Discuss two problems found within the U.S. health care system and discuss how the U.S. health care system compares to countries around the world.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Correct answer varies but can include that there has been a broad consensus that the U.S. system of health care is badly flawed because of high cost and access issues.
In 2017, health-care spending in the U.S. reached $3.5 trillion, almost $10, 739 per person. The U.S. spent almost 17% of its gross domestic product on health care in 2017-the highest percentage among OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries by a considerable margin. The cost is high because people in the U.S. love expensive advanced medical technologies; there's a profit motive instead of a nonprofit structure; there are lobbyists that push back on cost reductions to maintain profits; people in the U.S. have a culture hubris and think they deserve the best; the aging population spends more proportionally than a younger group; and large numbers of well-off people in the U.S. drive up the cost because they will spend any amount to recover from illness.
In spite of the high costs, the U.S. health care system fares poorly in comparison to the health care systems in other countries. Life expectancy in the U.S. is among the lowest of the high-income nations in the world, and infant mortality is among the highest of the high-income nations in the world.