HEALTH STATUS IN THE US
Over the years, America has made positive strides towards improving the health system through various inventions of technology in the medical field. Better hospitals with world-class facilities have been constructed across the nation and have been equipped with well satisfied and qualified doctors. This step has greatly improved how the health care system serves its citizens by increasing the mortality rate of patients by a large percentage. However, the health system in the US is still experiencing many challenges since many patients always don’t have access to quality health systems. One of the biggest problems in the health system in the US is lacking health insurance and private insurance. In America, there is a large percentage of people without health insurance, which is an essential requirement to access medical assistance in any hospital. The private insurance system has also posed a lot of challenges to the American health care system since it has changed the health care system into a business. This form of insurance is expensive hence only accessible by the rich. Therefore, poor people don’t access quality treatment. Health maintenance organizations are also a cause of instability in the health system since one can only receive treatment from doctors and staff members who are registered with the health organization. Problems such as gender preference and racism in the medical world have significantly degraded the quality of the health care system.
Many government officials have praised the health care system in the US for its technological advancements and progress over the years. Also, many health officials have praised the health system due to its high mortality rates and the ability to deal with severe medical conditions. The facts are correct, but still, the US has not been able to provide its citizens with the quality of health standards they deserve. Since world war two, the cost-plus vision has dominated the health care system in America. People in support of this vision try to change the health system by changing how bureaucracies relate. However, United States citizens should be supporting the idea of an ideal health care system. In the history of the development of America, an environment in which people’s interests promote development has been created. Although the medical system cannot be compared to the goods market, ideas from the market world such as individual choice ad consumer preference can be used in improving the state of the medical system.
For the medical world to look like marketplaces to solve our problems, power in the medical field should shift from the medical organizations and bureaucracies to individuals. This ensures that medical decisions are between patients and doctors only. Indeed, to solve the medical problems in the US requires the medical world to be free from political interference and run freely. Furthermore, the medical world should be open and competitive so that the patients get the best quality of health care without high charges. Ideal health care should be free from third parties such as health organizations so that the patients may receive the best medical care. In a sound health care system, health care such as hospitals should not be under organizations but left to run freely hence creating healthy competition in the medical world. Government intervention should be minimal in an ideal medical system and should only intervene in times of crisis to offer monetary help. In a perfect health care system, medical personnel such as doctors should be well protected by the law, and insurance companies should strive to provide the best insurance covers for their clients.
Although the US has dramatically improved the health system, it is still costly for most of its customers. This poses a significant threat to human life since some people will not get the health care they deserve since they are financially unstable. For a health care system to be effective, it has to consider all its patients from all walks of life. Some measures that can be used to reduce costs in the medical system include providing adequate information to health care customers. In the US, prices in health care facilities vary with huge magnitudes from one place to another. By providing sufficient information on the pricing of different health care facilities, customers can choose facilities that suit the economic class—certainly giving more power to customers of the health care system. In most cases, patients in the US don’t have a saying in the pricing of different medical procedures and medicine. Empowering the patients to gives them a chance to face health officials and ask for fair medical prices.
For fair pricing in the medical field number of tests conducted on a patient should be reduced. Many patients claim to have received more than 26 tests, and most of them were of no use or related to the disease they are diagnosed with. Indeed, increasing the level of competition in the medical world will improve the quality of health care in the US. The completion increases the number of private health facilities with varying prices and standards of health care provision. Lastly, Medicare should negotiate prices of prescription drugs for the patients. This makes sure that customers are not overcharged when purchasing prescription drugs.
In conclusion, the medical system in America has been improving for many years, but there are still flaws that prevent the provision of quality health care. Technological advancements in the medical world have improved the health care system, but factors such as high medical prices prevent many Americans from accessing the treatment they deserve. Also, medical patients in America don’t have a say in the manner in which the health system operates. This makes them vulnerable to the high pricing of prescription drugs and medical procedures. Due to the lack of public participation in making health care decisions, most Americans are not aware of how the medical field operates. For health care systems to run smoothly, government participation should be minimal in the decision-making process. Third parties such as health organizations should limit their role in health care decisions hence empowering medical practitioners and patients. By doing this’, patients can make personal decisions on their health status with help from doctors and nurses.