Health Care delivery systems in the United States

Single Payer Health Care

The health care delivery system in the U .S . is characterized as fragmented . There is no centralized authority or a national health program which directs healthcare delivery and this has affected many aspects of health care such as cost , quality and access (Shih et al The responsibility for health care delivery is shared among various agencies at the state level . Moreover , there is no multidisciplinary coordination among different health care providers in the same hospital or who care for the same clients

Patients move about various care

providers and settings without ample assistance , an experience that is both frustrating and unsafe while poor communication and the absence of accountability measures for a patient among different providers result in clinical errors , duplication efforts and wastage (Shih et al . Moreover , very costly , rigorous medical interventions are better remunerated as compared to long term primary and preventive care or the managing of chronic conditions

The access to health care is facilitated mainly by employer-based health insurance . Although about 80 of Americans have some form of health insurance coverage , an estimated 47 million Americans or 15 of the population are still currently uninsured (ACP

This raises the question of cost and affordability of adequate health insurance . The cost of premiums has risen to more than 25 of the average household income in 2006 with administrative costs as a contributory factor and is a hindrance to employers purchasing coverage for their employees (CED 4

The uninsured and underinsured have lesser access...