Cost Of Health Care Essay

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With the ongoing changes to our health care system prompted by the Affordable Care Act, the United States of America faces many challenges in regards to the delivery of health care in our country. One of the most foundational issues affecting our country in this day and age is the cost of health care leading to a lack of access to our citizens. A recent report updated in 2014 by the Commonwealth Fund shows that among 11 countries surveyed, the United States has the highest cost associated with healthcare, measured by total health related expenditures as a percent of the GDP; yet our healthcare system ranks last in most dimensions of performance, which include access, quality, efficiency, and equity. This presents the notion that a more expensive health care system does not correlate with a one of higher quality. It was shown that a greater percentage of people in the United States go without needed care due to associated costs than in any other surveyed nation. Similarly, Americans were the most likely to say they had issues with health care access as a result of the cost. Over one third of those surveyed stated they did not get recommended care, fill a prescription, or pursue medical treatment when they had a health problems due to costs. …show more content…

also acknowledge the diffi¬culty patients have paying for care, underscoring affordability as a foundational issue affecting the health system. Not only do patients face finan¬cial burdens associated with the price of healthcare, they also lack immediate access to primary care when medical attention is needed. In a twist of irony, Americans seem to have more rapid access to specialized health care services. Likewise, a high percentage of American adults with health problems are more likely to visit the emer¬gency department conditions that could have been treated by a primary physician, had they had access to

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