Notes for the research paper are obtained from various sources as they are located and examined. Obviously, all the quotes obtained may not be used. However, of the sources located to date, the following notes have been documented.
In an article by ABC News, multiple statistics concerning the health care crisis were noted. These include that in 2005, approximately 15.9% of the United States population lacked health care. This was twice the population of Texas. Also of importance, out of twenty-three industrialized nations, the U.S. has the highest infant mortality rate. Infant mortality is the best gauge of the health of a society. Also, only 45% of Americans receive preventive care. For the federal spending, nearly twenty-five percent of all federal dollars went to health care. These notes are a summarization of the material.
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"Health Care Crisis Notes".
A summarization of an article by Dr. Steven Woolf includes the following noteworthy material: A significant contributor to the cost of health care in the United States stems from unrealistic beliefs on the part of both the patient and the clinician. Both patients and clinicians have impractical expectations concerning the efficacy of tests and treatments. Due to this impractical view, patients and clinicians may seek excess treatment and tests. This contributes substantially to the healthcare crisis. This is a summarization of the article.
An interview with Dr. Marcia Angell led to several interesting quotes for the paper. One of these quotes sums up the current status of our health care system. According to Dr. Angell, “If we had set out to design the worst system that we could imagine, we couldn’t have imagined one as bad as we have” (PBS, n.d.) She also stated that “our health care system creates ethical dilemmas that no health care system should create” (PBS, n.d.). These are quotations from the source.
A very lengthy article examined was “Toward Solving the Health Care Crisis: The Paradoxical Case for Universal Access to High Technology.” The author is Dr. Ani Satz. In this article, Dr. Satz examines some of the misconceptions related to the health care crisis. The major misconception is the belief that the health care crisis is due to a supply problem. However, it is not the basic access to care that creates the tremendous burden; rather, the access to high technology leads to significant health care costs. However, the author argues that in a paradoxical case, the access to high technology must be universal. This would result in a more equitable sharing of the health care supplies and increase health. This is a summarization of the author’s argument (Satz, 2008, pp. 95-100).
Another very interesting article involves palliative care. The author argues that palliative care offers a “novel approach” towards solving the health care crisis. Unfortunately, many individuals associate palliative care with hospice care or end-of-life care. This is not true. Palliative care actually works to prevent and ease suffering associated with medical problems. It does this by anticipating the suffering that will occur. Obviously, if the medical team focuses on being patient-centered and family-centered, this would benefit the health care system. Also, by offering preventive care associated with suffering, the overall costs of health care may decrease. While this would not solve all of the health care issues, it does offer an interesting approach towards decreasing costs and improving care delivery. The author also argues that increased palliative care would decrease the burden on families associated with serious illness. This burden creates significant financial and emotional costs for family members. Family members may suffer depression or illnesses related to stress due to the economic and emotional burden placed upon them. This is a summary of the article.
Various sources allow for a unique viewpoint on the health care crisis in the United States. This creates a non-biased approach to research. Research continues throughout the entire process of writing this report.
