Need to Improve American Health Care - Part 5

I mentioned about the progress U.S. need to make to move ahead in the path of peace and non-violence by substituting violence in all forms. From the most recent history, it can be seen not just as an imperative but an obligation for this country to traverse in peaceful ways internally and externally. While this is an evil to suppress from raising its ugly form, let us tackle another one in this post. I had already mentioned about it earlier but need to draw our attention to it time and again due to its enormity. It is the colossal problem of the health care system in U.S. Like the disparaging gun violence which has become a common theme in U.S., we have also arrived at this state of affairs in health care unknowingly and inadvertently. What we have arrived at is something which is a huge mammoth ballooning of a problem. The point should have never been reached. The main reason I am putting it across is I am working within the system and a beneficiary of it. Being a beneficiary, I would wholeheartedly like to see the system improve for the better. There is a time which would come to deflate the balloon. There is a time which would come to reshape, architect and frame new rules of the game for the ease of everyone. Let us be aware that the time has come to begin work on architecture of a new, better health care system which is good for all players. The time to create a next version has come without going on a full reform.  There is no need for outright reforms but major enhancements to existing systems. The path ahead can be called a step to reform without actually reforming. What we need is the same – refinements without reforms. 

I have been in the health care domain of U.S. for the past 4 challenging years, and it would be my obligation to contribute an iota towards the greater good, progress in this domain. The past year has been particularly challenging, grinding myself and working with high intensity in onsite in this arena. That I have worked in India remotely is by virtue of this domain, that I have reached U.S. is by virtue of this domain and that I am earning income and livelihood is by virtue of this domain for nearly 4 years. There is a great need to work on the architecture of a better health care system in U.S. which the world can take as a model. It is good to see the best health care delivery system in the world from U.S. which stand as a shining example to every other nation. It is leadership in true sense by leading the world in portraying great example and the time to take steps in that direction is now more than ever. The time to rock the boat is now more than ever after what we have seen over the past many years. The time to make health care more affordable is now more than ever. After all the good work that has happened in this domain over the years, there needs to be a good positive outcome for the common man of the country at present and in future as well. The future needs to benefit from the churning that has happened now, and everyone needs to say healthcare is the most affordable commodity in the country.

 

To reach that state should be a collective aspiration and a direction to work along. There are certainly bottlenecks on the way. I would highlight 10 mind-blowing facts on the U.S. health care which needs an urgent focus. 1. The U.S. is a world outlier when it comes to health care spending. The U.S. spent 17.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, nearly twice as much as the average OECD country. 2. Health spending per person in the U.S. was nearly two times higher than in the closest country, Germany, and four times higher than in South Korea. 3. The U.S. per-capita spending is 12 thousand dollars for health care expenditure which is nearly double to second placed Germany at 7 thousand dollars. 4. Among 11 highly developed countries, every country except the U.S., provides government or public health coverage to all their residents which is known as guaranteed universal health coverage. 5. In 2021, 8.6 percent of the U.S. population was uninsured. The U.S. is the only high-income country where a substantial portion of the population lacks any form of health insurance, despite spending highest amount per person. 6. Just 38% of people are covered by a government health insurance in U.S. whereas 100% population is covered by a government insurance in 11 similarly developed countries - Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 7. Despite high U.S. spending, Americans experience worse health outcomes than their peers around world. For example, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 77 years in 2020 — three years lower than the OECD average. 8. In another most commonly measured outcomes, the U.S. has the highest rate of infant and maternal deaths among these 11 OECD countries. 9. The U.S. obesity rate is highest among the 11 nations with a whopping 42.8 percent of population coming under obese category. 10. Adults in the U.S. are most likely to have multiple chronic conditions with nearly 30 percent of adult population above 18 years dealing with these conditions, which is highest among the developed world. In plain words, these are 10 damning facts in a recent report on U.S. health care standing. And where does U.S. stand - right at the bottom.

 

Even after working for so many years in the domain and if there is no better outcome in a 360 degree perspective, then you feel like going nowhere. You work without any job satisfaction. I cannot be a beneficiary of the system if the system doesn’t achieve its primary objective. There is no sense in working when your work doesn’t affect the basic objective. The U.S. can be said to have failed its citizens in health care in every angle in the 360-degree view – highest spending to lowest coverage to lowest health parameters to worst health outcomes. The citizens experience the worst of all worlds from every possible angle. Every common Indian gets their health treatment done in India before travelling to U.S. or they pause their health treatments until they visit India, just an indication of lowest trust on the system. It can be said that the American way of living sucks astronomical money and health from its citizens.  As I said, we had reached this state after ‘progressing’ for the past couple of centuries. This is nothing but de-evolution of highest form. U.S. should travel in the path of ‘real progress’ than going broke, spoilt or damaged in its history of evolution. We need to focus on improving health with least spending out of the common citizens pockets. I will wait for that dawn and work towards that dawn, when the reports on U.S. health care standing come out much better than present, giving hope for future. To reiterate, there needs to be a new architecture to health care system of U.S. by the greatest minds of the world. The fragmented and broken system which works for no one should be streamlined to achieve the best possible outcomes in a definite timeframe. Once the timeframe is elapsed, the country should be a shining model or example to the world in the way health care is dispensed. That is the primary goal of years of struggle for persons like me. That is the way to push back the nation to its prime form.