Analytical Review on the USA's Health

Analytical Review on the USA's Health

Introduction

USA is undoubtedly the strongest economy in the world. This may give some the impression that similar to many other sectors including the defense, military or energy, the health care will also be one of the most developed industries in the country. However, unfortunately this is not the case. In fact, some of the developing countries have a health care system much more sophisticated, effective and accessible as opposed to the Health care system of USA. It is interesting to note that USA allocates a sufficient amount of money for its health care sector every year. However, it has generally been observed that the problems that the USA face in order to improve its health care system and policies have only increased. The paper aims to analyze of how much the USA health care has evolved to date, the challenges it faces currently and the measures that can be adapted to deal with such challenges.

Discussion

Health care is undoubtedly the most important sector for any country. In America, with a population of approximately 315 million people, providing affordable and easily accessible health related facilities is a challenge nevertheless.

Nation's Health Context Historical Context

The most interesting fact is that the healthcare system did not always exist in USA. In fact, up until 1920, majority of the population had no healthcare insurance or coverage. The doctors were not properly trained and the necessary equipment that is essential in some of the diagnosis and treatment procedures was not available. Only a handful of insurance companies' existed which were afforded only by a niche market. Everyone else had to pay the medical expenses out of their own pockets. Due to these expenses, majority of the patients preferred being treated at their homes.

The advent of a proper health care system was a good step in the beginning. The Governments in USA finally realized the importance of healthcare insurance for the American citizens. Various new and updated technologies were brought in the health care systems in order to improve the quality of treatment. The Government also focused on the education of medicine in order to ensure that the healthcare system has educated and well-trained doctors, nurses and other personnel to facilitate the treatments (Menzel, 1983). The Governments in USA in the 21st century also proposed several policies in order to ensure the availability of the essential medicine.

The mortality and morbidity rate however, in this developmental phase remained high during the 20th century. Approximately 45,000 annual deaths can be blamed on the lack of health care facilities and insurance in the year 1993, according t the American Journal of Public Health.

Current Context

The population of the Americans with proper health insurance has been decreasing since 2000. In fact, by the year 2010, fewer than 84% of the population had health insurance of some form, which refers to the fact that more than 49 million individuals had no coverage for all their medical ...