PBS “Health care: America vs. the World” Thoughts

The American health care system has always been one of the most controversial areas in the United States for many years. It is full of many people wanting universal health care for all. These people feel like it is a right to have health care in this country and should receive it. On the other hand, many people don’t want to pay the increased taxes that are going to be associated with health care for everyone. They only want to pay for their own and get the specialized health care that they need. There are many different sides to take on the health care system and the way it should look for United States citizens. PBS News Hour’s “Health care: America vs. the World” showcases our American system and many systems around the world, highlighting the god and bad of each system, and reacting to the viability of these systems in the Unites States.

The video starts with showing the great disparity between parts of Houston, Texas It showcases the innovations of American medicine that saved a young kids life who only had half a heart working. Juxtapose to this, Northern Houston was one of the worst places in Texas in terms of health care. The life expectancy was very low in certain areas of northern Houston and how many people are uninsured in those areas as well. It is very hard for them to find a receive affordable and quality health care. Next, the video jumps to showcasing the United Kingdom’s single payer system. This is when taxes are paid by all citizens that fund the NHS, National Health Service, and the NHS becomes the “single payer” that funds all doctors, health related costs, etc. After that, they head to Switzerland. This health care system sees a government that sets prices for medications and procedures as well as a minimum base coverage that every health care plan should have. Then the citizens of Switzerland can choose whichever health care provider they want to use for their health care. It is arguably even more privatized than the US in terms of health care. Next, we head to Australia that has a very mixed system that is private as well as having a universal health care plan, called Medicare. Lastly, they head to Canada. This is a single payer system that has each province in Canada take control of what is offered. Almost all costs are paid for, but gaps d occur in their health care plans.

The disparity between the two sections of Houston is very disappointing to see in the United States. It hurts to see the great things that American Medicine can do and the only people that cane benefit from it are only people that can pay for it. I like that the video during this point said that many foreign health care policies are created along a societal goal. I like that idea that as a society u pick out a few goals for your people and build your health care system around that. I think that regardless of dollar amount, if someone needs health care, they should be able to receive it and not have to worry about breaking the bank to get it. It was also interesting to see the single payer systems at work. I think it is an excellent system that really personifies the “health care for all” ideal. It allows the citizens of a country not to worry about money and only worry about the health and well being of themselves and their loved ones which is very important. One thing noted in the video about single payer systems is that if the condition isn’t life threating, then u will become less of a priority in the system and not be able to receive treatment for quite some time. I understand that frustration with this because I to would be upset if I had a disability that wasn’t life threatening but I could never get in to get a surgery, or something of that nature, to correct it and my appointment just kept getting cancelled or pushed back because it wasn’t a priority. The Swiss health care single payer system is very interesting because it seems like it is a balance between private and true universal healthcare. They seem to allow the citizen to still have the freedom to choose whatever health care they want with whatever added premiums they want, but still having it government mandated that all health care plans have the same minimum coverage for all citizens nationwide. It is very interesting, and I like the concept. I think in the US it is very difficult to implement single payer systems and largely private systems like Switzerland as much as I would like to because the financial incentives that politicians and politics in general receive from major health care players in the United States would sway legislation away from having the government mandate prices of things. This would take away from the power of private health care companies, so this makes it very difficult to pilot the political climate of getting something like that initiated in the US.

COVID 19 was one of the scariest times in recent history because of the amount of people affected across the globe. A worldwide pandemic can really make people step back and realize the importance of having access to safe, responsive, and quality health care. This pandemic showcased just how important access to these things are and highlighted many of these situations as life or death. Every country has a different way of tackling health care for their citizens. Countries like the United Kingdom, that have true single payer systems. Countries like Switzerland that have a very large, privatized health care sector in their country but a firm government hand. As well as countries like Australia who are trying to find that healthy medium and appeasing to everyone’s best interests in terms of health care affordability and availability. All these different systems around the globe can be learned from and expanded upon in all facets to create a health care plan that is appropriate for the United States moving forward. I think we can learn a lot from these various countries and how they structured their health care sector and try to model ours to help serve and protect every single American regardless of economic status.