A Multi-National Analysis of Healthcare Strategies

 A Multi-National Analysis of Healthcare Strategies    

Access to quality healthcare is a major social issue in the United  States and around the world.  In fact, healthcare reform and access to  affordable health insurance is a hotly debated political issue.  Many  advocates of healthcare reform point to the high level of spending on  healthcare in the United Sates and the relatively poor health outcomes  in the U.S. as compared to other countries.  In 2010, the Patient  Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed, and was later upheld  by the Supreme Court. While this controversial policy greatly decreased  the number of U.S. citizens without health insurance, the United States  still stands more or less alone among wealthy industrialized democracies  in this approach to healthcare.  For this discussion, you will take an  in-depth look at access to healthcare as a social problem by comparing  the U.S. healthcare system to another country of your choice.  

 
For this discussion review each of the following resources:
 

Poor and Uninsured  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Key Facts about the Uninsured  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Here’s a Map of the Countries that Provide Universal Health Care  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Recommended: U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective: Spending, Use of Services, Prices, and Health in 13 Countries  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Based on these resources, please address each of the following:
 

In general, who comprises the uninsured population in the United  States?  Since the passage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, what are the  most common reasons that people still lack health insurance?  
Describe how healthcare spending in the U.S. compares to other  countries.  Describe how healthcare outcomes in the U.S. compare to  other countries.  Based on the resources you reviewed, are healthcare  spending and health outcomes related to one another?  In other words,  does spending more on health care lead to better health outcomes (i.e. a  healthier population) and vice versa?
What is universal health care?  Describe the healthcare system in at  least one country that guarantees universal health coverage to all of  its citizens (you can find a list of such countries in the resources  provided). 
How does a universal health care system compare to the system  currently in place in the U.S.?  In your informed opinion, why is the  U.S. one of the only wealthy industrialized democracies that does not  have university healthcare coverage?
According to the Commonwealth Fund reports, how is the performance  of the United States’ healthcare system related to equity?  Which social  groups have the least access to quality healthcare?  Why?

For  this discussion you will continue to explore the issues related to  health care by looking at how various aspects of health care in the U.S.  compare to those in other countries.  Access to quality health care is a  major social issue that can have huge implications for the quality of  life for individuals and entire communities.

Can inequality make us sick?  This video is a trailer for a PBS special that explains the many ways in which this can happen.

Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other  scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.