Week 11 Reflection - How Can We Fix The U.S. Healthcare System

Currently, the world’s healthcare system is very unhealthy. There are many significant problems with hospitals around the world. I have seen these problems. I have noticed in my visits to hospitals in the past that they are extremely short-staffed. During this video, he discusses ideas on which the world’s healthcare system can be fixed. However, in my opinion, I don’t think there is a fix. I believe that these problems are way too severe and there’s zero possibility that they can be changed.

People often think that the United States healthcare system is far better than other smaller countries. However, this is not true. The infant mortality rate is higher than it’s been in 50 years in the United States and mothers also die from childbirth at a rate seven times higher than in Singapore. Singapore actually ranks higher than the United States and many other more powerful countries on several things in healthcare. Additionally, they use shockingly way less money on their healthcare than the average country. He talked in this video about how that’s possible. They use a decentralized system. That makes the cost of healthcare extremely less expensive. The United States used to regularly have this in small towns across the country, but they’ve slowly become more and more centralized over the past 100 or so years. That centralization has made healthcare much more expensive.

I think it’s a great thing to have a healthcare system that is decentralized. Washington D.C. can’t personally know someone better than someone that lives in the same town as you do. You need to have someone you can count on, and people who don’t know you personally often don’t care as much. United States healthcare is sick and it needs help.

I saw a really big problem with the healthcare system last year. I had a shoulder surgery that originally was going to cost 10,000 dollars. That price would rise more and more after I got the surgery done. I ended up having to pay more than 30,000 dollars for this surgery. I was upset because I realized I had lied too and that healthcare in the United States is way too expensive. I am blessed with not having to worry as much about money as others in America, but I feel for the people who are worse off than I am. How are they supposed to receive their healthcare when they can’t even afford it?

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