Health Care in the United States

Paper Summary:

The paper is composed of three sections; the first looks at the two main problems in the healthcare industry of cost and access. The paper then provides statistics on government spending on health care, analyzes the economic implications of rising healthcare costs and explains why costs are only increasing. In the second part, the paper focuses on the problems of cost and access in more depth. Finally, in the third part, the paper discusses how this problem is affecting the writer personally and considers how it can be solved.

Outline:
Part I- Health Care in the United States
The Healthcare Industry
Problems in the Healthcare Industry: Cost and Access
Limited Access
Why a Rise in Healthcare Cost?
Supply Factors in Rising Healthcare Prices
Reform of the Healthcare System
Universal Access
Incentives Aimed at Containing Costs
Recent Laws and Proposals
Part II- Twin Problems: Costs and Access
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Conclusion
Part III- How this Problem is Affecting You and Your Family and How it Can be Solved?

From the Paper:

"The cost of healthcare is rising in the US and this situation is alarming because it has very far reaching consequences. People who are seriously ill but don't have health insurance do not have access to health care. Employers and workers are often clashing over the cost of health insurance. Insurance companies often choose what types of medical care they will cover irrespective of the needs of patients. The US spends 15 percent of its GDP on health."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cutler, David M. et al., "Are Medical Prices Falling? Evidence from Heart Attack Treatments." Quarterly Journal of Economics, 113.4(1998):991-1024
• Fisher, Elliot S. et al, "The Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare Spending, Part 1: The Content, Quality, and Accessibility of Care." Annals of Internal Medicine 38.4 (2003):273-287.
• Goldman, Dana P. & Alpert, Abby E. "Costs and Insurance." Goldman, Dana P. & McGlynn, Elisabeth A. US Healthcare. Facts about access and quality Santa Monica CA: Rand Health, 2005.
• Newhouse, Joseph P. "Medical Care Costs: How Much Welfare Loss?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 6.3 (1992):3-21.
• Newhouse , Joseph P. "An Iconoclastic View of Health Cost Containment." Health Affairs, 12 (1993):152-171.

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