Non-Governmental Organization

The U .S . Health Care System Is In Bad Shape

August 3 , 2008

Background : The Need To Reform The US Health Care System

The health care system in the United States is in bad shape . Compared to the health care system of other developing countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom , the price that every American will pay is quite expensive and is not providing citizens the health care services they deserve

According to a 2007 study conducted by the Milliken Institute , 109 million customers in the United States have

been diagnosed with several of the most common chronic diseases such as diabetes , mental illnesses stroke , hypertension , pulmonary illnesses , among others . This goes to show that these conditions are not being properly treated by the hospital staff

Recent estimates put yearly health care expenditures at 277 billion with losses placed at 1 trillion . This translates to a 10 reduction in the gross domestic product (GDP . From 277 billion , the cost of health care in the United States could reach 2 .77 trillion by 2010 representing an annual increase of 7

Presently , majority of Americans do not have health care coverage which fueled calls for the adoption of an universal health care . At the same time , there is reluctance on the part of legislators to let the government play an active role in the health care system

The current method of health care administration being adopted by most HMOs is the multi-payer system . With this kind of method , the cost of health care is privately paid for by an individual out of their own pocket

In other industrialized countries , health care of the citizens is the primary responsibility of the state . In countries like Canada , for example , a patient can look forward to the administration of health care services in any hospital in the country . Likewise , in a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD , there is a great difference between their cost of health care with that of the United States

According to 2003 statistics , the average GDP spending of 29 OECD countries on health care is 8 .4 as opposed to the 15 spending of the United States on health care

Recommendations On The Adoption of A Single-Payer System In the Delivery of Health Care Services

1 . With a single-payer system , there are five ways in which health care services would be administered . A universal health care system would make every citizen entitled to health care as it would be subsidized by either the federal or state government

2 . Likewise , under the single-payer system , the employer will charge a certain percentage which will serve as a payroll tax . The amount will directly go to the health care provider not to Federal funds

3 . Eventually , the single-payer system will replace the Medicare . But for the meantime , employees with Medicare coverage will have to pay for a slightly higher percentage of income than those without coverage

4 . To handle the administration of health care , there are three proposed...