Health Care Reform

The new health care reform, known as Obama care is the health care paradox. Obama care makes people more responsible while it provides expanded and more affordable coverage and makes the system more sustainable.  Since the health care cost is so high, millions of Americans are uninsured. Now, with the Obama care nothing will change or interfere with the current health insurance that individuals have except the cost will be lower. Those individuals that currently do not have health insurance coverage will have the option to purchase one of the plans that are offered through Market Place.  Furthermore, an alternative option that I will discuss further is to have universal coverage. With the universal coverage, all Americans will have equal access to the health care coverage.

                                                 Universal Coverage

Universal health care system is government founded system. It is a program funded by the government by our taxes. The coverage is available to everyone who is willing to participate. According to Uninsured Crisis book, as estimated there are 40 million people who do not have health insurance coverage (2009, p.31). This number is only estimated to those who do not have any health insurance coverage. The number is even higher including those who are at risk of losing their coverage due to the rising costs. Moreover, the rising health care cost prevents also employers of obtaining health insurance coverage for employees. According to World Health Organization, “the goal of universal health coverage is to ensure that all people obtain the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for them. This requires:

• a strong, efficient, well-run health system;
• a system for financing health services;
• access to essential medicines and technologies;
• a sufficient capacity of well-trained, motivated health workers” (2015, para.1).

References

America's uninsured crisis. [electronic resource] : consequences for health and health care. (2009). Washington, DC : National Academies Press, c2009. Retrieved on June 8, 2015 from EBSCOhost.

World Health Organization. (2015). Universal health coverage. Retrieved on June 8, 2015 from http://www.who.int/universal_health_coverage/en/

                                

The Paradoxical Underachievement of the U. S. Health Care System

What do you think explains the paradoxical underachievement of the U.S. health care system in terms of money spent per capita and failure to achieve the population outcomes of nations that spend much less per capita on health care?

The paradoxical underachievement of the U.S. Health Care System is that U.S. is spending a lot of money on health care. Democrats are having a hard time to obtain people’s support when it comes to health care reform. Most of the people believe that we need major reform but most of them do not want to give their support in order for it to happen. People want government to raise taxes on wealthy and rich, but do not consider them as being one of them. Not many Americans believe President Obama will keep his promise to not deepen the deficit with a health care reform. Most Americans, mainly the seniors, believe that the government’s plan is threatening.

Second, the next paradoxical underachievement of the U.S. Heath Care System is that U.S. is the capitalist country. U.S. historically has been excellent in leadership regarding development and growth. Then again, both sectors government and private always focused only on generating capital as much as they could. In spite of this, U.S. failed to keep up with communities that invest in social and cultural developments. For that reason, it has negatively impacted the economic and social status of some Americans. The underlying issue, between socialism and capitalism is apprehension when it comes to economic equality and government position in ensuring that everyone receives fair share of resources. In addition, in the U.S. capitalism is responsible for uneven allocation of power and wealth including other forms of social utilization of those that are less fortunate. The purpose of capitalism is basically to hearten economic development by letting inequality even though sometimes it may have opposite results.

On the other hand, socialism is about dividing the resources from the wealthy to poor. With this approach everyone would have the same access to health care and equal opportunity. Some of socialist countries that use this approach are Canada, Scandinavian countries and China. For example, in China the government has control almost over everything, but in return the living standard in China is great. The life style is more relaxed then the life in the U.S. Socialism in those countries absolutely means equal distribution and equality among citizens. By taking from the rich and presenting to the poor, socialism creates prosperity by reducing the social, economic, and political inequalities that exist within capitalist societies.