...“Sicko” The 2007 documentary “Sicko” by Michael Moore address the different issues with American health care system. America’s health care system has been up for debate for quite some time now and still not much has changed. Michael Moore believes America’s health system is morally corrupt which is unreasonable for being the wealthiest country in the world. Throughout the film some of his main arguments include, the fact that the American health care system is subject to fraudulent decisions, aiming towards governmental funds, rather than the rights of American citizens. He also compares America’s health care system to others around the world, arguing that countries with the benefit of having health care are much better off than those that are not. Throughout the entire film, Moore is making an attempt to get through to the people of the middle class. He wants them to stand up for their constitutional right, health care. You don’t have to accept what they tell you, you should be aware of your rights. Moore uses many methods to support his argument that universal health care is better than government regulated health care. For example, he traveled around the United States to ask many different people about their health insurance. The most touching story was from a mother who lost her 4 year old because the hospital refused to care for the child due to lack of health insurance. If the government and insurance companies can refuse to give treatment to a mother and her sick child...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...problems today. One such problem is the amount of elderly inmates. Elderly inmates represent the fastest growing segment of the federal and state prisons. The aging inmate population has created new challenges for the American corrections system. The population of aging and elderly prisoners in the United States prisons exploded over the past three decades, with nearly 125,000 inmates aged 55 or older now behind bars, according to a recent report published by the American Civil Liberties Union. This represents an increase of over 1,300 percent since the early 1980s. (Graying in Prison). Some contributing factors to the increase in elderly inmates are, get tough on crime reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, mandatory minimum sentences, three strikes rules and truth in sentence laws established in recent decades are keeping more offenders in prison for longer periods of time. Inmates are living longer and this also contributes to prison overcrowding. (Elderly Prisoners, 2012). In passing some of these laws, such as the three strikes laws, the courts and the Criminal Justice System did not think about the aging inmates and the problems that go with it. As people age, generally they develop health problems and within the prison system, this is no different. Prisons aren’t geared to the needs and vulnerabilities of older people. In the prison environment, there are a number of unique physical tasks that must be performed everyday in order to retain independence. They’re...
Words: 1376 - Pages: 6
...The hospital heath care system in America was in disarray and highly inefficient before the Columbia/HCA changed the medical community forever. In 1987, Richard Scott started Columbia/HCA, successfully becoming the largest healthcare business at its peak and still to this day even after selling off half off their assets in a nationwide scandal that forever stained the healthcare industry. Profits were astronomical because of the efficient techniques fostered by its founder Richard Scott and partially because he fostered a highly unethical environment in his business. He dominated the market by underpricing existing hospitals until they went out of business or could be bought out. His clinics would refer the patients to his hospitals and vice versa successfully cutting off the competition. Doctors were given kickbacks and made to compete against each other for the highest revenues in the area up coding patient’s diagnosis’ to get a higher reimbursement or use cheaper tools to save money. This case discusses poor ethical behavior by employees and doctors at Columbia/HCA who took bribes or looked the other way when it came to maximizing billing for services provided. The strategies and conducts committed cost stakeholders immeasurably through inaccurate diagnosis for the patients, inferior cheaper instruments endangering the hospital staff and the patient, plummeting stock prices for the shareholders, and trust in the medical community. Columbia/HCA oligopoly was shut down by March...
Words: 1172 - Pages: 5
...23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. There is no denying that Healthcare reform is a necessity at this point. Something absolutely has to change in America’s Healthcare. “It seems clear that if we continue down the path of healthcare delivery we current practice in this country, even if it is practiced a bit more efficiently, we will have failed. We will bankrupt this country, and the health of our citizens will continue to decline” (Riley, 2009). The question remains however, is the Affordable Care Act the answer to our crisis? The intentions of the ACA are honorable. Creators plan to reform healthcare by attacking several areas with issues. Main focus of goals include Universality – The right of every citizen to have healthcare. All citizens should be in a common risk pool. Financing – intent to reform based on spreading the cost of healthcare out equally. The common risk pool comes largely into play here because the young and healthy will subsidize some of the care needed by the sick and elderly. Cost – Reduction – Stabilizing the cost of healthcare and reducing the rate of growth Payment Reform – paying for outcomes and values achieved, rather than the volume of care given. Quality and process improvement - Components that will improve reporting and quality indicators of care. Prevention and Wellness - goal to reduce the cost of healthcare by promoting healthy living, therefore, less need for medical care. (Panning, 2014). In some...
Words: 1097 - Pages: 5
...For this Interview, I chose to Interview Yismel Rosario. Yismel is a senior Medical Science major. She is originally from the Dominican Republic she moved to America about 6 years ago. She knew a lot about her cultures health care system. Conducting this interview was very eye opening for me. You really don’t appreciate the opportunities America provides to citizens, especially the different opportunities to receive health care. Even though America’s health care is extremely expensive, there are more opportunities to receive it. Before conducting this interview I did not have any preconceptions about people from this sociocultural group prior to the interview. The only information I knew is that the Dominican culture has very high poverty...
Words: 331 - Pages: 2
...Nearly the entire developed world has adopted the system of Universal Health Care, including Europe, the powerhouses of Asia, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The United States (U.S.) is not one of them. Funded through taxes and run by the government, health care proves vital to all countries across the world. Unlike other first world countries, the U.S. falls behind in attempts to providing a single-payer health system, a type of Universal Health Care. Health care affordability continue to drastically decrease for United States citizens, becoming less affordable due to its high costs. Other first world countries are able to provide their population with adequate amounts of medical attention without the high expenses like the current system...
Words: 1770 - Pages: 8
...It is the 5th State in terms of population and the 25th in terms of size (National Population, 2014). The population is 12.88 Million. It is a health care hob in the Midwest region of United States in that it has some of the biggest hospital network system in the country with easy accessibility to quality care – the county healthcare system. In all it has one hundred and forty three hospitals with a staff strength of 31,052 (Wikipedia, 2015). In terms of healthcare expenditure, Illinois spends over eighty seven million yearly in hospital care, physician services, nursing home care and prescription drugs. This represents the highest expenditure when compared to its neighbors like Indiana that spends forty two million, Michigan that spends sixty five mission in overall healthcare cost for hospital care, physician services, nursing home care and prescription drugs, Iowa spends about twenty one million, Minnesota spends thirty nine million and Wisconsin spends forty one million on overall health care costs like hospital care, physician services, nursing home care and prescription drugs. Illinois prides itself as being the only state in the nation to provide the all Kids program which offers many Illinois children comprehensive healthcare that includes doctors’ visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care, dental care and medical devices like eyeglasses and asthma inhalers (Illinois All Kids, 2015). Some families pay monthly premiums for the coverage, but rates for middle-income...
Words: 747 - Pages: 3
...ABSTRACT The rising costs of health care plans in America is uncontrollable. The number of citizens who are living without health care insurance continues to rise, while at the same time the price of having insurance continues to grow. Instead of the government reforming the health care system, they continue to spend billions of dollars in aid through Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, and other government programs - Dollars that could perhaps be better spent on funding programs to ensure every American is provided an affordable health insurance. Over the past year it has become apparent that insurance companies are looking to capitalize by setting premiums higher, as the President talks about implementing a mandate on citizens to have health care. The debate on whether health care should be a profit market or Government controlled should be considered. Through all the turmoil, one thing is certain: America is in need of a Health Care Reform. PREFACE Growing up on poverty, my parents did their best to provide what they could. I was fortunate to be put into State custody at a young age and my brothers and I received full medical treatment under Medicare. A government funded subsidy that allowed us to have free medical attention. As a child, not much thought went into the idea, but as I got older I realized the importance of health insurance. My foster mother had to be rushed to the hospital a few times due to really bad asthma attacks, apparently...
Words: 2165 - Pages: 9
... Individual behaviour determines population health. Drug and substance abuse, and poor eating habits results to poor heath condition whereas positive changes in individual behaviour positively determine health status (Truman, et al, 2011, p. 1). Biology and genetics determine population health, whereby aged individuals are prone to poor health as opposed to young population. Additionally, poor genes carried by parents are transferred to children resulting to poor health (“Determinants of Health,” 2012). America is one of the countries in which healthcare costs are ranked high. Key contributors in high healthcare costs include changes in lifestyle and demographic choices, escalating administrative costs, technological developments, and advanced pharmaceuticals. These factors have placed healthcare costs to high levels, making healthcare accessibility very expensive. As a result majority of the population is unable to access healthcare services,...
Words: 858 - Pages: 4
...Individuals without health insurance coverage have a harder time keeping up with their health, as opposed to individuals with insurance coverage. Americans’ without healthcare coverage have a harder time living happier productive lives than those who do have healthcare. Most American’s main reason for not having healthcare insurance is because they cannot afford the skyrocketing premiums. Approximately 47 million American’s are living without health insurance because they do not have extra expendable income at the end of each month. Congress created the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in order to increase the number of American citizens covered by health insurance companies and decrease the cost of the rising healthcare system. According to the New York Times health insurance has gone up over the last decade by 15 percent since 2001. Some health insurance companies jack up the cost of healthcare because they dominate the healthcare market within their respective state. This simply provides for an unfair market because it leaves consumers only having to deal with the one Healthcare Insurance Company or not having healthcare insurance. Some insurance companies will only cover part of the doctor’s visit or emergency room visit and still require you to pay a co-pay making it harder to keep your insurance while paying for your regularly monthly expenses. According to the International Federation of Health Plans, the average routine office...
Words: 1131 - Pages: 5
...of money on healthcare. In fact, the GDP percentage spent on health care is outrageous percentage of GDP spent on health care. As this number rapidly nearing rises and nears a record high twenty percent. For this reason,, there is are reasonsis evidence to supportbelieve that there are several flaws in the our current system. The problem has escalated at such a rate that there is no longer a question of “if” we address the rising health care costs, but “how” we handle them. Many other Several other countries sustain a more productiverewarding health care system in terms of preventive and curative health services, family planning, nutrition activities and emergency aid while maintaining a lower health care cost per capita (Davidson)at a fraction of the cost of America’s. In order to bring this spending in line with other countries, the United States must be willing to make sacrifices in fields such as insurance, pharmaceuticals, and research among healthcare institutions. heathcare research. This has proven to be a very difficult issue to address due to a longn extensive list of ethical issues within the systemdifferences among American citizens. It has been generally accepted that American’s spending could be brought in line withdown to the level of these other countries if the distribution of medical goods was rationed at rate of 50%the rationing of medical goods was cut at a rate of roughly 50%. In order to provide the most constructive provisions to healthcare expenditureIn...
Words: 3685 - Pages: 15
...In the United States today, at any given time, there are more than forty-one million people who are without health insurance. The United States Government actuaries states that the healthcare spending in the U.S. will double by 2015-to-more than 12,300 per person and account for 20 percent of the nations GDP. U.S. healthcare costs have made health insurance too expensive for many employers to offer health insurance. Health coverage alone is taking away more than a quarter of worker’s earnings. Fewer employers are offering health insurance in America. Under President Obama, the current administration firmly believes that comprehensive reform should reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government, protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs, guarantee choice of doctors and wellness, improve patient safety and quality of care, assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans, maintain coverage when you change or lose your job and end barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions. Not everyone agrees with the Obama administration. However, there has been major controversy with a new President (Obama), regarding how to fix the health insurance crisis in America. Major health care reform proposals have been the following: (1) single payer plans that call for the federal government to impose health insurance taxes and directly administer health benefits for everyone; (2) universal health...
Words: 1865 - Pages: 8
...10/27/2011 Arnold Palmer Hospital Is First to Receive New FDA-Approved X-ray Imaging Technology New System Dramatically Cuts Radiation Exposure for Young Patients MEDIA CONTACT Geo Morales, APR 321.841.5766 geo.morales@orlandohealth.com | | |Orlando, FL (October 27, 2011) - Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is the first hospital in the United States to receive innovative | |new x-ray imaging technology that decreases radiation exposure to young patients and produces high-quality images. The system, | |manufactured by Siemens, is called Luminos Agile and received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in June 2011. | |A key feature on the Luminos Agile system is a large flat-panel detector that enables physicians to examine an image that is up to 117 | |percent larger than images generated by older technology. A larger image allows physicians to examine a wider area of the anatomy | |without repositioning the patient - reducing scan times and radiation dose. | |Luminos Agile delivers a package of features designed to increase patient comfort and enhance efficiency in the exam room. It offers the| |flexibility of a table that adjusts height from 25 inches to 44 inches to easily accommodate children and patients with mobility | |challenges. The adjustable table also has a weight capacity of 600 pounds and a 24-inch wide opening to provide easy...
Words: 2484 - Pages: 10
...HISTORY OF HEALTH INSURNCE I stopped for a moment to imagine an average Americana’s world without a health insurance, what will become of such individual when the need for healthcare beckons? How will such individual offset the outrageous bill of healthcare? Health insurance is used in America to describe any program that helps pay for medical bills through the following: privately purchased and social insurance or a social welfare program usually powered by the government. Simply put, health insurance is any form of insurance that provides protection by offsetting the actual costs of medical services. Before the onset of federal government’s intervention on health insurance, it can be said that the onus were thrown to lower arms- the federal government left responsibilities to the state governments while state governments left responsibilities to the private bodies. However, America did have some funds which were provided for its members in sickness and death, but there were no funds for public programs during this said time which was between the late 19th and early 20th century. The public usually pay for their health care costs on their own, under what is known as the fee for service business model. Meanwhile, during the progressive era in the 1930s, while it was designing the Social Security system, President Theodore Roosevelt led administration explored possibilities for creating a national health insurance program, this was embedded in Roosevelt’s belief that no country...
Words: 1200 - Pages: 5
...Contemporary Problems As American’s, we owe our freedom to the men and women who protect us through their military service, especially those who have been deployed and risked their lives so that we can maintain the privileges afforded to us simply by living in America. Unfortunately, our country has not taken enough measures to protect and restore the mental health of the veterans who have protected us. According to Jaycox eds. and Tanielian (2008) “About One-Third of Returning Service members Report Symptoms of a Mental Health or Cognitive Condition” and approximately 19.5% of our returning veterans have experienced a probable traumatic brain injury (TBI) (p. 492). While the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Association (VA) have taken steps to meet the needs of these returning veterans, there is still much room for improvement when it comes to providing these hero’s with the mental health and neurological care that they require for a healthy life. PTSD and TBI share many symptoms, sometimes making it difficult for professionals to distinguish the cause of the symptoms, therefore, the mental health and TBI issues are often addressed together. One of the issues that our servicemen face with receiving proper treatment is that PSTD can sometimes take a year or more to surface after returning home. (National Council on Disability , 2009). The Department of Defense has designated and deployed a Mental health taskforce to research and address the needs and concerns...
Words: 976 - Pages: 4
