Healthcare Across the Globe

Healthcare Across the Globe

Healthcare Across the Globe
Western Governor’s University

Abstract
This paper explores how other countries approach healthcare in comparison to the United States of America. The country we will review is Great Britain in regards to medical care for children, unemployed, and retired citizens when reviewing access to medications and specialist referrals including the financial factors.

Healthcare Across the Globe
Universally, the United States of America has the most advanced medical treatments available to patients. Many people from other countries travel hundreds of miles to seek out life-saving medical treatments in the United States. According to the Commonwealth Fund (n.d.),
“In 2013, the average U.S. resident spent $1,074 out-of-pocket on health care, for things like copayments for doctor’s office visits and prescription drugs and health insurance deductibles.”
This statistic shows that an individual from the United States has a high cost for basic medical access. In comparison, Great Britain personal medical access is free with optional private insurance (Shafrin, 2008). This might sound like an easy comparison to show Great Britain is at advantage, which after discussion will show that is not entirely true.
Healthcare Access
In the United States, citizens access to healthcare will be dependent on the insurance coverage that they possess. An uninsured person may have limited access to quality healthcare, denied access to specialists, and have a significant delay in care. After recent passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2012, US citizens have a new responsibility to obtain healthcare insurance with the availability of government provided insurance. This law has provided health insurance as well as improved access to healthcare services. A negative to this law has been that the insurance premiums are income-based, which does not necessarily mean inexpensive, in addition to the penalty fees that will follow if a person chooses to remain...

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