The healthcare system of the United States is considered to be one of the best and the most expensive in the world. However, there is an opinion that it would be more appropriate to call it sick care, which raises several heated discussions around the country. The sick-care system means that rather than prioritizing preventing illnesses, the system focuses on providing care to already ill patients.
There are several problems with this approach to healthcare. First of all, researchers argue that “it excludes those who are non-diseased” (Fries, 2020, p. 20). Besides, the idea of managing health to prevent diseases is not promoted. Since doctor appointments are costly, people are discouraged from taking preventative measures; instead, they wait until the illness severely interferes with their life. Another issue with the system is the high costs of healthcare. The problem is highlighted in the documentary by Heineman and Froemke (2012), where doctors talk about how 75% of healthcare costs go to treating mostly preventable chronic diseases (03:47). Moreover, according to specialists featured in the film, America spends twice as much money as any other country (04:02). The OECD notes that in “2015 member countries devoted only six percent of their health spending towards prevention and public health services” (OECD, 2015, p. 136). Moreover, the cost continues to rise, which generates fear among the population.
The idea behind transforming the sick care system into the healthcare system is that hospitals should put more focus on disease prevention. It includes anticipation of the genesis of the disease and efforts to stop its progression. In order to transform, the healthcare system needs gradual improvement reforms. However, this process requires more significant changes, which will be challenging to implement. Nevertheless, such changes are required to preserve the health of the nation and make sure there are fewer sick people in hospitals.
References
Fries, C. J. (2020). Healing health care: From sick care towards salutogenic healing systems. Social Theory & Health, 18(1), 16-32.
Heineman, M. & Froemke, S. (2012). Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare. Web.
O. E. C. D. (2017). Health at a Glance 2017.OECD Indicators, OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris. Web.