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Understandably, there are
mixed opinions in regard to the effectiveness of the current healthcare system;
because it has worked well for some, but not all. It may not be perfect, but it
is’t a total loss. Unfortunately,the cost of healthcare does not equal the
quality, and with or without health insurance, it is creating financial
hardships for common society (Dudek, 2017); thus leading to sustainability
concerns. With the cost of healthcare continuing to rise and without equal
increases in the average American income, many individuals are at risk of
losing coverage, and therefore not having access to needed care.

Secondary to the financial evaluation, is the concern in the
quality of care provided (Rice, et.al, 2014), one way the quality of care is
measured, is by life expectancy (Etehad & Kim, 2017). In 2016, the life
span in the U.S. was 78.5 years, whereas the longest is 84.2 years,
representing the people of Japan (World Health Organization, 2018). The number
of people that die from complications or conditions that could have been
avoided with timely and effective care, is referred to as mortality amenable to
healthcare (Nolte & McKee, 2012). In 2007, the rate was the highest in the
United States and doubled that of France, which was the lowest of the four
countries researched (Nolte & McKee, 2012).

However, despite these drawbacks, there have been advancements
made as well. For instance, increasing the availability of electronic medical
records so that multiple providers have the capability to always have current
information to safely care for their patients, as well as implementing
evidence-based policies to prevent hospital admissions and readmissions.

That being said, this shows that our healthcare system posses
both positive and negative elements, proving a fair score when compared
globally. Nevertheless, we still have mountains to climb in order to improve
issues such as the economics and quality of care.

References

Dudek, A. (2017, October 14). U.S. Health Care System: American
Taxpayers Paying A Lot, Getting Little In Return–A German-American
Perspective. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alev-dudek/us-health-care-system-ame_b_12431960.html.

Etehad, M., & Kim, K. (2017, July 18). The U.S. Spends More
on Healthcare Than Any Other Country — But Not With Better Health Outcomes. LA
Times. Retrieved from
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-healthcare-comparison-20170715-htmlstory.html#