Health Care Reform

Running head : HEALTH CARE REFORM

Health Care Reform For Whom ? -- Exploring the Complex U .S . Health Care System

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Health Care Reform For Whom ? -- Exploring the Complex U .S . Health Care System

Introduction

Every society places an important value on significance of an effective and efficient health care system . With the Herculean success in medical advances and the high quality of services offered , America 's health care system prides itself as one of the best in the world . However , millions

of Americans can barely cope with the skyrocketing prices to be able to avail premium health care services . For example , National Coalition on Health Care (2007 ) reported health care spending in the United States reached 2 .3 trillion , which means each person needs 6 ,700 for health care costs . The rise 6 .9 percent ' last year . To top it all , 47 million Americans are uninsured ' and the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations , and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens

Indeed , health care reform is a critical issue that needs no complacency because the lack of social health insurance and skyrocketing health care costs will affect all Americans . As the United States strives to build having a decentralized and effective health care system , the U .S . health care reform revealed two major themes

the provision of equitable access to care for all citizens and residents

the attainment of lower costs , or lower rates of growth in costs

To stand on its role in society , health care must be financed and social insurance systems must be funded by some form of taxation , thus raising the issue of tax incidence , as well as the question of whether the insurance mandated should be employer based or individual based . The common concerns about costs have raised interest in managed care and managed competition in the United States . Also , managed care has achieved cost savings and may have contributed to the decline in the U .S . health cost growth rate . Their potential will continue to be limited to the extent that employers fail to offer true financial advantages to consumers who choose the low-cost health plans . In this , we will try to unravel the problems plaguing the current American health care system . In to explore the suggestions on how health care reforms must be undertaken , it is also essential to address current issues that embroil the American health care system

Key Issues in Health Care Reform

The greatest challenge for the American health care system in our current time is how to obtain lower priced medical fees . Numerous reasons have been pointed out why health care costs have increased so dramatically in the U .S . These reasons include

An aging population . The number of elderly Americans (over the age of 65 )--who as a group tend to require more attention from the health care system--has been growing and will double to 69 million by the year 2030 In addition...