The Need for Universal Healthcare in the U.S.
Healthcare is an essential factor in the well-being of human life and benefits those who take care of themselves. Most developed nations in the world provide convenient health services to their citizens. However, this is different in the United States of America, where some people are covered by private insurance and federal programs.
The U.S., therefore, uses a mixed format of wellness production in which government Medicare is financed publicly, and others are funded privately. Many citizens believe that the nation needs a proper treatment system since the services provided are expensive. The U.S. government should ensure universal healthcare for the people since it is a basic need for everyone, regardless of their ethnic background.
Global Comparisons and Lessons from Other Nations
Efficiency is an essential factor when it comes to matters regarding healthcare worldwide. This is why South Korea is ranked the top healthcare system worldwide. Researchers state that Asian countries have the best facilities for providing treatment on the continent and in the world (Choi, 2020).
The availability of exceedingly trained paramedics and modern wellness equipment plays a key role in the country’s ranking. Compared to Canada, the U.S. has a costly health system. Therefore, the treatment policy in America needs some reforms to match those at the top of the world.
Challenges in the U.S. Healthcare System
Medical care costs affect patients in a country if they cannot pay for treatment. The government of the United States of America needs to address this issue to take care of those in the lower class of society. Medicaid is a system used by the U.S. to provide health coverage for millions of Americans (Medifind, 2023). Most of those covered are low-income people, the elderly, children, the disabled, and the pregnant.
According to Galvani et al. (2020), the Medicaid program was started in 1965 to cover those unable to afford quality healthcare. However, this program only covers some who need its services, as some people still need to be covered. According to research, the percentage of those insured by Medicaid remains less than 20 percent of the total population of the United States (Galvani et al., 2020). According to Galvani et al. (2020), it would be advisable for the state to enlarge this percentage and cover all those needing health support. Changing this policy to better the purpose of its creation would be a good reform.
Importing goods and services brings higher levels of quality to a country’s healthcare system. The U.S. government imports only 25 percent of drugs from other countries (Medifind, 2023). It is illegal to conduct personal importation of medicine that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve. Switzerland, Germany, Israel, India, and Ireland supply the country with drugs (Medifind, 2023).
The main reason the country discourages the idea of importation of drugs is to try and lower the cost of treatment to its citizens. This policy is unsuitable for citizens in their times of need because the healthcare system needs more attention to the patients. According to Galvani et al. (2020), an amendment to the existing process would upgrade the medical care of citizens in the country. The government should import more drugs depending on patients’ needs and channel more funds to the health ministry to reduce the costs imposed on the sick.
The U.S. still needs to provide universal healthcare to its citizens compared to its neighbor, Canada. Canada gives its residents universal public coverage that dates back to 1947 when the Saskatchewan government introduced the system to the provinces. The federal government passed the Diagnostic Services Act in 1957 and the Hospital Insurance Act.
The Medical Care Act was passed in 1966, followed by the Canada Health Act in 1984 (Medifind, 2023). Today, all Canadians receive physician and hospital facilities for free. This extends to any visitors who require the services during their visit to the country (Webster, 2021). The U.S. government should amend its wellness policies to be more favorable to its citizens and visitors.
Healthcare should be provided uniformly to those in need across the globe. In Canada, for instance, all citizens are entitled to quality medical attention regardless of their gender, color, or social class. Researchers say the U.S. has the highest spending globally per capita (Medifind, 2023). However, this does not reflect the quality and attention needed by each person in the country. The U.S.’s importation of drugs seems unfavorable to its patients since the cost of treatment increases.
Canada’s public taxation funds medical services directly, unlike the U.S., which is supported by private insurance. An amendment to this policy would be advisable for the American government to receive taxes from the public and channel them directly into helping its citizens in the health sector (Webster, 2021). Although both countries face challenges in this wellness sector, the U.S. struggles more than Canada in providing health care to its citizens.
Unity in performing a task or project in any field is essential in ensuring its success. This aspect is the same when it comes to matters regarding health, safety, and security across the globe. Universal healthcare in any country ensures a collective responsibility to provide quality treatment to all citizens at any moment of need.
This element removes barriers that may arise due to differences in social class, race, and even origin, leaving the U.S. Ministry of Health with the task of deciding whether to choose this system of health provision or use the existing one (Alderwick & Gottlieb, 2019). Therefore, it would be better to ask everyone to care for each other’s health by adopting a universal healthcare policy in the country.
Healthcare Inequities and Systemic Barriers
Inequities in receiving medical attention are a challenge that needs to be addressed globally. The U.S. particularly faces this problem, whereby the rich are privileged to provide immediate and quality medical care. The World Health Organization (WHO) is focused on ensuring uniform and equitable healthcare access. This aspect is vital since some diseases like COVID-19 rose and spread without regard for which economic class people belonged to.
To minimize or cut its spread, efforts were made to quarantine people from different locations, especially the populated areas, which mostly consist of people experiencing poverty. For the U.S. to avoid issues of discrimination in the provision of health services, the government needs to change the existing healthcare policy. There needs to be a system that favors all citizens of the country.
Policy Reform and the Way Forward
Change is always advisable only if it ensures a better outcome of services. In the recent past, the U.S. government has tried to improve the quality of its healthcare services to fit the public perfectly. However, researchers say that despite these changes, only 7 percent of U.S. citizens are satisfied with the country’s current state of health care (Hansen & Baroody, 2020).
They further report that medical errors are responsible for over 250,000 deaths annually in the nation (Hansen & Baroody, 2020). Policies governing paramedics in the country should emphasize the keenness of doctors when performing medical operations on a patient. Failure to take the utmost care of a patient should be punishable by medical personnel. Human life should be taken care of with the seriousness it deserves.
Different reasons lead to a poor rating in a country’s healthcare system. The U.S., in particular, needs more transparency in the wellness department. Health service providers clash with insurance companies because they want to obtain more funds from them. High care costs and difficulty accessing wellness facilities are other reasons the system is considered poor.
A proper treatment system should give its consumers the right quality of medication and be readily available to them when needed. Every individual should enjoy medical services regardless of their ethnic group. The U.S. government should improve health conditions in the country by reducing costs and making healthcare accessible to every citizen, regardless of ethnic background.
Health is a basic need for everyone, and matters concerning wellness need to be addressed. The policy of this sector should be amended to ensure the smooth provision of quality healthcare during times of need. Fairness is key in this sector since it means saving the lives of humans, no matter their level in society. It can only be achieved through favorable terms in the department that should be adhered to by every practitioner and other related professionals in this specific field. The U.S. government needs to provide universal healthcare systems to its citizens.
References
Alderwick, H., & Gottlieb, L. M. (2019). Meanings and misunderstandings: A social determinants of health lexicon for health care systems. The Milbank Quarterly, 97(2), 407. Web.
Choi, J. Y. (2020). COVID-19 in South Korea. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 96(1137), 399-402. Web.
Galvani, A. P., Parpia, A. S., Foster, E. M., Singer, B. H., & Fitzpatrick, M. C. (2020). Improving the prognosis of health care in the USA. The Lancet, 395(10223), 524-533. Web.
Hansen, S., & Baroody, A. J. (2020). Electronic health records and the logics of care: Complementarity and conflict in the U.S. healthcare system. Information Systems Research, 31(1), 57-75. Web.
Medifind. (2023). 8 Major Problems with the U.S. Healthcare System Today. Medifind. Web.
Webster, P. (2021). COVID-19 highlights Canada’s care home crisis. The Lancet, 397(10270), 183. Web.
