Access to Health Care

The term access refers to availability and ease of attaining health care. Access to health care means that when you are in need of medical attention, it is there for you anywhere you are. Access is there for you with a reasonable price, good service, accurate information, and appropriate actions. Currently there are about 46 million Americans without access to health care. You might ask how that is possible when the United States, out of all the countries in the world, spends the most on health care. United States is currently spending 16% of its GDP on health care. How then is the United States lacking in the number of citizens with health care plans?

We believe that access to health care is a right to every resident in the United States. United States is behind every other developed county in the world in number of people covered by health care plans and yet somehow spends the most money on health care. Many other nations like Germany, Japan, and UK have universal coverage. Universal coverage means that every resident in those countries is covered. Also, according to the total health care expenditures chart above, all those countries providing universal health care spend half as much as the United States to do so. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), compares many trends among 30 industrialized countries. Some of these trends include spending per GDP, supply, number of physicians per certain size population, etc. The OECD has determined that Americans don’t have access to a greater supply of health care resources than most other OECD countries, even though America spends the most. OECD determined that the United States has fewer per capita hospital beds, physicians, nurses, and CT scanners than the OECD median. The U.S also had more malpractice claims than Canada, UK, and Australia. In 2001 alone, the number of malpractice claims cost the U.S and estimated $6.5 billion dollars, which is only 0.46% of total health care spending.

The United States government needs to act on the access portion of health care quickly. They fall behind every other developed nation in the world. As we stated in out political stance, the United States needs to push towards universal health care. There are many small steps that can be taken to do so. Laws can be passed to control the amount of money physicians can charge per visit. Physician costs per visit and for the procedures they perform rise every year. Laws can be passed to get rid of independent health insurance companies. The government can slowly begin to take control over health care expenditures for every resident. Like Canada for example, their taxes are a little higher but the government pays for every single health care need for every resident. The higher taxes makes up for not having to deal with insurance companies and being covered for health care at all time, no matter what the need, anywhere in Canada.

The changes that need to occur to improve access include: changes with the government policies, changes with insurance companies, changes in taxes, and changes in the residents of the U.S with attitudes towards a little higher taxes. Many things will need changing, the residents of the U.S will need to adapt to the change because the changes should ultimately lead to universal health care access. The quality of health care in the United States is one of the best in the world. The education is exceeding expectation, and the technology is like in no other country. There are a few defects in quality with a few things such as the U.S life expectancy is not as high as other countries, obesity is greater in the U.S, and the number of babies dying each year is a little high.

The cost of health care, is done correctly, should essentially decrease. Currently everything in the United States works as a competition, who can make the most money. Physicians increase their prices periodically along with insurance companies. The prescription drug expenditures has been seeing the greatest rise in recent years. Government needs to take control over the salaries of health care workers and needs to take control over all hospitals. Controlling both salaries and hospitals, the government can make a set cost of health care and the usage of hospitals. This way there is no competition, everyone makes the same amount of money, which will still be plentiful, and coverage will be provided to all.

Access to health care is a right that every resident should have, and currently 46 million do not. Changes need to occur to provide every resident health care along with a reasonable and affordable price. Changes should be made to improve to universal health coverage. By controlling the salaries of physicians and hospitals, the U.S can place physicians and hospitals in rural areas where the population is not as high, providing access to those people.

Resources

Gerard F. Anderson, Ph.D., Peter S. Hussey, Ph.D., Bianca K. The Commonwealth Fund (2005), “Health Spending in the United States and the rest of the Industrialized World.” Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2005/Jul/Health-Spending-in-the-United-States-and-the-Rest-of-the-Industrialized-World.aspx

Health Care Marketplace Project. The Kaiser Family Foundation (2007), “Health Care Spending in the United States and OECD countries.” Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/chcm010307oth.cfm

Samuel D. Uretsky. Med Hunters (2008), “Health Care in the United States.” Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://usworkforce-mg.blogspot.com/?zx=3ae89a99a49f8670

National Coalition on Health Care (2009), “Health Insurance Costs”. Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

National Center for Health Statistics. Center for Disease control and Prevention (2008), “NCHS Data on Health Insurance and Access to Care”. Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/infosheets/infosheet_hiac.htm