Posted By Claire

Compare to other developed nation's health care systems, it is obvious that U.S. systems is a market-based system. Without government regulations on costs, the price for treatment and delivery of health care is very high. The outcome is paid by its own citizens going bankrupt every year on health care systems alone.
Besides government's regulations, why is the cost so high? The cost is largely incorporated in admistrative costs, such as paper work and the time to process each patient's record.

U.S. government originally thought market-based industry will help reduce the price, like the phone or cell-phone industries. In reality, the health care industry is more complicated than it was once thought.

In contrary, market-based industry is good for some reasons. It allows health care providers to compete for better services. Hospitals can come up with their own strategies to reduce waiting time, increase customer services, and other health promoting programs. Kaiser Permanente has developed an electronic system that reduces paper work and yet allow doctors to view patient's record/ doctor visits accurately without going through questionnaire.

Overall, comparing U.S. health care systems to others, it is weak in providing effective and sufficent health care to citizens. Without U.S. govenment intervention on regulation of the price and changing the health policy, we citizens will continue paying the price.