When evaluating the health care system in the United States, it becomes clear that certain reforms need to occur. Even though the United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, its citizens are not as healthy as other nations who spend less, such as Canada and Sweden (Sernau, 2013, 283). Learning Module #7 raises the problem with caring for the elderly; the majority of Americans have inadequate savings for health care, and Medicaid is buckling under the pressure of the growing elderly population.
Moreover, as the learning module indicates, very few individuals purchase private, long-term health insurance, which exacerbates the issues faced by the Medicaid program. Even more troublingly, the text mentions that the elderly population of the United States continues to increase (Sernau, 2013, 268). Though Obama attempted to remedy this problem with the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, this legislation was ultimately dropped. However, the issues with health care in the United States are not limited to the elderly population. Relatively new diseases have emerged in recent decades, and these diseases require expensive treatment and long-term care that is often out of reach for those whom the disease afflicts. An excellent example of this is HIV, which, according to the text, disproportionately affects impoverished African-American and Latino communities (Sernau, 2013, 278).
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Though HIV is no longer considered the killer it once was, due to the range of treatment options available (Sernau, 2013, 280), the disease is still costly to treat and many people lack the means to pay for this type of treatment. Though there are several other problems with health care in the United States, the major issue becomes clear: the current system, as it functions now, is unaffordable for the elderly and for the poor. The health care system needs to be drastically amended in such a way that all citizens, not just those of means, can receive health care when they urgently need it. Insurance companies need to be held accountable for fraudulent, greedy activities, as these companies have played a part in grossly inflated health care costs. Additionally, preventative health care needs to be stressed. If more Americans focused on preventing illness, rather than addressing illness when it arrives, then substantial health care savings will be realized. Though several actions must be taken to address health care as it is today, the most logical first step is to focus on prevention.
Response to Student A:
You make an outstanding point when you state, “Canada uses a single-payer health care system, which is much more effective. Not only is it cheaper to operate, but it allows its citizens to seek long-term preventive care, unlike in the U.S where most of the expenditure goes into treating terminally ill patients which is more expensive and less effective.” While it seems like a paradox that the United States spends the most money on health care yet has a more unhealthy population than several other countries, the paradox is demystified when considering that the United States spends substantial sums of money on treating terminal illnesses, rather than on prevention. In the long-term, prevention is vastly more inexpensive than treatment. However, prevention must start early in life, as it will grow less effective with each year that passes by. Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and other health problems plague staggering numbers of Americans, and though these diseases are different, they are similar in that they could have been prevented by following reasonable health measures, such as healthier eating, increased physical activity, smoking cessation, and annual visits to a primary care physician, among others.
Response to Student B:
You make a great point when you state, “Taking a closer look at the U.S. health care system, we all know that it is very expensive. A single visit to physician costs you around 100USD when you are not covered by a medical insurance policy.” 100USD is unaffordable to most people, especially in recent years. Moreover, this 100USD only takes into account the office visit itself, not follow-up visits and the prescribed treatment plan. To add to your discussion, it is not easy to obtain affordable insurance in the United States, which is the reason so many are without insurance in the first place. Certainly, employees in certain corporations and businesses are provided with health care coverage, but this is a privilege that has declined across the nation due to massive layoffs and greater numbers of part-time workers. Moreover, health insurance becomes more costly as people age, which is tragically ironic, as most people typically need insurance more at an older age than they did at a younger age.
The passage of the health care reform bill was intended to address this problem by requiring all Americans to have health insurance, but thus far the positive effects are not immediately apparent. Instead, there have been several news stories about corporations fighting the bill’s mandates while other businesses declare that they prefer to just pay a fine, rather than cover their workers. Overall, the United States has a long way to go before its health care system can be considered remotely healthy.
- Sernau, S. Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace, and Sustainability. New York, New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2013.
