America vs The World
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Dec 6, 2023
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Boachie 1
America vs The World
Caleb Boachie
Intro to Global Issues 2401
September 27
th
, 2023
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What factors (political, social and economic) explain the fact that the US spends the most on healthcare
in the developed world and has the worst outcomes?
The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical city in the world and is located in
America. In the TMC, surgeons use virtual reality reconstruction to visualize malignancies within the
body before beginning a surgery, technicians make robots to increase efficiency, and doctors test
artificial organs created from scratch. Along with other medical facilities around the U.S., they export
their technology and advances to other nations and draw hundreds of thousands of patients from across
the world. Despite spending approximately twice as much on healthcare as the majority of high income
nations, or around US$3.8 trillion annually, Americans continue to die from diseases that can be
prevented and treated at higher rates than those in other high income nations."The most expensive,
least effective health care system in the modern world" is how the American health system is referred to.
A mixture of political, social, and economic reasons, including; the fact that the United States is
the developed nation with the biggest healthcare spending yet also has relatively low healthcare
outcomes
;
High medicine prices
: Because pharmaceutical corporations are allowed to establish high
drug prices in the United States, some Americans who live paycheck to paycheck are unable to afford
drugs or are forced to pay more for their prescriptions than people in people in other nations.
Healthcare System Fragmentation
: The American healthcare system is incredibly fragmented,
with a mixture of public and private insurers and providers. Due to the difficulty of coordination, this
fragmentation causes administrative inefficiencies, duplication services, and greater prices.
Healthcare that Is Profit-Driven:
The profit incentive is a major force in the American healthcare
system. Private health insurance firms, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare organizations
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frequently put financial success ahead of patient care, which raises prices and occasionally results in
overuse of medical services.
In addition,
Defensive medicine and lawsuits
: Out of fear of being sued for medical misconduct,
many healthcare professionals order pointless tests and procedures in an effort to safeguard their
professional reputations. Costs for healthcare go climb as a result.
Social Determinants of Health
: Social
issues including wealth inequality, poverty, a lack of educational opportunities, and differences in access
to social services can have an impact on the quality of healthcare. These social determinants of health
pose problems for the United States because they lead to worse health outcomes for some communities.
Comprehensive healthcare reform that considers political, economic, and social elements is necessary to
address these complicated concerns. It is undeniable that tackling these systemic challenges is crucial to
improving healthcare outcomes and containing costs, even while there is continuous discussion over the
optimal strategy for healthcare reform in the U.S.
What are the alternative models available in other countries?
Universal Health
insurance for all Canadians is provided by the government under the country's
single-payer healthcare system, for instance. It guarantees access to care regardless of income and pays
for necessary medical services.
Multi-payer systems
, such as those in Germany and France, combine
public and private insurance alternatives, but they are strictly controlled to guarantee everyone has
access. To keep costs under control, the government frequently sets pricing for medical services.
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National Health Services
(e.g., United Kingdom): The National Health Service (NHS) of the UK
offers medical services that are paid for by taxes. All people can receive full care there for nothing up
front.
Socialized healthcare
(e.g., Sweden): In a socialized system, the government runs healthcare
facilities and hires medical staff. At the moment of service, patients receive care free of direct cost.
Mandatory Health Insurance
(example: Switzerland): Switzerland requires all citizens to acquire private
health insurance, although the country offers subsidies to make it affordable. Universal coverage is
maintained by this system.