Health care is a broad term that covers a wide range of services. Its ultimate ends are improved health outcomes and quality of life. Achieving those ends requires addressing several interrelated and complex issues. These include defining what constitutes good health, evaluating the effectiveness of different interventions, and understanding how individuals use healthcare resources. In addition, the allocation of healthcare resources is a major issue. Whether at the macro level of societies or governments allocating resources or at the micro level of individual physicians determining how much time to devote to each patient these issues are critical to the successful delivery of healthcare.
People want to receive health care that will help them attain their goals for life and maximize the potential of their bodies and minds. At the same time, they want to have a reliable way to pay for these medical services when they are needed. For some, this means obtaining insurance coverage through their employers or from private insurers. For others, it means paying out-of-pocket for healthcare services when they need them or relying on family and friends to reimburse their expenses. For all, however, healthcare services must be affordable.
Many health problems arise that are beyond an individual’s control, and their need for healthcare can be sudden and catastrophic (e.g., heart attack or stroke). Some of these problems require extensive, specialized treatment that can be costly for even the most wealthy families. Others are chronic conditions that require regular medical care to prevent expensive or disabling complications, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Yet in many cases, a person’s ability to receive adequate health care depends on other nonfinancial barriers, such as limited access to transportation or illiteracy.
Because of these and other concerns, the United States has one of the most heavily regulated health care systems in the world. It has a decentralized, pluralistic, and fragmented structure, and uses a variety of regulatory methods to place basic or entry controls on the industry. In addition, its legal system provides recourse to private lawsuits to redress complaints about malpractice or inadequate care.
These and other features make the United States’ health care system highly complex, resulting in wide state-to-state variation in costs and outcomes. Nonetheless, in some areas, the U.S. is a leader in innovation and technology. The nation can reduce health costs and improve the quality of its healthcare system by reducing the uninsured rate; increasing access to cost-effective health insurance options; improving cost protections in health care plans; and lowering barriers to reproductive, preventive, and behavioral health care. In the meantime, patients and their families need to take a close look at their current and future health care needs and options. They need to understand the costs, benefits, and limitations of their existing insurance and alternative coverage options. They also need to weigh the risks and rewards of any new policy proposals, including those that seek to replace existing coverage with an entirely new system.