The U.S. Health Care system is a 2.6 trillion dollar
investment. Compared to other countries, the U.S. spends the most on Health
Care and has the worst results. Throughout the country, there are about 50
million Americans uninsured. Doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and the
government are working on a Health Care plan that will support our entire
country.
In the documentary “US Health Care:
The Good News,” discusses new and innovative ways to have an effective Health
Care plan. The Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented differences in how
medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The findings
have helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve
their understanding of the effectiveness of our Health Care system. They found
that spending more and more money on this current system, doesn’t improve the
overall health of the citizens.
I personally feel that having
access to Health Care is a right and not a privilege. Our nation’s Founding
Fathers once stated, “We have rights to life, liberty and property and an
advocated government that protects those rights.” Our government was originally
built to protect the rights we are entitled to and the right to see a doctor
when needed is part of that.
One of the Health Care systems I
thought was interesting and effective in the video was the one in Mason County,
Colorado. The doctors there treated everyone that needs to be seen by a doctor,
rich or poor. They were able to lower the cost of Health Care by 1/3, which had
better effects on the outcome of health in the community. I thought this part
of the video was interesting because if this county is able to have an
effective, reduced cost, Health Care system, why isn’t the rest of the nation taking
action in this plan? The doctors in this county were willing to sacrifice some
of their salary to treat all the patients, which is a big reason why a plan
like this wouldn’t be effective to the whole country because many doctors are
not willing to sacrifice their money.
If a Health Care plan were to
happen in other states it would be rather difficult. Like I said before, many
doctors won’t be willing to sacrifice their salary to reduce the cost to see
all patients. In order for a functional Health Care system to take place,
doctors must recognize the fact that they are doctors because they want to
improve the well being of citizens and not because they have a large paycheck. Nevertheless,
a system that mimics Mason County’s system would be more cost effective for the
U.S. and could very well take place in my hometown, as well as, other states
throughout the nation.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteGood blog this week. I agree with you that health care is a right. Have you ever read the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights? The example in Colorado is certainly innovative. I wonder, though, what do you think is different about those doctors in Colorado when compared to the rest of the country? Do you think there is a difference in terms of some are greedier than others? You're right that some physicians are certainly interested in making a large salary, but the majority of doctors actually support access to health care for all people. I wonder then, if doctors want it, why isn't a better system already in place in our country?
Erin
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI liked your summary both of the problems the US faces in health care and of the the Dartmouth Atlas project. The quoting of the founding father's was also, in my opinion, a good choice as most people would not argue against their wisdom. While I agree that doctor greediness may be a significant road block, I think it would be beneficial to mention the problems arising from politics. Such systems as mentioned in the video would probably meet strong opposition from certain people in power, and really create a big problem. Perhaps this is why more systems like this are not seen. All around a strong blog though.