Essay Sample on Health Care Systems: Variations Across the Globe

Introduction

International provision of health care services varies across different countries due to socio-economic and political factors. Countries employ health care systems to provide health services that meet the needs of their targeted population. The health care models have the following objective; treating and maintaining a healthy community while safeguarding patients from bankruptcy because of medical expenses (McCanne n.d.). According to research, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the United States (US) number 37 in the 2000 World Health Report (McCanne n.d.). Health care in the US is deteriorating due to the incorporation of different models to diverse social classes for the sole purpose of increasing profits.

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Health Crisis in the US

The marketization of the health sector has led to a crisis in the US. Pharmaceutical companies view health services as a wealth creation business through value creation where private investors use the generated net profit to buy back shares which increment the stock prices and annual dividends of the head executives (Mazzucato 2019, 15). In 2014, a pharmaceutical company called Gilead released a new medication for hepatitis C virus, which cost 94,500 US dollars (Mazzucato 2019, 15). Gilead claimed the pricing was a representation of the value of the health system. Companies overlook the valuation of health care to the public because of wealth creation. As a consequence, the pricing of medical products favors wealthy people while ordinary citizens settle for second best or no treatment at all.

The valuation of health care products should consider consumers from all social classes because good health is an essential of life. However, pharmaceutical companies use value-based pricing that associates the value of the medication to the cost the epidemic will induce to the community when not cured (Mazzucato 2019, 15). Value-based pricing subjects more than 60% of the population in the US to second-best therapy (Mazzucato 2019, 15). For example, the pricing of cancer treatment. Furthermore, the value-based prices of most drugs are lower than the current market prices, but health service providers have not reduced the retail prices. Health care critics condemned the value creation in the health sector, but the revenues generated by pharmaceutical giants neutralized the criticism.

Corporation investing in the health sector ignore employees' and consumers' status and target generation of high revenues. As a result, investors use the profits for value creation instead of re-investing for the future of the organization. The corporations also evade taxes and federal policies, which constrict their wealth-creating projects. Mazzucato concludes, "they need more markets and less state" (Mazzucato 2019, 17). In the modern era, the value creation in health care services creates the impression of value extraction as shareholders care about the profits rather than the health of the community.

Opportunities for Change

There are four primary health care systems, Beveridge model, Bismarck model, National Health Insurance model, and Out-of-Pocket model (McCanne n.d.). Countries establish one system that serves the whole population, which is fair, cheap, and efficient. However, the US integrates elements of all four model in the national health care system for different targeted populations. Therefore, the system can learn from other countries and improve.

In Britain, the National Health Service adopted the Beveridge model to provide medical services and products in which the government administers and finances health care to all citizens using taxes (McCanne n.d.). The government owns hospitals, pays all employees including; doctors, hence patients never pay any medical bills. The Beveridge model is cheaper as the government is the single-payer for the National Health Service and can control doctors' fees. Cuba is an example of an exceptional implementation of the Beveridge model where the government has total control on the provision of health care. The US having a whole-federal owned health system will ensure the regulation of pricing by health providers and access to treatment for all patients from different social classes.

Germany developed the Bismarck model during the 19th century (McCanne n.d.). The model is an insurance system jointly financed by salary deductions from employers and employees (McCanne n.d.). Strict government regulations ensure the insurance system covers every citizen and make no profits from the scheme, although health workers and hospitals are private institutions (McCanne n.d.). In the US, insurance companies aim to make profits and only takes care of the rich who can afford the service. A change in the regulations of marketing health services will ensure affordable insurance cover for everybody.

The National Health Insurance model implements both the Beveridge and Bismarck systems together. In this model, the government manages an insurance program funded by citizens and pays private health providers (McCanne n.d.). Canada deploys this model, and it cheaper compared to the US health care system. The government insurance is the single-payer, therefore, has the marketing power to negotiate fair prices for medical services. The National Health Insurance model has attracted US citizens to seek medication in Canada. The US federal government should, therefore, consider using the system.

Challenges in Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

According to Johns Hopkins University tally, the US has reported over one million cases of COVID-19 and over 60,000 deaths, which makes it the most affected country worldwide ("COVID-19 Map" n.d.). The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the health care system due to the high infection rate across the country.

The US lacks a federal-owned response team that is financed and administered by the government in cases of a pandemic (Hsu, Tan 2020). A pre-built and tested task force with inter-agency cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Defense Forces (Hsu, Tan 2020). The task force would have prevented a panic response to the pandemic and taken organized measures to ensure containment of the disease at an early stage. The development of a biomedical research lab would also prevent dependence on private health providers to manufacture diagnostic and treatment equipment. A well calculated and organized response is essential to curb the spread of any infectious disease.

Mass testing the high population of potential victims of the COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming to labs in the US (Hsu, Tan 2020). The lack of designated clinics prepared for emergencies makes the problem even worse (Hsu, Tan 2020). Poor screening techniques aided the rapid spread of the disease. Therefore, scaled screening measures which target the identification of potential victim with the highest risk would have reduced the transmission. Afterwards, the application of quarantine measures would ease diagnosis and therapy procedures for patients.

Multiple online sources provide the citizens of the US with false information on the COVID-19 pandemic (Hsu, Tan 2020). The misinformation raised public concern. Therefore, people demonstrated in the streets while ignoring preventive measures from state governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) (Hsu, Tan 2020). The government should provide transparent, accurate, and frequently updated public health communication through multiple channels. The availability of reliable information during a pandemic is significant to the regulation of the public reaction and the implementation of preventive measures to curb the transmission of the infection.

Conclusion

The health sector in the US is falling apart due to the implementation of different health care models and the marketization of health products. Private pharmaceutical companies have taken advantage of marketing policies to create wealth from health products while ignoring public value. Recently, the US health care system has faced many challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government should review and amend the health system and marketing of health services and product. An improved health care model in which the government is the only payer for health services will ensure cheap and fair medication.

References

"COVID-19 Map". n.d. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. (April 29, 2020)

Hsu Li, and Tan Min-Har. 2020. "What Singapore can Teach the U.S. about Responding to Covid-19." March 23. https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/23/singapore-teach-united-states-about-covid-19-response/ (April 29, 2020)

Mazzucato, Mariana. 2019. The Value of everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

McCanne, Don. n.d. "Health Care Systems - Four Basic Models." http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/health_care_systems_four_basic_models.php (April 29, 2020)