Student 1:

A comment on the video that was posted for review this week put the ACA in a perspective that I had not thought of before. In the United States, people have wanted an overhaul of our healthcare system. While the ACA is not perfect, and everyone does not agree with every aspect of it, it is a step in healthcare overhaul. I was a plan that was created and has opened the door to discussion for future modifications, until it works in the best interest of U.S. citizens. Personally, I have heard my own acquaintances making comments to the effect of why our healthcare system is not like Canada, or how they hear in other countries healthcare is delivered this way. When reading about it, I believe one will find, healthcare is not perfect anywhere. By studying healthcare delivery of other countries, we can attempt to take what works and build that into our healthcare system here.

“Examining other systems provides the gift of perspective and helps us to understand our own system” (Knickman, J & Kovner, A, 2011. P. 54). If policymakers focus their efforts on looking solely at the data from the United States, it would be difficult to gain perspective. This may result in more opinion-based decisions than data-based decisions. By reviewing data from other countries, it does not take away, but it decreases the opportunity to make a decision based on opinion.

Reviewing treatment outcomes can be a benefit if researching healthcare in other countries. If practices are different that in the U.S. and result in more positive outcomes, it would be beneficial to change our practices. I feel one area that should be researched extensively is access to care. “Despite its excellence in many places in clinical care, research, and innovation, the United States’ health care system is marked by pervasive disparities in health status and by systemic obstacles to equitable health care service access”. (Ruchman, S, Singh, P, & Stapleton, A, 2016). Like most places, there are many rural areas in Alabama. Medical providers in those rural areas have limited access to some equipment which limits their ability to treat their patients locally. Unfortunately, these patients don’t always have the means to travel to locations to receive the services and treatment they need. A co-worker’s father has congestive heart failure and lives in a small town an hour away from a larger city. He has recently spent a significant amount of time in the hospital which has taken a toll on the family because of the travel involved. He has had the opportunity for home health to come to his home following his recent discharge from the hospital. We see too often that the access to quality care is difficult and does not always result in timely care. Reviewing how other countries address these similar barriers is helpful to the U.S. so that implement changes that could result in better overall care and outcomes for our citizens.

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A.R. (2015). Joans & Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States (11th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company

Ruchman, S, Singh, P, & Stapleton, A (2016). Why US Health Care Should Think Globally. AMA Journal of Ethics. Retrieved March 13, 2019 from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/why-u…

Student 2:

A few lessons I would expect to learn from studying health care systems abroad includes gaining an understanding regarding the amount of government involvement in healthcare systems from state to state and or country to country. It is a known fact that the representatives for the state of Georgia decide year after year to limit the amount of government funding for Medicaid recipients. I would also expect to understand how healthcare is rationed and or formally delivered to patients under systems other than the U.S. I think it would be interesting to find out what level of satisfaction receipts under different health care systems have with their current system. Not to mention I would appreciate gaining an understanding of the length of time it takes to get a scheduled appointment verses a specialized appointment. A few other reasons to study healthcare systems abroad for me includes exploring potential lessons learned, understanding where the money come from to fund the healthcare being offered to recipients abroad , and understanding how much money people pay out of pocket for the care they receive. I would also like to explore how long people wait to have elective surgery under certain health care systems, as well as what the life expectancy is for people under different health systems?

References:

Jost, T. S. (2004). Why Can’t We Do What They Do? National Health Reform Abroad. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 32(3), 433–441. https://doi-org.saintleo.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2004.tb00154.x

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A.R. (2015). Health Care Delivery in the United States (11th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

https://theconversation.com/infographic-comparing-international-health-systems-30784

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