The book, “Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System” provides information and insights regarding the health care system in the U.S. The first point that stood out to me is that today the main concern of the health care system is public health rather than patient-centered care. Chapter 3 addresses a historical overview of the healthcare system in the U.S. It points out that there is a shift from patient-oriented healthcare to a focus on the need for chronic disease managers (Shi, 2017). I think that this is a crucial change in the system as the modern world is experiencing an increase in chronic diseases and the spread of new viruses like COVID-19. The world was in lockdown and the issue of public health was critical. I am now wondering if the shift in the health care system would influence the quality of services as now the majority is a priority over individual cases.
The second point that stood out to me is that the healthcare system is very pricy and that there are many racial and socioeconomic disparities regarding access to care, its quality, and delivery. Everyone knows that U.S. health care is expensive, but I do not think about the issue in detail. African American people and other non-white people were not able to obtain good health care throughout many years of the struggle against racial discrimination (Shi, 2017). Even in the modern world, some medical professionals still have prejudices regarding race and ethnicity that hinder health care delivery. As such, it is crucial to address such racial and socio-economic issues to prevent them from happening in the future.
Reference
Shi, L. (2017). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System. Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning.