Running head: US HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS 1

Current US Healthcare Systems

Alex M Padilla

Azusa Pacific University UC

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US Healthcare

The has many facets of Government and responsibility that is very intricate that requires

a whole nation to partake in. There are many intricacies that carry heavy weight that people more

knowledgeable than are in high positions to lead our nation the way Americans trust them to do

what they know how to do. Some facets of our government carry more weight that others and

some are prioritized accordingly. And then there are areas of our government that the nation

relies on extremely heavily which can be subjective but I believe in regards to Healthcare, I

believe that it is one of the top priorities in our nation if not the top priority. I may be a little bias

because I have been a healthcare employee for the greater part of nine years. A healthy nation

cannot be a problem by any means. Yes, healthcare for everyone at a low rate will come at a cost

I am not naïve to that facts that healthcare costs money but should not be a second thought to the

leaders of our nation, as we change policies in healthcare I believe that what always comes to

mind are the people that are in need of healthcare from my experiences on the frontlines of

Emergency Medical Services.

As our healthcare system stands right now we are at a crossroads of moving forward or

going back to the drawing board. For me Healthcare is a right rather than a privilege. And as far

as the future I truly think it is up in the air regarding this facet. For the past six years the ACA

has increased coverage for our nation in numbers of some 20 million more Americans with

healthcare coverage that did not have it before the ACA. (Bauchner, H, 2017). As Bauchner goes

on to state that America has guaranteed education, fire and police but is missing one piece of the

necessary puzzle, healthcare. I can agree with that consensus that we are missing that last piece

and remain in the crossroads going forward. I believe our current ACA has done a swell job in

providing health care for our citizens and need, indeed there is work to do and with the work
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from our brothers and sisters beside us. One of the strengths of our current system is the

aforementioned, getting healthcare to many more citizens in the million. But we are still in a

battle with ourselves to steer this ship to the ultimate right direction. “the federal government

has an array of tools to bring the rise of health care costs under control. However, “the work

toward a high-quality, affordable, accessible health care system is not over.” (Obama, 2016). As

our past leader and the front man to our ACA he understands that we have made great strides in

terms of healthcare but is not naïve to what needs to be done still. Addressing and brining up

numbers Since the affordable care act the uninsured rate has declined 43%! . As Mr. Obama

implies that high uninsured rates lead to more complex problems with the uninsuree such as poor

health and barriers to care. In addition to problems with the uninsuree the nation suffers from

financial burdens of uncompensated care.

My personal reform would be to supplement and move forward in the system that we

have right now, and it not a completely broken system by any means, and yes it does have a

ways to go to insure the uninsured but I am totally not sure how to go about it without stripping

the economy and going over the healthcare expenditure, of course in my heart I would love to

have everyone to get free healthcare, but we do not live in a perfect world. I would first address

the uninsured individuals who have full time jobs to supplement their options without having to

spend a good chunk of their paycheck in a private/public plan. Hard working individuals that

have a significant income, also may have plenty of bills, loans, and many other financial

obligations but healthcare should not be a worry that goes with both private insurance buyers and

public funded plans. My start would may not fix or not even make a dent but I think it can bring

ideas that may have already come about as we are in this healthcare battle as a nation.
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References

Bauchner H. (2017) Health Care in the United States: A Right or a Privilege. JAMA. ;317(1):29.

doi:10.1001/jama.2016.1968

Obama, B. (2016). United States Health Care Reform Progress to Date and Next

Steps. Jama, 316(5), 525–532. http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.9797