Chapter eight in this book discusses the U.S. health care system's strengths and problems. "The U.S. "nonsystem" of economic access to health care services represents a mixed model with the following features: 1) Medicare, which amounts to national health insurance for selected groups (elderly and disabled who are eligible for Social Security 2) Medicaid, a public assistance program financed from state and federal general revenue for person who qualify and 3) private health insurance" (Fort Cowles, 2003, p. 319). Unfortunately these three basic sources of health insurance coverage do not include all Americans. They leave gaps and the amount of people without insurance coverage has increased in recent years. In addition to the uninsured population there are many people that have only partial health insurance coverage, requiring out of pocket contributions such as deductibles, coinsurance, and uncovered services. Health care cost is very expensive and its sad that people with no insurance get the worst treatment involving health care if any at all. It was interesting to read that the United States is the only industrial nation in the world, besides South Africa, without a national system for ensuring universal economic access to basic health care, yet the United States also spends more than any of these other industrial societies.
Reference:
Fort Cowles, L. A. (2003). Social Work in the Health Field: A Care Perspective ( 2nd Ed.) Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.
I found that fact very interesting too. It is crazy to me that we use the so much money, but yet other countries or states do not. It is sad to know that many people around the world are partially covered or not even covered at all by insurance. I know this has got to be super tough to pay out of pocket and I wish there was a more reliable system to have. Medicare and Medicaid are great programs, but I feel like the world has changed so much and maybe the systems should too.
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