A competitive market is one that allows easy entry and exit: a market in which companies are generally free to enter or to leave at will. This does not describe the health care market in the US. There are certain assumptions that the competitive market model operates under some assumptions, first is the consumer/patient has full information about the nature of the services required, the anticipated results of their decision and the benefits obtain from the service. This is not true in health care often time the patient is operating at a distinct information disadvantage when they require health care services such as insurance. If a patient purchases health insurance often they don’t know enough information to ascertain if they have purchased a quality plan. Second, consumers/patient and providers (physician, health insurance) act independently. This does not happen in health care because of the asymmetry of information that exists; patients must depend on the decisions made by their doctor or health care provider who is acting on their behalf as a health agent or gatekeeper. Sometimes physicians own diagnostic facilities or invest in health care organizations this affects their ability to be impartial. Third consumers bear the financial impact of their decision and are aware of price differences; most patients are insulated from the true cost of health care because of a third-party payer who bears the financial brunt of the decision to receive medical care. Shi and Singh state that even if a patient wanted to find out the cost of services sometimes it is difficult because of item based pricing. Fourth there is unrestrained competition regarding price and quality among providers. Access to the health care market unrestricted is b...
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According to Harry A. Sultz and Kristina M. Young, the authors of our textbook Health Care USA, medical care in the United States is a $2.5 Trillion industry (xvii). This industry is so large that “the U.S. health care system is the world’s eighth
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The governmental level of responsibility is to protect and advance the interests of society. The market place alone simply can not ensure that all Americans will have access to quality health care. The government must acknowledge the interests brought about by citizens in general especially in the health care realm. Proper planning and ultimate goals set to achieve high quality care will require strong partnerships among federal, state, and local governments solely. A combination of all sectors of the government is what American needs to succeed.
Despite the established health care facilities in the United States, most citizens do not have access to proper medical care. We must appreciate from the very onset that a healthy and strong nation must have a proper health care system. Such a health system should be available and affordable to all. The cost of health services is high. In fact, the ...
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...e crucial change needed in health services delivery, with the aim of transforming the current deteriorated system into a true “health care” system. (ANA, 2010)
...oral responsibility to our communities and our fellow citizens. We can’t in good conscience stand by as millions of our neighbors are denied to basic health care. Nearly 1,500 public events were taken place in all fifty states and the District of Columbia to bring commonly community leaders to retain that all Americans have rights to health care coverage. “For far too many years, our nation has not lived up to its full potential by delaying the day when all Americans will have health care coverage.” (Suffer Health Care Gaps as a Result) Health care is a right, not a privilege.
The U.S. healthcare system is very complex in structure hence it can be appraised with diverse perspectives. From one viewpoint it is described as the most unparalleled health care system in the world, what with the cutting-edge medical technology, the high quality human resources, and the constantly-modernized facilities that are symbolic of the system. This is in addition to the proliferation of innovations aimed at increasing life expectancy and enhancing the quality of life as well as diagnostic and treatment options. At the other extreme are the fair criticisms of the system as being fragmented, inefficient and costly. What are the problems with the U.S. healthcare system? These are the questions this opinion paper tries to propound.
Reforming the health care delivery system to progress the quality and value of care is indispensable to addressing the ever-increasing costs, poor quality, and increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance coverage. What is more, reforms should improve access to the right care at the right time in the right setting. They should keep people healthy and prevent common, preventable impediments of illnesses to the greatest extent possible. Thoughtfully assembled reforms would support greater access to health-improving care, in contrast to the current system, which encourages more tests, procedures, and treatments that are either
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