Assignment Overview

The United States has a unique system of health care delivery which has evolved over time. Although the U.S. health care delivery system has evolved in response to cost, access, and quality, there are often assertions made about health care delivery in the United States. For example, according to Mary Mahon (2015), VP of Public Information at the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. spends more on health care than other high-income nations but has a lower life expectancy and worse health.

Mahon, M. (2015). U.S. spends more on health care than other high-income nations but has a lower life expectancy, worse health. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/press-releases/2015/oct/us-spends-more-on-health-care-than-other-nations

Assignment (approx. 2 pages)

Review the following assumptions regarding health care in the U.S. (Greenwald, 2010). Although these assumptions are widely publicized, they might be disputed with critical thinking. Evaluate additional literature and consider each of the following assumptions. Explain why you believe the statement is “true or false.”

• The U.S. spends too much on health care services.
• The poor lack health care.
• The systems in other countries are better.
• The U.S. health care system is in crisis today.
• Health care is a right.

Greenwald, H. (2010). Health care in the United States: Organization, management and policy. John Wiley & Sons: San Francisco, CA.

Assignment Expectations:

1. Provide a one-paragraph (5- to 7-sentence) response for each statement above.
2. Must include an introduction and conclusion in your paper.
3. APA format, peer-reviewed scholarly sources are required. (at least 3)

Useful resources:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2013). Lower costs, better care: Reforming our health care delivery system. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/lower-costs-better-care-reforming-our-health-care-delivery-system-0

Institute of Medicine (US). (2002). Chapter 5: The health care delivery system. In The future of the public’s health in the 21st century. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221227/

Lee, T. H., & Berenson, R. H. (n.d.). The organization of health care delivery. Retrieved from https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2008/10/pdf/health_delivery_ch2.pdf

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Chapter 1 Major characteristics of U.S. health care delivery. In Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from Trident Library

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Chapter 2 Foundations of U.S. health care delivery. In Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from Trident Library

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Chapter 7 Outpatient services and primary care. In Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from Trident Library

Schnider, E. C., Sarnak, D. O., Squires, D., Shah, A., & Doty, M. M. (2017). Mirror, mirror 2017: International comparison reflects flaws and opportunities for better U.S. health care. Retrieved from https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2017/july/mirror-mirror/

Squires, D., & Anderson, C. (2015). U.S. health care from a global perspective. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2015/oct/us-health-care-from-a-global-perspective

Video

Coronado, L., Crosby, A., Rascano, T., Saechin, T., Salazar, L., & Taylor-Weber, J. (2014, July 29). The Healthcare System in the United States [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRFKCXvy3-g.