Future Challenges Facing U.S. Healthcare:
One of the major issues that the United States has encountered in the recent years is the country's healthcare system especially in the wake of the need for healthcare reforms. However, even with the ratification of healthcare reform policies by the Obama administrations, the country's healthcare system is likely to continue facing some challenges in the future.
Current Healthcare Problems in the U.S.:
The current healthcare system in America is facing some difficult issues lack of health insurance, quality of healthcare services, and staffing shortages and difficulties. Based on analyses at the beginning of 2010, approximately 47 million people in America have no healthcare insurance. Consequently, these people forgo visits to the hospital for preventive care and are unable to pay for healthcare services. The lack of healthcare insurance by a huge portion of America's population is also attributed to the high costs of healthcare insurance. With insurance companies being the biggest payers of healthcare insurance, the lack of insurance for many people is a major issue in America.
The second major issue is attributed to the quality of healthcare services that are hugely affected by the rising number of patients who need attendance from doctors and nurses (Bryant, n.d.). This huge number of patients who need attendance is affecting patient care and the quality of work and life of healthcare workers. This difficulty has been compounded by the shortages in healthcare workers and the difficult working conditions for healthcare professionals in certain parts of the United States. The increasing shortages...
Some of the major impacts of technology on healthcare include improved patient care, enhanced worker efficiency, and increasing in healthcare costs. Technology has improved patient care by making safer and more reliable than before since doctors can easily record and access a patient's medical history and confirm whether they are giving the correct treatment (Krueger, 2010). Moreover, technology has also improved the efficiency of healthcare workers since these professionals are easier to reach and they can access important medical information through online databases.
Through technology, doctors can consult with their colleagues from other parts of the globe regarding important medical information. Despite of the numerous positive impacts of technology on healthcare, it has also resulted in some negative impacts including the increase in healthcare costs. Due to the rapid changes in medical technological procedures, healthcare costs have continued to increase.
Impact of International Healthcare on U.S. Healthcare System:
While the United States spends approximately $2 trillion on healthcare expenses every year as compared to any other industrialized country, it's likely to be affected by health care systems at the international level. Regardless of its huge healthcare expenditures, the United States is still ranked together with Mexico and…
