U.S. Health Care System
2010 saw the passage of the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the most striking transformation to the health care landscape since Medicare's enactment in 1965. The bill focuses on two critical issues facing the overall U.S. health care system: cost and coverage. Because the U.S. health model is not defined by a single payer or "socialized medicine"; the delivery system has created a significant lacuna in coverage and access for individuals primarily based on income and affluence. Further, the cost of care and coverage has outpaced national income growth over the last decades. "The U.S. is projected to spend over $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009, or $8,160 per U.S. resident, accounting for 17.6% of GDP. In 1970, U.S. health care spending was about $75 billion, or $356 per resident, and accounted for 7.2% of GDP" (Kaiser Family Foundation. March 2009. P. 1). The Affordable...
& MacDonald, D.C. 2000. P. 5), with "emphasis on insurance
expansion, benefit standards, and limits on costs for those with lower incomes" (Schoen, C. Osborn, R. Squires, D. Doty, M. Pierson, R. & Applebaum, S.P. 2)
U.S. Health Care Problems
A common phrase that is trumpeted by entrenched interests in the
health care industry is that the U.S. has the finest health care in the world, yet a mountain of statistics proves otherwise. "The U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its
gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance" (World Health Organization.org. 2000. P. 1) according to the World Health Organization. This ranking reflects core problems…
