Running Head: HEALTH POLICIES, POLITICS AND PERSPECTIVES 1

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Week #1 Discussion #2:

Key Characteristics of the U.S. Healthcare System

In the USA, the healthcare system has three pillars, quality, access and cost. They influence accessibility of healthcare among the American citizens (Shi & Singh, 2015). The government has embarked on efforts to ensure that there is improved health access to its people and continually increase the good being of its people. The paper explores how various attributes related to the pillars in the delivery of healthcare in the United States of America.

Health policy that the government employ foster on safety. The patients’ safety is a major priority of the USA government (Shi & Singh, 2015). Safety in healthcare is patient-centered to ensure that there is proper flow of information between the various shareholders in the market. Proper flow of information ensures that the needs of the patients are addressed as well as better disease prevention methods (Shi & Singh, 2015) (Goodnough, 2019). Thus, there is little or no room for intolerance among the healthcare practitioners that fosters patient safety. People are assured of safety due to the high quality of services that the people provide (Goodnough, 2019). However, costs for diagnosis and medication of some diseases is high that lower access among the middle and poor working classes.

Healthcare delivery is also efficient and effective. Efficiency in the United States is achieved through the utilization of technology. There is a continued use of technology to ensure that there are right diagnoses of diseases (Shi & Singh, 2015). Besides, the doctors and other shareholders within the healthcare sector use technology in the management of records. Management of records promotes the privacy of patients’ information. As a result, people have trust in healthcare providers. The government also improves the effectiveness of the healthcare system in the USA through increasing of insurance among the people (Goodnough, 2019). The USA has increased insurance covers among the people through the ACA act. The policy ensures that most of the people obtain insurance cover and consecutively increase access to the people (Shi & Singh, 2015). Another program is Medicare that provides insurance cover to the patients who are above 65 years. The programs cover patients who are above 65 years, those with disabilities and those with end-stage renal disease. Through the programs, the people obtain pharmaceuticals, and the healthcare providers are also better skilled that improve on the quality of services that they deliver to the American people. The major provider of healthcare services in the private sector since most hospitals are run by profit organizations (Goodnough, 2019). Healthcare providers firms compete over clients through the services that they offer. Competition fosters the quality of services that they provide as well as the rates that they offer to the general population.

The healthcare system in the USA is also equitable by making it available to all the people. Providing people with equal medical care has been the major objective of American citizens (Shi & Singh, 2015). Thee old, minority communities like African Americans as well as social-economic disparities. The affordable healthcare act ensures that all people have equal access to healthcare. The program lower pocket payoffs that people pay that lowers medical bills (Goodnough, 2019). People also easily access medical facilities that make people access facilities. Besides, the lack of a central agency that controls healthcare reduces bureaucracy that would undermine equitable access to healthcare.

References

Goodnough, A. (2019, December 18).Health Spending Grew Modestly, New Analysis Finds. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/health/health-spending-medical-costs.html

Shi & Singh, D. A. (2015). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

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