U.S. HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEMS
U.S. Health care Delivery System
Health Care in U.S
Module 1 – Case
MHA500 Health Care delivery system
Ononuju Justin Emeka
Trident University
Abstract
This paper explores an article published in a press release in New York on October
8, 2015. The argument on an assumption regarding healthcare in U.S
(Greenwald, 2010). "U.S spends more on Health Care Than Other High-Income
Nations but Has Lower Life Expectancy, Worse Health".
U.S Health Care Delivery System
Dr. James L. Madara CEO and Executive Vice President of American Medical Association
(AMA) said “The U.S health care system that exists today is a hodgepodge of ideas, programs
and regulations that is both extraordinarily expensive and highly inefficient”. The United State
Healthcare delivery system is a combined unit of different branches beginning from Healthcare
Providers, Hospitals, Federal and Non-federal Hospitals, Community Hospitals, Pharmacy, For
Profit and Non-Profit healthcare Delivery services Ambulatory Care Providers, Mental and
Substance abuse provider, to State and local healthcare delivery system. However, there is not a
perfect healthcare delivery system globally. According to history, healthcare delivery in the
United States grew from a local family home doctors’ visit for treatments to larger group practice
as is today.
The United States healthcare delivery system maybe one the best systems however, America
as a nation spends too much money in healthcare services, yet the poor lack healthcare, U.S
healthcare system is in crisis, and the healthcare system in other countries such as Canada,
Australia, Denmark and France are better than the system in the United States. Among other
nations compared to United States, life expectancy is less. Switzerland, the second highest
spending country, spends $6,325 person with a life expectancy of 82.9 years while U.S spends
an average of $9,086 per person annually with life expectancy of 78.8 years. Though, mortality
rate for cancer in the United States were among the lowest but the rates for other chronic
conditions such as obesity, are on the increase and infant mortalities were higher in U.S than
those in other countries.
The Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal M.D said, “Time and again, we see
evidence that the amount of money we spend on healthcare in this country is not gaining us
comparable health benefits” “we have to look at the root causes of this disconnect and invest our
healthcare dollars in ways that will allow us to live longer while enjoying better health and
greater productivity.”
There are many reasons why healthcare is expensive in the United States. According to
Investopedia Team, “the United States healthcare system is complex, and most costs are market
driven. High unregulated prescription drugs cost and healthcare providers’ salaries ranked
higher than in other western nations, and hospital care accounts for 31% of the nation’s
healthcare cost”. (www.investopedia.com).
Though life expectancy has improved in other industrialized nations since 2013, as of 2021,
life expectancy in the U.S is 76.1 years and only 91.4% of the population has health insurance
compared to 99% to 100% of the population in other industrialized countries”. Some other
factors that contributed to high cost of healthcare include the rising cost of modern high tech-
medical equipment, and hospital care, administrative regulations regarding billing and coding
and high cost of living.
Americans spend more in healthcare more than other industrialized developed nations. Data
from the organization for Economics Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other sources,
as stated by Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D, “U.S Healthcare from
Global perspective, spending, use of services, Prices, and in 13 countries, compares healthcare
spending, use of services, prices, and health outcome in the U.S with those in Australia, Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland
and the United Kingdom and United states differs from all these developed countries.
The U.S spends more in healthcare, yet the poor lack care. As we read in chapter 2 of “The
Essentials of Healthcare In U.S”, under the sub-title “Neighborhood and Community Health
Centers,” neighborhood healthcare centers emerged as early as in the late 1960s and early 1970s
as a movement to extend quality healthcare to the poor community as initiated by President
Lyndon Johnson from 1964 through 1968. According to American Academy of Family
Physicians (www.aafp.org), “Poverty and low-income status are associated with various adverse
health outcomes, including shorter life expectancy”. “For individuals, poverty restricts the
resources used to avoid risks and adopt healthy behaviors. Poverty also affects the built
environment (i.e the human- made physical parts of the places where people live, work and play,
including buildings, open spaces, and infrastructure) services, culture, and communities’
reputation, all of which have independent effects on health outcomes.” Though we have social
government assistance such as Medicaid and Medicare to the poor, however, lack of adequate
access to healthcare resources, capable doctors, high cost of prescription drugs, race, status,
access to clinics and hospital facilities, have made it difficult for the poor to live a long
comfortable life in U.S.
In conclusion, Healthcare delivery services in the U.S may be in crisis and U.S spends too
much on health care services because it is market driven; and the poor lack care because of other
factors such as race, status, geographical and or Community Neighborhood differential issues,
access to healthcare facilities, and other Political issues, I believe that the statement that "U.S
Spends Moore on Health care than other high-income nations but has lower life expectancy" is
true. It has been studied by different entities and statistically proven.
Reference
Essentials Of The U.S Healthcare System (2017, 4) page 2
by Shi, Leiyu; Singh, Douglas
Mahon, M. (2015). U.S spends more on health care than other high-income nations but has
lower life expectancy, worse health. Retrieved from
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/press-releasee/2015/us-spends-more-on-health-
care-than-other-nations
James L. Madara, MD (July 22, 2020) America’s health care crisis is much deeper than
COVID-19. Retrieved from
https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/america-s-health-care-crisis-much-deeper-covid-19
Michael J. Boyld (January 31, 2022) 6 Reasons Health care is so expensive in the U.S. Retrieved
from
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/080615/6-reasons-healthcare-so-
expensive-us.asp
