PBS Film: Critical Care Vs. The World

“This too shall pass”, these words stuck with me for several days after watching the PBS film: Critical Care vs. the World. This short phrase made me brainstorm on the facts given in the film and how I personally could help. However, the healthcare system is so large and intricate that it would take more than one person to make a difference towards cheaper and effective healthcare. It is heartbreaking that there are individuals like Lakeisha all around the United States are struggling to get proper and affordable care. A statistic the film talked about was the comparison of other countries like the UK and the mortality rate along with disease like heart disease. The U.S has a shocking rate of pulmonary diseases and the UK on average does not come near that. On top of that, one out of three individuals in the United states do not go to the doctor because of the cost according to the film. This was Lakeisha’s case and she went through a much more strenuous journey than others have had to go through because the U.S. does not provide universal healthcare. Another interesting quote that personally stood out to me as a U.S. citizen is the couple in the UK explaining that they have never had the burden of thinking healthcare is too expensive. This is a foreign concept to me because growing up the doctor and the cost were very closely related. This may be why many U.S. citizens avoid the doctor or getting an ambulance. I know personally, many individuals in my family will refuse to get an ambulance because of how expensive it is, this can cause serious risks. Switzerland was an interesting comparison to the Unites States. Even though Switzerland is much smaller than the U.S. their concepts on how they provided healthcare was life changing for those in the country. One aspect that is different is Switzerland separates health insurance from jobs completely. This was a benefit when many U.S. citizens lost their benefits when they lost their job during Covid, this was not the case for individuals in Switzerland. I do believe that this can help with the widespread disparity that is happening in the U.S. The government in Switzerland also offers subsidies to buy insurance along with capping yearly expenses. A concept that Australia and many other countries has coined is a hybrid system that allows access to elective care when they need/want it. They give options that could provide quicker services or add on plans that include more specialized care. This could be beneficial to the U.S. for those that only require certain needs. Canada is very similar to the UK in which they provide universal healthcare. A statistic that was surprising to me was that Canada had less Covid deaths by three times than the U.S. did and most of the deaths were in long-term care. It does seem that there is a trend in universal healthcare and the overall satisfaction of healthcare. However, politically we cannot agree in the U.S. for universal healthcare. Expanding Medicare is an option that the U.S. has been trying to push to create universal healthcare, however it is difficult to get all states on board. So far, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas do not provide Medicare to everyone. If every state agrees or most, the film stated that we could ger up to ninety five percent coverage which is much better than what is covered now. Watching this film has opened my eyes to the different ways that the world provides healthcare along with the pros and cons that come along with those policies. I learned the difference between hybrid and universal healthcare and how it benefits individuals in different ways.