Universal health care system improvements for the United States

Universal Health Care

The overall purpose of this paper will be to take a quick look at the present state of the healthcare system in the United States, and in an effort to improve that system, define what exactly constitutes a better health care system, what would be included in that system, the role of the parties involved in the new system, political and sociological factors that will be involved in enacting the changes presented, and ultimately, a comprehensive summary of this new, universal healthcare system.

Present State of United States Healthcare

In order to have a proper starting point for the construction of a new healthcare system for the U.S., and to ultimately create the proper universal healthcare system, the present state of the U.S. healthcare system is essential. The following quotation, in a brief passage, says it all about the poor state of healthcare at the present, as well as the need for meaningful, effective alternatives:

Health-care costs are rising at three times the rate of inflation, and have been for the past five years. CEOs of major corporations are screaming that these costs are creating major problems for U.S. corporations and their workers. Employers are raising employee's co-pays, trimming other benefits, or cutting off health insurance altogether. Wages are stagnant or falling, especially for less skilled workers because the hike in health-insurance premiums eats up a larger share of the total compensation. As a result, the ranks of the uninsured are growing -- by 100,000 Americans each month. Some companies, like Wal-Mart, are said to encourage their lower-wage workers to sign up for Medicaid, the government health program for the poor, jointly administered by the federal government and the states; California alone spends nearly $32 million in tax dollars to pay for the health care of Wal-Mart employees. Not surprisingly, Medicaid's budgets are soaring, with governors slashing benefits and dropping hundreds of thousands from the rolls, further adding to the ranks of the uninsured. Meanwhile, Medicare is shaping up to be a tidal wave of red ink. By 2008, the country will spend more insuring retirees than on defense. By 2020, Medicare will gobble up 5% of the GDP" (Emanuel and Fuchs, 2005, p.20.

With the dire situation described above in mind, a functional definition of a better healthcare system will now be presented, along with the other components of that system that will be needed, factors involved, and so forth.

What is Included in a Better Health Care System

This "Better Health Care System" indeed must be a universal health care system, which is to say that it will provide "cradle to grave" coverage for all, with contributions levied from those who have the ability to make them. Included in this system will be specific positions and roles that must be carried out exactly if all is to properly function.

Role and Position of Payers, Purchasers and Providers in the New System

In this new system, there will be three distinct groups that must carry out certain responsibilities for the system to be successful and sustainable, as laid out in the following chart and further explained:

POSITION/FUNCTION

ROLE to BE CARRIED OUT Payers

The role of Payer will be fulfilled by a Federal agency designated to serve as the financial agent for the entire system, bringing together the Purchasers and Providers for maximum efficiency and benefit.

Purchasers (Consumer/Patient)

Purchasers, the actual consumers of the health care services, will provide financial resources to the Payer for proper handling, and will have the responsibility to judiciously seek out the Provider to meet their needs.

Provider

The Provider will have an ethical role in terms of using Payer funds properly, as well as the responsibility of fulfilling the obligation to provide equal, top-notch care to all patients without exception

To clarify the chart above, the functions and duties of each party in the new Health Care System merit a closer analysis and sharp focus of exactly how and why they will be called upon to do what they will do in this system.

The central placing of a Federal agency in the role of Payer represents tremendous advantages in several ways; first, the Federal government, having the Constitutional right to collect funds from working citizens, can easily utilize payroll deductions from working Americans to finance the system itself, pay the providers, and oversee those providers to guarantee the quality and availability of the services needed. This concept of "Medicare on Demand" represents an ideal way to streamline the system of medical reimbursement, thereby making services more profitable for providers and more affordable for buyers (Nichols, 2003). Additionally, it is feasible that elective types of surgeries, such as cosmetics and the like, not being covered by the new system, will inject additional revenue into the system via direct payments by the buyers.

For the average Purchaser, which is to say the patient, this system allows all Americans access to quality health care and gives them every advantage that the higher income patient traditionally enjoys. The funds that are collected from working Purchasers will provide the capital that the system needs to exist, provide services, and grow in the future; additionally, these payments will make it possible for those who are not working to be able to gain access to the healthcare that they in fact need. While the traditional response to this is that this type of a system already exists within the welfare systems of the nation, this is in fact an invalid comparison. In this system, by giving everyone regular access to preventative health care, and making it easy for them to obtain that care, many of the catastrophic health care issues that the welfare system now pays millions of dollars per patient to address can be proactively prevented for a mere fraction of that amount, adding to the efficiencies and financial advantages of this system (Universal Health Care, 1999). Purchasers will also be more willing to access this system for assistance when it is more mainstream, rather than the welfare system that brings along with it certain stigma and negativity that make all but the most chronically ill avoid the system.

Providers will also reap benefits from the new system in several ways; first, by having a guaranteed, predictable revenue stream, they can obtain equipment and facilities to best serve patient needs. Second, the providers will have virtually no non-paying patients due to the Federal role as Payer. Third, and perhaps most importantly, Providers, not having to dedicate huge resources to the red tape of existing reimbursement systems, can provide more focused care to patients at a lower cost (Dixon, et al., 2002).

While all of these elements, working in tandem, are a viable way to overhaul the U.S. Health Care System, there needs to be cooperation in the halls of government and on the streets of the nation if the program is to take root.

Political and Sociological Factors to Enact the Changes

Politically, there needs to be a "crossing of the aisle" for those who are politically opposed to one another in the halls of Congress and Senate if the new system will ever happen because of the Federal role in financing, accounting, and administrating the new system. Perhaps most importantly, what the political officials need to understand is that this is an American, or more precisely human issue, rather than one that is associated with one political party or the other. A healthy population is best for everyone and should not be discarded for the sake of political wrangling, advantage, or the pursuit of power. If everyone in all political parties work together to allocate the necessary resources, then and only then can this system be born, grow and prosper over the long-term (Nichols, 2003).

The "person on the street" must also contribute to the promotion of this new system in several ways beyond the obvious financial commitments. They must be willing to cooperate and utilize the system to its best advantage, not to defraud or abuse it. Reflecting back on an earlier portion of this paper as well, the stigma of a "welfare type" system must vanish immediately.

Summary

This paper has attempted to present a system that will change the way that Americans obtain, use, and benefit from health care. More importantly, or perhaps most importantly, what this system will also do is to enrich the lives of every citizen and give the nation a stronger resource of people. In this day and age, there is perhaps no more important agenda than that to promote the general well-being of every citizen and make the nation strong enough to endure in what many would say is a world gone mad.

In closing, let it be understood that while no health care system is perfect, this universal system is one of the most fair and equitable ways for the provision of quality care for everyone, if and only if each party in the process does what they are supposed to do. We owe it to ourselves, as well as those who come after us, to give this initiative the best shot that we can. Without it, the future of America itself is a question mark, and the answer could be fatal.