I think American’s tend to focus too much on work and money and that is the gives reason for the high healthcare cost. If we Americans stopped living above our means, we would not have to work so hard and have more time for self-care. Galinsky (n.d.), “The more likely they are to have higher levels of stress, using a standardized measure of stress that has been correlated in other research with physical health problems.6 Only 6% who experience low overwork levels are highly stressed compared with 36% of those who are highly overworked” (Personal Outcomes). Conversely, self-care stimulates the spirit, mind, and balances the body to assist with the renewal of prioritizing and deliver a positive mindset. I remember when I was younger and my mother
On a global scale, the United States is a relatively wealthy country of advanced industrialization. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is among the costliest, spending close to 18% of gross domestic product (GDP) towards funding healthcare (2011). No universal healthcare coverage is currently available. United States healthcare is currently funded through private, federal, state, and local sources. Coverage is provided privately and through the government and military. Nearly 85% of the U.S. population is covered to some extent, leaving a population of close to 48 million without any type of health insurance. Cost is the primary reason for lack of insurance and individuals foregoing medical care and use of prescription medications.
Last year the average cost of an insurance policy for a family of four was $20,728.00 according to the Milliman Medical Index (2012 Milliman Medical Index, figure 1). The median household income for 2012 was $51,017.00 according to Steve Hargreaves for CNN Money (2013, para. 1). This means the average American spends almost 40.62 percent of health care premiums. This figure is simply too high to sustain. By comparison the median household income in 2005 was $67,019 according to the United States Census Bureau ( Median Income for 4-Person Families n.d.). The average cost of healthcare according to the Milliman Medical Index for 2005 was $12,214 which was only 18.22 percent. (2005 Milliman Medical Index, figure 1). The percentage Americans spend on health care has more than doubled since 2005. If we don't find a way to get the costs of providing health care under control, then this country cannot survive.
Health insurance, too many American citizens, is not an option. However, some citizens find it unnecessary. Working in the health care field, I witness the effects of uninsured patients on medical offices. Too often, I see a “self-pay” patient receive care from their doctor and then fail to pay for it. Altogether, their refusal to pay leaves the office at a loss of money and calls for patients to pay extra in covering for the cost of the care the uninsured patient received. One office visit does not seem like too big of an expense, but multiple patients failing to pay for the care they receive adds up. Imagine the hospital bills that patients fail to pay; health services in a hospital are double, sometimes triple, in price at a hospital. It is unfair that paying patients are responsible for covering these unpaid services. Luckily, the Affordable Care Act was passed on March 23, 2010, otherwise known as Obamacare. Obamacare is necessary in America because it calls for all citizens to be health insured, no worrying about pre-existing conditions, and free benefits for men and women’s health.
Our nation’s current health in America is poor we have an epidemic of obesity, “More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese.” (CDC, 2015) People are demanding better drugs, procedures, and technology which all cost money to research. In this day and age people want things to be done as fast as they can and want it when they want it. Healthcare is being misused, we use a method called defensive care to reduce chances other problems arise but cost more for tests that are not necessary. Now that every person is required to have healthcare it affects people in the middle class that make enough to sustain their families but not much more and they are now required to have healthcare make living life a struggle for them. Cost to manage a hospital are raising paying their workers more expensive technology, one thing that can really affect the cost of healthcare is, “Hospitals assume those costs as part of their legal duties to provide "charity care." (kavilanz, 2012) Hospitals are required to help people in need no matter what. The US needs to focus on preventative healthcare over healthcare. People live longer today but are living unhealthy, they eat food that is not good for them they smoke and live a life that is harmful to their health. Our nation need to be better educated about health and a healthier
We don’t have a healthcare system in America that care for people it’s a number game based on how many people are seen. The more medication a person is on the more money the heath care makes. We will never have single-payer or universal healthcare because the insurance companies. I work for a home health care company and I am not happy I am pissed off every day knowing there are so many people out there that need our help but due to the fact they don’t have Medicare we must refuse those people.99% of home health care companies are like this. Who really care for people that are sick. In Africa if you have no money the doctor won’t see you they hospital will leave you outside to die. I feel as if America is not that different from Africa the rise of healthcare make it often hard for people to afford healthcare, I have a friend who has Medicare and she is on a fix income with COPD and several other illness and was told as of 2017 the will deduct more money from her ssi check and she stated if they do that she won’t be able to pay her bills and she will have to go without healthcare
The healthcare system in our society today needs to be changed, and you would think if you had insurance you 're fully covered. With or without insurance people every day is being denied the help that they need and the government is doing nothing about it. As a country were supposed to be able to depend on our government in our time of need, even something as simple as health care. If we can 't depend on our government to help us when we are sick who are we supposed to turn to. Even in other countries like Europe for example, their government provides them with free healthcare. When you compare the two countries as far as health wise Europeans are living a lot longer than American due to getting the proper health care they need from the government.
For many decades, Americans’ health has been greatly impacted by many social, economic and environmental determinants (Plough, 2015). These social, economic, and environmental determinants include income, education, ethnicity, natural and built environment. These factors create the health disparities in the health care system. The culture of health has changed over the last several generations. Health is viewed as not just needing to seek health care, but rather to recognize all aspects of people’s lives that support an active and healthy lifestyle and environment. The aspects can be their work, families and comminutes (Plough, 2015).
Pincus, T., Esther, R., DeWalt, D.A., & Callahan, L.F., (1998) Social conditions and self-management are more powerful determinants of health than access to care. Ann Intern Med. 1998 Sep 1;129(5):406-11.
In the United States of America, there are millions of individuals that live with chronic medical problems. In which these conditions require some sort of medical attention at least once a month for revaluation, and possible treatment. Thankfully, for the majority of those individuals with their health insurance covers those costs that essentially would cripple their bank accounts. On the contrary, there are millions of people living in the United States, who are uninsured. Even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act or as it is known by the public Obama Care, there are still individuals who cannot afford the basic needs of healthcare. Health care should not be looked at as a privilege but a right for everyone regardless of their
Personal self-care can prevent unnecessary doctor or hospital visits which amount billions of dollars a year. Personal self-care teaches people how to become a wise consumer of the health care services. People learn when to go to a doctor or a hospital for health conditions that deserve it and when to use personal self-care for those that can be treated at home. People should be educated in order to make better decisions for their health.
America has a lower life expectancy. The life expectancy of the United States fares poorly to other countries. There are high mortality rates above the age of 50 because of the low performance of the health care system. While the US does screen well for cancer, survival rates of cancer, survival rates of heart attacks, strokes, and the medication for patients with high blood pressure or cholesterol. In greater depth there is a high mortality rate for prostate and breast cancer. We can see that the united States have a faster decline in the mortality rate for these two diseases than any other countries. And the gap between higher and lower income Americans has soared in recent decades according to a study. The failing wages for low income Americans have left 16 percent households classified as food insecure. And since America has a low life expectancy it’s hard to keep up with the diseases that are always popping up. Let’s take cancer for example, we have been fighting it for a long time and there is no cure for it. So the health insurance companies pay a lot to keep you for those treatments. And your health
With the United Nations listing health care as natural born right and the escalating cost of health care America has reached a debatable crisis. Even if you do have insurance it's a finical strain on most families.
There will always be this controversy over things that cannot be proven; as always there are many opinions about healthcare. The biggest debate lies in the question if healthcare is considered a right or a privilege? If health care was a universal right, health care would not be the number one cause of bankruptcy. In the United States statistics, data, and experience shows health Care is offered to us as a privilege.
Compassion fatigue is defined as “The emotional residue or strains of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events” (The American Institute of Stress, n.d.). Compassion fatigue occurs when healthcare workers, especially those who work with patients one-on-one daily, feel the emotional stress of their jobs starting to wear on them. For example, a person who works with a cancer patient and watches that patient worsen and finally pass away, may experience great emotional pain. Dealing with stressful situations over time could also cause compassion fatigue. One way to prevent compassion fatigue is through implementation of Schwartz rounds. “Schwartz rounds are not 'problem solving'. Instead, the focus is on the emotional experiences of staff caring for patients and they allow staff to explore, in an environment that is safe and confidential, situations that confront them.” (Thompson, A. (2013). Schwartz rounds are like support groups for healthcare workers. They allow healthcare providers to share their struggles as caregivers and solve their strugg...
It is interesting with how different America’s health care is from everyone else in the world. Most are universal, required to have health care. We are trying to accomplish that in America, but many don’t like being taxed if they don’t have it. There definitely is a lot we can learn from other countries. Overall Switzerland has a great system set up, with the United Kingdom behind them. Japan is also on track. America is definitely trying to make head way, and eventually will. It all comes down to weighing what is most important, cost, quality, or access to health care.