Health Care Policy

Research Findings for Health Care Policy in the U.S.

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Definition

Wikipedia [1]

The prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions. Health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including “preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations”.

Raelene Reymore

Findings

View from George W. Bush

[2]

"To build a future of quality health care, we must trust patients and doctors to make medical decisions and empower them with better information and better options. We share a common goal: making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans. The best way to achieve that goal is by expanding consumer choice, not government control. So I have proposed ending the bias in the tax code against those who do not get their health insurance through their employer. This one reform would put private coverage within reach for millions, and I call on the Congress to pass it this year.

The Congress must also expand health savings accounts, create Association Health Plans for small businesses, promote health information technology, and confront the epidemic of junk medical lawsuits. With all these steps, we will help ensure that decisions about your medical care are made in the privacy of your doctor's office -- not in the halls of Congress."

-- President George W. Bush

January 28, 2008

Raelene Reymore

"2007 International Health Policy Survey in Seven Countries"

The Commonwealth Fund [3]

This a summary of the findings from a survey completed by citizens of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants were asked a range of questions about their health care and coverage in addition to the care they have recieved. The answers are represented in charts and graphs.

Christine Sandvold

"The French Lesson in Health Care"

Capell, Kerry. Business Week; 7/9/2007 Issue 4042, p98-99, 2p, 1 chart, 2c [4]

The article discusses the health care system in France. The author focuses on the mix of public and private funding for health care in France and contends that it offers a compelling example for health care reform in the U.S. The article outlines the system of care, discussing patient costs, doctor choice, and various levels of care. The motion picture "Sicko," directed by Micheal Moore is also discussed.

Christine Sandvold

"HEALTH CARE: HOW GOOD?"

Mehring, James and Koretz, Gene Source:Business Week; 2/16/2004 Issue 3870, p28-28, 1/3p, 1 graph [5]

Reports that Americans are, on average, less healthy than citizens in Europe and Asia, despite spending far more on health care. Statistics on the rise in the percentage of U.S. real GDP spent on health care; Claim that Americans spend up to 100 percent more on health care per capita than Europeans and the Japanese; Report that U.S. life expectancy is up to 2.5 years shorter than in Western Europe and Canada, and over three years shorter than in Japan; Comparisons by country of infant mortality rates; Reasons why Americans are less healthy, including a higher incidence of obesity and lags in childhood immunization; Assertion by the OECD that the U.S. spends more than other countries on expensive procedures.

Christine Sandvold

"How the United States Exports Managed Care to Third-World Countries"

Monthly Review, May, 2000 by Howard Waitzkin, Celia Iriart [6]

In the mid nineteen nineties European and American governments alike reversed a trend in Health Care Policy that stressed the necessity of Nationalize care. This rejection according to the article, may have resulted from the sense of failure and negative sentiment stemming from the Clinton Administration's attempt at nationalizing the United States Health Care program. Regardless of what caused the change in popular sentiment towards nationalization of Health Care, privatization is the trend today. The article discusses how large multinational Health Care companies have ventured into Third World Country markets due to saturation in the more traditional American and European ones. A running debate continues through the article showing the World Bank taking the side of privatization of Health Care in Third World Countries and other groups that say privatization, "...hinders the reduction of poverty..." in those countries.

Carson W. Bowlin

"Canadian Health Care In Crisis"

CBS News [7]

This article reveals the darker side of the Canadian Health Care System. Universal Health Care is something that Canadians appreciate and are proud of but it certainly is not a perfect system. There are numerous examples in the article of individuals being forced to wait up to years for treatments and surgeries, such as one individual who waited 3 years to get the torn ligaments in her knee fixed and a woman who was forced to take a bus to Vermont every week with her 5 year-old son because she waited 8 weeks for radiation treatment of her breast cancer. The Canadian Government is considering offering a combination of public and private Health Care. There are firm supporters and opposition to this idea. Much of the delays occur because of thee number of people needing medical attention and the lack of funding. Every one in Canada is covered under their Health Care system including the 200,000 immigrants that arrive each year. Funding is also a large issue, but already Canadians pay 48% of their income in taxes and in Ottawa 40% of those tax dollars are spent on Health Care.

Austin Bowlin

Great Britain and the NHS

New Internationalist Magazine, April 2003[8]

Formed "...in 1948 Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has been a model for the rest of the world. It's been a national system of publicly owned and accountable hospital and community services funded from central taxation. Where hospital doctors and nurses are salaried, under national terms and conditions of service."

Through the last couple of decades the National Health Service (NHS) has experienced a drastic decrease in funding due to shifts in the tax policies of the government and cost cutting practices. Britain is currently in the midst of a ten year Health Care reform plan that was set in motion by Tony Blair's Labour Government. Many see this as a subtle shredding of the NHS and a move towards privatization. Britain is inspiring other countries around the world to follow in path towards the privatization of National Health Care. According to the included article the citizens of these countries are in for a shock because the, "...fear and uncertainty of the past are set to reappear.

Carson W. Bowlin

"Consumer unease with U.S. health care grows"

Appleby, Julie. "Consumer Unease with U.S. Health Care Grows." USA Today 16 Oct. 2006. 7 Apr. 2008 <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2006-10-15-health-concern-usat_x.htm>.

[9]

This article contains statistics about American citizens' views on health care and discusses some main issues. Some of the statistics include discrepancies between what Americans believe are major factors in health care price and what economists believe are the major factors. The article also focuses on problems with the system as well as potential solutions or improvements that can be made.

Raelene Reymore

"Diagnosing the U.S. Health Care System"

England, Mary Jane. "Diagnosing the U.S. Health Care System" America; 12/3/2007, Vol. 197 Issue 18, p9-13. [10]

The article analyzes the state of the health care system in the U.S. It relates that the health care system in the country is deficient in terms of financial, insurance and in the quality of medical care. Moreover, it cites the move of the Institute of Medicine to develop a new model designed to be patient-centered with centralized record and medical technology to change the health care system and achieve better wellness and prevention. Christine Sandvold

Mythbusting Canadian Health Care -- Part I

Robinson, Sara. "Mythbusting Canadian Health Care--Part I"; 02/04/08, [11]

This article gives 10 myths about the Canadian Health Care system. This gives positives and negatives to both the American and Canadian Health Care system. This article is written by someone who has been a part of both health care systems and gives a clear opinion on how both systems work.

Lauren Beck

Sick: The Great American Con Trick

Stephen, Andrew. “Sick: The Great American Con Trick.” New Statesman, Vol. 137 Issue 4863 (2007): 34-35. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Foley Library Center, Spokane, WA. 04/7/2007 =26920067&site=src-live

In this article the author discusses health care in the United States, noting that a significant portion of the population is unable to afford or to obtain medical insurance. He notes that public opinion information suggests that Americans consider health care to be the biggest problem facing the United States and favor some form of government-managed health insurance. The health care proposals of presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton are examined.

Christine Sandvold

How Does The Quality Of Care Compare In Five Countries?

Hussey, Peter S., Gerard F. Anderson, Robin Osborn, Colin Feek, Vivienne McLaughlin, John Millar and Arnold Epstein. Health Affairs, 23, no. 3 (2004): 89-99 [12]

International data on quality of medical care allow countries to compare their performance to that of other countries. The Commonwealth Fund International Working Group on Quality Indicators collected data on twenty-one indicators that reflect medical care in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, England, and the United States. The indicators include five-year cancer relative survival rates, thirty-day case-fatality rates after acute myocardial infarction and stroke, breast cancer screening rates, and asthma mortality rates. No country scores consistently the best or worst overall. Each country has at least one area of care where it could learn from international experiences and one area where its experiences could teach others.

Christine Sandvold

Financing Health Care Systems

France

[13] [14]

The French Public Health Insurance System (PHIS) is paid for by individuals and employers as well a national income taxes and indirect taxes upon alcohol and tobacco. The French Health Care Fund covers 80% of the entire population, with two other funds coving the self-employed and agricultural workers. The individual's contributions to the PHIS has been increasing over the past years due to decreases in wage rates, this is being paid for via higher income taxes for individuals with more uniform health care rates than in the past. Not all French Health Care is national though. According to the French Embassy, 80% of French also have supplemental Health Care insurance usually given by employers. The Public Health Insurance System covers 100% of all medical costs whether an individual can pay for it or not, whether it is the individuals fault or not as well.

Austin Bowlin

Canada

[15] [16]

The Canadian Health Care system is paid mostly by the Canadian government and is funded by Canadian tax dollars. 70% of all Health Care Expenditures are covered by the Canadian government, the rest come out of private funding or small time insurance for 'optional' or 'elective' procedures such as optometry and dental work. Doctors are paid by the Canadian government on a per visit or operation visit instead of receiving and annual salary. 16.7% of the Canadian Government's revenue is spent on Health Care costs, and only $ 3,300 per capita is spent on Health Care. Almost half of that spent in America. In reality, the Canadian individual is still paying for health care, they are just pooling their money via taxes before hand and letting the Government decide how the distribution ought to occur.

Austin Bowlin

Sweden

[17]

The Swedish Health Care system is also paid largely by the Swedish government via tax dollars. The Swedish Government pays for 71% of all health care costs through tax dollars, 6% for other state contributions, 3% from individual patients, and 10% from other contributions. Individuals have a co-pay in which they are required to provide for. With in a 12 month span, they must pay up to a certain amount out of their own pockets, but all additional costs on top of that are taken care of by the government. Patients must also pay for appointments, examinations, and to stay over night in hospitals, but all of these are heavily subsidized by the Swedish Government.

Austin Bowlin

Germany

[18]

The German Health Care System is paid for both by the state and by individuals. The state gives an insurance plan to all employed individuals in Germany and employees are required to pay in to it. If one makes underneath a certain bench mark, then they are only required to play half of the insurance and the employer pays the other half. If an employee is above a certain bench mark salary, then they can seek private health care or continue to use the states (3/4 of Germans continue to do so once given the choice). The system reaches a nice compromise between complete state funding and complete privatization of health care allowing for less then 0.2% of the population to be uninsured.

Austin Bowlin

Italy

Informer.it, "Health System in Italy." <http://www.italytravelescape.com/Health%20system.htm>.

This is an article that basically talks about Italy's Health System and even when traveling to Italy how to use the health system. The article gives detail on how to be insured, what will be covered, etc. Most of Italians use some part of the Health Care, but some use the private sector. Prescriptions are normally given at a reduced cost, unless you are unqualified.

Lauren Beck

"ITALIAN HOSPITALS, MEDICAL CARE AND HEALTH ISSUES IN ITALY." Knowital.com <http://www.knowital.com/tourist/italy-health.html>.

The article gives a great overview of how the health care started in Italy and the changes that have had to made over time. Italy started out with free health care to all but has had to make changes to accommodate the well-being of Italy.

Lauren Beck

Spain

"Spanish Healthcare." Living in Spain - Key Information <http://www.spain-info.com/Living_in_Spain/Spanish-Healthcare.htm>.

The Spanish Health Care System is mostly free for all or at low cost. This article gives an overview of the hospitals, the system, the doctors, and the pharmacies. Like the US, you need to have social security. The social security is used to show that yo qualify for the health program and are able to pay for any bills.

Lauren Beck

Australia

Duckett, Stephen, PhD. "Healthcare in Australia." MedHunters.com 10 Sep 2004 27 Apr 2008 <http://www.medhunters.com/articles/healthcareInAustralia.html>.

The article gives Questions and Answers regarding the Health Care system in Australia. The health care system is a mixed of free vs. paying. The health care system is mixed with regard to who pays for medical bills. Overall, the system pays for 70% of health care (approximately 47% from the federal and 23% from state governments). The article also covers the quality of doctors and how patients feel about the health care system.

Lauren Beck

External Links

BusinessWeek Debate Room: Universal Health Care (Austin)[19]

New York Times: Candidates Outline Ideas for Universal Health Care (Austin) [20]

John McCain: Stance on Health Care (Austin) [21]

Hillary Clinton: Stance on Health Care (Austin) [22]

Barack Obama: Stance on Health Care (Austin) [23]

World Health Organization (Austin) [24]

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Lauren) [25]

Definition of Universal Health Care (Lauren) [26]

Gordon Brown: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Health Care (Carson) [27]

National Coalition on Health Care (Carson) [28]

Physicians For A National Health Program (Carson) [29]