Data on international health system has also been provided by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Studies, and US Census Bureau. The OECD whose member states are the developed countries points out that its member countries have different health care systems… The US has been estimated to spend more on health care in comparison with other member states of the OECD (Gerard and Peter, 2001). The American health care model was ranked by WHO report of 2000 based on the cost, responsiveness, and the overall level of health.
The health care system was ranked first in responsiveness, highest in cost, and 72nd by the overall level of health among the 191 member countries that were studied. However, some health care professionals have criticized the American health model, ranking it as poor when it comes to the quality of health care. Developed nations such as Germany, France, and UK have universal health care models. Through the models, health care is extended to all the residents of a governmental region. Universal health care models cover mental, medical, and dental care.
The US though industrialized and wealthy lacks a universal health care model. Health care programs under the universal models vary in their funding mechanisms and structure. The costs of health care services that are provided through the universal health care models are met through the national health insurance or a single payer health care system. The quality and cost of the American health care services as compared to the other developed countries’ universal health care services is an issue of concern to policy makers (David et al, 2005).
Issues that have been of concern about the American system relate to the cost of health services, the level of access to health care, overall health status of the American population, fairness in financing health care, performance of the system, and the satisfaction of people with the health care system. One of the countries that have a universal health care system is Germany. Germany has the Bismarck model. This model was championed by Otton von Bismarck, and it has enabled most German citizens to be covered under the system. As a concept, universal health care has been implemented in various ways.
All universal health care programs require a government action that aims at increasing the peoples’ access to healthcare. In many developed countries, the universal health care is implemented through taxation, regulations, and legislation. In countries such as France, Canada, and Germany, what care is to be provided, on what basis, and to who is determined by regulation and legislation? Examples of universal health care models that have been successful in providing people with proper health care include; the Beveridge model, the Bismarck model and the National Health Insurance model.
When compared to these models, the American health care system which combines different aspects of each model has failed to effectively deliver health care as it should. However, the American system has also had its successes. The problems that the American health care model has been experiencing such as the high costs of health care services and lack of access to health care services for every one have led to the failure of the American model (Robert et al, 2001). Despite its failure, the American health care system has succeeded in responsiveness.
The issue of how successful the American health care model has succeeded or failed in comparison with other models has attracted the attention of many Americans. In efforts to encourage reforms in the system, different activist groups and NGOs are urging the American government to initiate changes in the system. Through television and radio shows, discussions that aim at putting pressure on the government and health care policy makers to initiate changes that will improve the delivery of health care are being held.
The need to make fundamental transformation of the American health care system warrants great attention from policy makers. The American system is considered inefficient and fragmented, and though it spends greatly on health care, it suffers from uneven quality of services and massive insurance. The United States government in 2003 spent about 15 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product on healthcare, which was the highest among the OECD members.
The government on the same year spent about $5,635 per capita. This was very high as compared to the OECD average of $2,307. While other health care systems in OECD countries have governments fund about 72 per cent of health spending, only about 44 per cent health spending is funded by the US government. To make reforms in the American health system, the policy makers need to understand problems experienced in the sector, and then formulate long term effective solutions to the problems.