The High Cost of Healthcare In America Today. Addressing the Social Problem Not always offered...

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The High Cost of Healthcare In America Today

Transcript of The High Cost of Healthcare In America Today. Addressing the Social Problem Not always offered...

Page 1: The High Cost of Healthcare In America Today. Addressing the Social Problem Not always offered through employment High premiums Malpractice lawsuits Uninsured.

The High Cost of Healthcare

In America Today

Page 2: The High Cost of Healthcare In America Today. Addressing the Social Problem Not always offered through employment High premiums Malpractice lawsuits Uninsured.

Addressing the Social Problem

• Not always offered through employment

• High premiums• Malpractice lawsuits• Uninsured• Private insurance companies are

expensivepre-existing conditionsweight and other restrictions

Page 3: The High Cost of Healthcare In America Today. Addressing the Social Problem Not always offered through employment High premiums Malpractice lawsuits Uninsured.

What We Don’t Like…

• Not affordable• Restrictions• Extremely unequal• No naturopathy orsimilar alternatives offered

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…And What We Do Like

• You can go to the doctor of your choice• There is minimal wait time

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From child to adult,

upper class to poverty,

everyone is affected.

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U.S. Beliefs vs. British Ideas

1) One belief, held by the medical profession, is that they would lose still more power than they have already under corporate managed care.

2) Second, many believe that the only alternative to voluntary, market-based health insurance is a single-payer system financed by tax revenues.

3) Third, conservative policy-makers and providers imagine that a universal health care system would mean low salaries, rundown facilities, poor quality, and endless waits to see a doctor, as with the British National Health Service.

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Canadian Health Care

Canadian health care. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.canadian-healthcare.org

•Canadian Health Care system is a group of socialized health insurance plans that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens.

•Publicly Funded and administered on a provincial or territorial basis

•All citizens have access to preventative care, medical treatments, access to hospitals, dental surgery and other medical services

•Canada Boasts one of the highest life expectancies and lowest infant mortality rates which many attribute to Canada’s Health Care system

•There are still a number of services which are not included in the Health Care system. Citizens must purchase private health care plans to be covered for these services.

•Currently there is about 1 primary care doctor for every 1000 Canadians

•Health Care expenditures in Canada topped $100 billion in 2001

•Approximately 9.5% of Canada’s gross domestic product is spent on health care. In comparison, the United States spends close to 14% of its GDP on health care

•Individually, Canadians spend about $3,300 per capita on health care

•About ¾ of all funding comes from public sources, with the remainder from private sources such as businesses and private insurance

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How it works:

• All citizens must apply for health care and then are issued a health card. • This reduces need for paperwork each time a patient goes in for treatment.

• Certain provinces require health care premiums for services. Under the Canada Health Act, however, health services cannot be denied due to financial inability to pay premiums.

• Under federal law, private clinics are not legally allowed to provide services that are covered by the Canada Health Acto Regardless of this many still do so

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Debates of Canadian Health Care

•Some feel that there should be no privately funded clinics, it is thought that a “two-tier” health care system will unbalance the system and favor those with higher incomes

•Some feel that Canada's health care system does not adequately compensate health care providers. This has led to a "brain drain" of Canadian doctors and nurses, which have left Canada to pursue careers in the United States. Attracting and keeping skilled medical workers is a priority if Canada is to be able to provide proper medical services.Comparing the u.s. and canadian health care systems. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/bah/fall07/w13429.html

•The authors note that the infant rate and life expectancy are affected by many factors other than the health care system.

•Wait timeso While the incidence of unmet needs is slightly lower in Canada (11% vs 14% in the U.S.), it is interesting to note that waiting time is cited as the reason by over half of Canadians who report unmet needs. By contrast, cost is cited as the reason by over half of Americans.

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ACA StrengthsAffordable Care Act

• Preventive care is free• Insurance companies will no longer deny coverage

due to pre-existing conditions• No one will be without health insurance coverage

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ACA Shortcomings Affordable Care Act

• Preventive care is free

• Insurance companies will no longer deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions

• No one will be without health insurance coverage

• Not free but paid for up front in higher premiums

• Less than one percent of has been denied coverage for a pre-existing condition

• Tax increases

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Our Solution

• Each state would be given power to work with current insurance companies and doctors to offer health care plans to those who do not

qualify for any other insurance program.