Healthcare in America

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the different delivery methods of healthcare employed in this county and their outcomes. Today’s healthcare industry in the United States is not the best for the country. This can be seen through a review of the literature which provides an understanding of the ways the current healthcare system affects those with different conditions or are of different social classes. This concept is explored largely in this work.

The cost of providing Medicare for all in the United States would cost the government an estimated 1.38 trillion per year (Blahous, 2018). Those opposed to this plan say it’s far too expensive, but what might they say if they knew the current healthcare system is set to cost 3 trillion dollars per year over the next decade (Blahous, 2018)? This paper aims to explore exactly how the current healthcare industry in the United States serves the population. For that purpose, it examines the literature to understand how varying and diverse socioeconomic statuses, chronic or terminal diseases and conditions, and access to insurance, all play a part in any individual’s quality of care. The reason that such an industry, as effected by and within the context of the issues listed above, is studied and concentrated on mainly in the Unites States is because the United States is the only remaining developed first world country that has chosen to allow the privatization of both the insurance and healthcare industries (Maruthappu, Ologunde & Gunarajasingam, 2012). Such a decision has caused a significant shift in both the quality of care, access to care, and cost of care between citizens of the United States versus citizens of any other first world country (Maruthappu et al., 2012). This shift in healthcare not only exists between the citizens of the United States and those of other first world nations, but also exists, in perhaps greater capacity, between United States citizens living in poverty, the middle class, and the ultra-rich (Maruthappu et al., 2012). The difference in quality of healthcare between a private industry and a public industry is significant and, through a review of the literature, this paper aims to explore the areas in which our healthcare industry falls short and how such shortcomings can be improved for those affected by them the most.