HCAD498 Discussion: Problem solving in Healthcare
In spite of being one of the top investors in healthcare among first world countries, the United States is still lacking in its healthcare system. In this video, Michael Katz raises important questions that illuminate deep cracks within the health care system that disadvantage low income earners. According to statistics, as of 2021, 37.9 million Americans were reported to be living in poverty (Bureau, 2022). Given that the healthcare system in United States is built on a middle-income model, this is a large percentage of the population that is living without access to health care. Despite the implementation of ACA, healthcare accessibility in United states is still a complex issue for the lower class. The greatest barrier surrounding it being limitation in finances especially for persons whose income level is just below the 400% of the federal poverty level. Even though ACA reduced the number of uninsured citizens in the US, the coverage is still not affordable to the low-income earners.
Thus, the question remains, should the United States revise its health care model? I strongly believe it is. The relevant authorities should re-design the healthcare model in the United States to cater for all it populates. In comparison to other first world countries, Americans spends twice as much in healthcare with each American being estimated to spend nearly $12,900 annually (AMA, 2023). So why is healthcare so expensive in the United States? And why is it that United States, despite being a developed economy, it does not provide universal care for its citizens? Perhaps, instead of focusing on insurance coverage, the government should focus on making healthcare affordable. Yet, all things considered, this video is a great eye-opener for health administrators like myself in understanding low-income patients.
References
AMA (2023). Trends in Health care Spending | Healthcare cost in the US. AMA. Retrieved June, 24, 2022 https://www.ama-assn.org/about/research/trends-health-care-spending
Bureau, U. S. C. (2022). National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2022. Census. gov. Retrieved June, 24, 2022. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html
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Problem solving in Healthcare
Please watch:
What the US healthcare system assumes about you
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And then:
The speaker talks at great lengths about the different struggles the United States healthcare system faces in delivering quality care to patients. Unfortunately, these problems are neither uncommon nor passing in the near future. As health administrators, you will face them. For many of you, the barriers mentioned by the speaker will be some of your biggest challenges in meeting your facility’s goals.
Perhaps the largest barrier to care will always be money. Even if indirectly, money- or more precisely- the lack there of challenges health. Too often, patients are quickly labeled “non-compliant”, when really they are “unable to be compliant”. The passing of the ACA offered relief in some areas by insuring many, in particular some of the nation’s most financially challenged with the expansion of Medicaid. Why wasn’t this by itself enough to fix the problem?