{"id":1631,"date":"2016-05-24T19:41:07","date_gmt":"2016-05-24T19:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontosociology-waymaker\/?post_type=chapter&p=1631"},"modified":"2016-07-20T13:13:43","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T13:13:43","slug":"reading-healthcare-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-introsociology-1\/chapter\/reading-healthcare-elsewhere\/","title":{"raw":"Reading: Healthcare Outside of the United States","rendered":"Reading: Healthcare Outside of the United States"},"content":{"raw":"

Healthcare Elsewhere<\/h2>\r\n

Clearly, healthcare in the United States has some areas for improvement. But how does it compare to healthcare in other countries? Many people in the United States are fond of saying that this country has the best healthcare in the world, and while it is true that the United States has a higher quality of care available than many peripheral or semi-peripheral nations, it is not necessarily the \u201cbest in the world.\u201d In a report on how U.S. healthcare compares to that of other countries, researchers found that the United States does \u201crelatively well in some areas\u2014such as cancer care\u2014and less well in others\u2014such as mortality from conditions amenable to prevention and treatment\u201d (Docteur and Berenson 2009).<\/p>\r\n

One critique of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is that it will create a system of socialized medicine, a term that for many people in the United States has negative connotations lingering from the Cold War era and earlier. Under a socialized medicine<\/span> <\/strong>system, the government owns and runs the system. It employs the doctors, nurses, and other staff, and it owns and runs the hospitals (Klein 2009). The best example of socialized medicine is in Great Britain, where the National Health System (NHS) gives free healthcare to all its residents. And despite some U.S. citizens\u2019 knee-jerk reaction to any healthcare changes that hint of socialism, the United States has one socialized system with the Veterans Health Administration.<\/p>\r\n

It is important to distinguish between socialized medicine, in which the government owns the healthcare system, and universal healthcare<\/span><\/strong>, which is simply a system that guarantees healthcare coverage for everyone. Germany, Singapore, and Canada all have universal healthcare. People often look to Canada\u2019s universal healthcare system, Medicare, as a model for the system. In Canada, healthcare is publicly funded and is administered by the separate provincial and territorial governments. However, the care itself comes from private providers. This is the main difference between universal healthcare and socialized medicine. The Canada Health Act of 1970 required that all health insurance plans must be \u201cavailable to all eligible Canadian residents, comprehensive in coverage, accessible, portable among provinces, and publicly administered\u201d (International Health Systems Canada 2010).<\/p>\r\n

Heated discussions about socialization of medicine and managed-care options seem frivolous when compared with the issues of healthcare systems in developing or underdeveloped countries. In many countries, per capita income is so low, and governments are so fractured, that healthcare as we know it is virtually non-existent. Care that people in developed countries take for granted\u2014like hospitals, healthcare workers, immunizations, antibiotics and other medications, and even sanitary water for drinking and washing\u2014are unavailable to much of the population. Organizations like Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization have played an important role in helping these countries get their most basic health needs met.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"750\"]\"A This map shows the countries where malaria is known to occur. In low-income countries, malaria is still a common cause of death. (Photo courtesy of the CDC\/Wikimedia Commons)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

WHO, which is the health arm of the United Nations, set eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 with the aim of reaching these goals by 2015. Some of the goals deal more broadly with the socioeconomic factors that influence health, but MDGs 4, 5, and 6 all relate specifically to large-scale health concerns, the likes of which most people in the United States will never contemplate. MDG 4 is to reduce child mortality, MDG 5 aims to improve maternal health, and MDG 6 strives to combat HIV\/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The goals may not seem particularly dramatic, but the numbers behind them show how serious they are.<\/p>\r\n

For MDG 4, the WHO reports that 2009 infant mortality rates in \u201cchildren under 5 years old in the WHO African Region (127 per 1000 live births) and in low-income countries (117 per 1000 live births) [had dropped], but they were still higher than the 1990 global level of 89 per 1000 live births\u201d (World Health Organization 2011). The fact that these deaths could have been avoided through appropriate medicine and clean drinking water shows the importance of healthcare.<\/p>\r\n

Much progress has been made on MDG 5, with maternal deaths decreasing by 34 percent. However, almost all maternal deaths occurred in developing countries, with the African region still experiencing high numbers (World Health Organization 2011).<\/p>\r\n

On MDG 6, the WHO is seeing some decreases in per capita incidence rates of malaria, tuberculosis, HIV\/AIDS, and other diseases. However, the decreases are often offset by population increases (World Health Organization 2011). Again, the lowest-income countries, especially in the African region, experience the worst problems with disease. An important component of disease prevention and control is epidemiology<\/span><\/strong>, or the study of the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases. Fear of Ebola contamination, primarily in Western Africa but also to a smaller degree in the United States, became national news in the summer and fall of 2014.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n

Further Research<\/h3>\r\n

Project Mosquito Net says that mosquito nets sprayed with insecticide can reduce childhood malaria deaths by half. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n

Think It Over<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n\r\nCompare and contrast the healthcare system of the United States with the WHO\u2019s Millennium Development Goals.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n

Practice<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
1. Which program is an example of socialized medicine?<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Canada\u2019s system<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. The United States\u2019 Veterans Health Administration<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. The United States\u2019 new system under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Medicaid<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
    \r\n
    [reveal-answer q=\"885395\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"885395\"]b[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n
    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n

    2. Great Britain\u2019s healthcare system is an example of ______________<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      \r\n \t
    1. socialized medicine<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. private healthcare<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. single-payer private healthcare<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. universal private healthcare<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n
      [reveal-answer q=\"773850\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"773850\"]a[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n
      <\/div>\r\n
      \r\n
      3. What group created the Millennium Development Goals?<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n
      \r\n
      \r\n
        \r\n \t
      1. UNICEF<\/li>\r\n \t
      2. The Kaiser Family Foundation<\/li>\r\n \t
      3. Doctors Without Borders<\/li>\r\n \t
      4. The World Health Organization<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
        \r\n
        [reveal-answer q=\"662574\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"662574\"]d[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n
        \r\n
        <\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"247714\"]Show Glossary[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"247714\"]\r\n
        \r\n \t
        socialized medicine:<\/dt>\r\n \t
        when the government owns and runs the entire healthcare system<\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
        \r\n \t
        universal healthcare:<\/dt>\r\n \t
        a system that guarantees healthcare coverage for everyone<\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n

        Self-Check: Health in the United States and Abroad<\/h2>\r\n

        You\u2019ll have more success on the Self-Check, if you\u2019ve completed all five Readings in this section.<\/span><\/p>\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/1046\r\n\r\n<\/section>

        <\/section>\r\n
        <\/div>","rendered":"

        Healthcare Elsewhere<\/h2>\n

        Clearly, healthcare in the United States has some areas for improvement. But how does it compare to healthcare in other countries? Many people in the United States are fond of saying that this country has the best healthcare in the world, and while it is true that the United States has a higher quality of care available than many peripheral or semi-peripheral nations, it is not necessarily the \u201cbest in the world.\u201d In a report on how U.S. healthcare compares to that of other countries, researchers found that the United States does \u201crelatively well in some areas\u2014such as cancer care\u2014and less well in others\u2014such as mortality from conditions amenable to prevention and treatment\u201d (Docteur and Berenson 2009).<\/p>\n

        One critique of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is that it will create a system of socialized medicine, a term that for many people in the United States has negative connotations lingering from the Cold War era and earlier. Under a socialized medicine<\/span> <\/strong>system, the government owns and runs the system. It employs the doctors, nurses, and other staff, and it owns and runs the hospitals (Klein 2009). The best example of socialized medicine is in Great Britain, where the National Health System (NHS) gives free healthcare to all its residents. And despite some U.S. citizens\u2019 knee-jerk reaction to any healthcare changes that hint of socialism, the United States has one socialized system with the Veterans Health Administration.<\/p>\n

        It is important to distinguish between socialized medicine, in which the government owns the healthcare system, and universal healthcare<\/span><\/strong>, which is simply a system that guarantees healthcare coverage for everyone. Germany, Singapore, and Canada all have universal healthcare. People often look to Canada\u2019s universal healthcare system, Medicare, as a model for the system. In Canada, healthcare is publicly funded and is administered by the separate provincial and territorial governments. However, the care itself comes from private providers. This is the main difference between universal healthcare and socialized medicine. The Canada Health Act of 1970 required that all health insurance plans must be \u201cavailable to all eligible Canadian residents, comprehensive in coverage, accessible, portable among provinces, and publicly administered\u201d (International Health Systems Canada 2010).<\/p>\n

        Heated discussions about socialization of medicine and managed-care options seem frivolous when compared with the issues of healthcare systems in developing or underdeveloped countries. In many countries, per capita income is so low, and governments are so fractured, that healthcare as we know it is virtually non-existent. Care that people in developed countries take for granted\u2014like hospitals, healthcare workers, immunizations, antibiotics and other medications, and even sanitary water for drinking and washing\u2014are unavailable to much of the population. Organizations like Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization have played an important role in helping these countries get their most basic health needs met.<\/p>\n

        \n
        \"A<\/p>\n

        This map shows the countries where malaria is known to occur. In low-income countries, malaria is still a common cause of death. (Photo courtesy of the CDC\/Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

        WHO, which is the health arm of the United Nations, set eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 with the aim of reaching these goals by 2015. Some of the goals deal more broadly with the socioeconomic factors that influence health, but MDGs 4, 5, and 6 all relate specifically to large-scale health concerns, the likes of which most people in the United States will never contemplate. MDG 4 is to reduce child mortality, MDG 5 aims to improve maternal health, and MDG 6 strives to combat HIV\/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The goals may not seem particularly dramatic, but the numbers behind them show how serious they are.<\/p>\n

        For MDG 4, the WHO reports that 2009 infant mortality rates in \u201cchildren under 5 years old in the WHO African Region (127 per 1000 live births) and in low-income countries (117 per 1000 live births) [had dropped], but they were still higher than the 1990 global level of 89 per 1000 live births\u201d (World Health Organization 2011). The fact that these deaths could have been avoided through appropriate medicine and clean drinking water shows the importance of healthcare.<\/p>\n

        Much progress has been made on MDG 5, with maternal deaths decreasing by 34 percent. However, almost all maternal deaths occurred in developing countries, with the African region still experiencing high numbers (World Health Organization 2011).<\/p>\n

        On MDG 6, the WHO is seeing some decreases in per capita incidence rates of malaria, tuberculosis, HIV\/AIDS, and other diseases. However, the decreases are often offset by population increases (World Health Organization 2011). Again, the lowest-income countries, especially in the African region, experience the worst problems with disease. An important component of disease prevention and control is epidemiology<\/span><\/strong>, or the study of the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases. Fear of Ebola contamination, primarily in Western Africa but also to a smaller degree in the United States, became national news in the summer and fall of 2014.<\/p>\n

        \n

        Further Research<\/h3>\n

        Project Mosquito Net says that mosquito nets sprayed with insecticide can reduce childhood malaria deaths by half. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        \n
        \n

        Think It Over<\/h3>\n
        \n
        \n

        Compare and contrast the healthcare system of the United States with the WHO\u2019s Millennium Development Goals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

        \n

        Practice<\/h3>\n
        \n
        \n
        \n
        \n
        1. Which program is an example of socialized medicine?<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n
        \n
        \n
        \n
          \n
        1. Canada\u2019s system<\/li>\n
        2. The United States\u2019 Veterans Health Administration<\/li>\n
        3. The United States\u2019 new system under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act<\/li>\n
        4. Medicaid<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
          \n
          \n
          Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n
          b<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
          <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n
          \n
          \n
          \n

          2. Great Britain\u2019s healthcare system is an example of ______________<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. socialized medicine<\/li>\n
          2. private healthcare<\/li>\n
          3. single-payer private healthcare<\/li>\n
          4. universal private healthcare<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
            \n
            \n
            Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n
            a<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
            <\/div>\n
            \n
            3. What group created the Millennium Development Goals?<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n
            \n
            \n
            \n
              \n
            1. UNICEF<\/li>\n
            2. The Kaiser Family Foundation<\/li>\n
            3. Doctors Without Borders<\/li>\n
            4. The World Health Organization<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n
              d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              Show Glossary<\/span><\/p>\n
              \n
              \n
              socialized medicine:<\/dt>\n
              when the government owns and runs the entire healthcare system<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
              \n
              universal healthcare:<\/dt>\n
              a system that guarantees healthcare coverage for everyone<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

              Self-Check: Health in the United States and Abroad<\/h2>\n

              You\u2019ll have more success on the Self-Check, if you\u2019ve completed all five Readings in this section.<\/span><\/p>\n

              \t