The United States spends much more than any high-income nation and does poorly on many necessary health measures. Many people are underinsured or uninsured and are risking bankruptcy. I think the three main things that could be improved with the healthcare the access, the cost, and the investments.
According to Robert H. Shmerling’s Is Our Healthcare Broken, “The current US healthcare system has a cruel tendency to delay or deny high quality care to those who are in most in need of it but can least afford its high cost.” This creates many problems for those who can’t afford healthcare or health insurance because they can’t afford to get the treatment they need. Health insurance might also discourage care to hold down costs. Many health insurance companies usually restrict expensive medications, tests, and other services by not giving the insured coverage until forms are filled out to justify the user’s service. While this does prevent unnecessary expenses for the insurance company and the healthcare system, it also discourages appropriate care deemed by your physician. A patient may be encouraged to buy a cheaper medicine that their physician didn’t prescribe which leads to further problems for the patient’s medical problems.
The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Developement (OECD) is an organization with 36 countries and compared the US health system with 10 of these high income, OECD countries. These countries include: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The amount of money the US puts in the health doesn’t match with the quality of the healthcare when compared to the 10 other nations. The high costs are a burden to many people who are uninsured or underinsured. These people risk bankruptcy if an emergency happens. According to the OECD, the US spends nearly twice as much money on healthcare than the average of the all OECD members.
The investments are also misdirected. The health system seems to be focused on treatment for diseases, technology, and specialty care instead of preventive care. Money and lives can be saved by preventing diseases instead of reacting to them. Many people also get their care from many different places that usually don’t have a connection to them. This can lead to higher costs and it can also lead to poor coordination services which is dangerous. A doctor could perscribe a medicine that is dangerous with another perscribed medicine that the patient has already taken.
The amount of money in the US puts in its health system can be reduced and the quality can be increased. Redistributing the money the US spends on its healthcare could be one solution for higher quality healthcare even though there isn’t one simple solution. This could help those who can’t afford healthcare or health insurance.
Sources:
Robert H. Shmerling, MD. “Is Our Healthcare System Broken?” Harvard Health, July 13, 2021. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-our-healthcare-system-broken-202107132542.
“US Healthcare System Overview-Backgound.” ISPOR. Accessed January 26, 2023. https://www.ispor.org/heor-resources/more-heor-resources/us-healthcare-system-overview/us-healthcare-system-overview-background-page-1#:~:text=The%20US%20healthcare%20system%20does,health%20insurance%20plans)%20market%20coverage.
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