health-care-system-ame_b_12431960.html.
Etehad, M., & Kim, K. (2017, July 18). The U.S. Spends More on Healthcare Than Any Other Country — But Not With Better Health Outcomes. LA Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-healthcare-comparison-20170715-htmlstory.html#
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