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Healthcare System information/Insurance news |
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The Healthcare system in the United States is the largest and most extensive in the world. More money is used on a per capita basis on health than any other country worldwide. The World Health Organization ranked the American healthcare system in the following manner. It found that the U.S. ranked 1st in terms of healthcare costs, 1st in response to health care needs, 37th in terms of overall performance and 72nd in terms of overall levels of health globally. That being said, a system as large and complicated as U.S. healthcare is critiqued and analyzed through a range of issues, both positive and negative, and the United States is the only affluent and post industrialized country that does not provide medical coverage to all of its citizens. It is, however, the world leader in medical innovation, with non industrial sectors using three times the amount on biomedical research than all of Europe combined.
The average life expectancy of the United States is 77.8 years at birth which is less than the overall figure in Western Europe, and three to four years lower than that of Canada, Japan, and Switzerland. This figure has shifted in the last twenty years with the life expectancy plunging from 11th to 42nd globally, and this can be accredited to many factors. The infant mortality rate of 6.37 for every 1000 finds the country ranked 42nd worldwide, and this lags well behind all of the developed western European nations. U.S. cancer survival rates, however, are some of the best in the world. Many health experts have speculated as to this general drop in overall national health, and a leading factor is most definitely the shift in the American diet and general nutrition. Roughly 32% of the adult population suffers from obesity and an additional third of the population is considered overweight. The obesity rate, the most significant in the developed world, has multiplied by two in the past 100 years and is one of the nations most pressing and serious health concerns. Obesity-related type 2 diabetes is, according to health practitioners, at epidemic proportions.
The U.S. adolescent pregnancy rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is close to four times the figure in France and five times the figure in Germany. Abortion, while legal in many states is a hotly contested and controversial subject. Many states have eradicated public financial support for the practice and prohibit late-term abortions, require parental approval for minors, and mandate a waiting period. While the abortion rate is falling, the abortion ratio of 241 per 1,000 live births and rates of 15 per 1,000 women within the 15-44 age range remains well above the figures for most other developed European nations.
As stated earlier, the health coverage in the United States is not all encompassing, with millions of lower income families still struggling to cover medical expenses and procedures on their own. The breakdown of health services is as follows: private insurance programs accounted for 36% of personal health costs in 2004, while independently funded (out-of-pocket) expenses made up 11%. Government funded programs at the local, state and federal levels accounted for the remaining 44%. This shows that ultimately the government is unable to support even half of the population with health coverage for medical services. The number of the uninsured continues to rise, and has for the last decade, with close to 50 million or over 16% of the population having no viable medical coverage. Most experts agree that the rise in uninsured is due to a smaller number of persons staying with their employer-based medical insurance programs, most likely due to the continual rise of premiums for basic coverage over the years.
While the system seems more problematic than good, there is the promise of ongoing health care reform in the coming decade under the new administration policies of President Barack Obama. The hope is to lower premiums and make general healthcare more accessible for lower income homes and individuals. As medical services continue to be very expensive, however, foreign visitors and expatriates are recommended to obtain a comprehensive medical and travel insurance policy. This will ensure the proper medical treatment, if necessary, in any American city without jeopardizing financial stability on travels to the United States.
For more information about the U.S., international medical insurance that we can provide, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today. |
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