The Problems of Healthcare in America
It’s no secret that many Americans are less than satisfied with the current healthcare system. A recent Public Agenda study has shown that only 7 percent of our citizens have any kind of faith in the system as it exists. Even across party lines, 6 out 10 Americans feel that healthcare is due for an overhaul.
As a result, more people than ever are clamoring for change. Recent studies have pointed to a number of critical areas where improvement is sorely needed. These are the areas of concern that have proven to be the most resistant to change. However, steps are being taken to address, and ultimately improve, these issues.
Quality of Care Issues Are Becoming Acute
One of the biggest sources of concern has been the piling up of a number of very serious quality of care issues. The cost of healthcare has gone through the roof, making it all but unobtainable for a worrying number of people. At the very same time, issues with the quality of this care have come to the surface.
This creates a condition that is unacceptable to the vast majority of citizens. As a result, medical errors are coming under scrutiny in a way that is more critical than ever. A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins has found that medical errors accounted for the deaths of 250,000 Americans on a yearly basis.
In fact, the prevalence of medical errors has become so acute that they now account for the 3rd leading cause of death. Errors make up 10 percent of all fatalities, ranking this cause just behind heart attack and cancer. This is a state of affairs that obviously cannot be allowed to continue as the status quo.
Medical Costs Are Rising Out of Control
The other very obvious elephant in the room is the continual rise of medical costs. The cost of healthcare as a whole has been vastly inflated by rising production costs as well as the cost of research. On top of this, many pharma companies have enjoyed a major rise in profits at the expense of patients.
Many experts in the industry have proposed a number of solutions that can be taken advantage of to level the playing field for the average consumer. However, all of these schemes tend to hinge on the fact that the cost of healthcare needs to first be reduced. This is the stumbling block most solutions founder upon.
New Technology Can Help to Defray Costs
As in the case of many other chronic issues in the world, the rise of new technology is helping to provide solutions. One of the most promising paths out of the cycle of ever increasing cost is the continual development of new medical procedures. Access to these new methods can help to reduce medical costs.
For example, surgical procedures have seen some reduction in price due to the introduction of new tech. This includes crucial areas such as heart surgery. The hope is that the availability of new tech and improved medical methods can help to keep costs at a reasonable level.
It is also hoped that new and incoming methods of medical research, carried out a much more efficient level, will reduce the total number of medical errors that are committed. New types of software and medical tech are emerging to help solve this problem.
In the end, the problems that face Americans as they age and enter hospital care are varied and complex. The search for new solutions to improve the level and cost of medical care is still ongoing.
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