UNIT 5 DISCUSSION BOARD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

UNIT 5 DISCUSSION BOARD - Essay Example Healthcare in the United States of America is managed through the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), which organizes health plans outside of that which is provided through the insurance companies. There are different plans that through which HMOs make healthcare available. The total estimated cost of healthcare in the USA during 2004 was $1.9 trillion, which was equivalent to 16% of the GDP, making the USA the largest spending country on healthcare. Many of the employees on the payrolls of companies have healthcare plans that are taken care of by the companies themselves. This has given a false impression that the vast amount of money spent on healthcare is rooted in the private sector. This is far from true, and nearly half the money that is spent on healthcare comes from government coffers. The reason for this is that a large portion of the healthcare is paid for by employer-based insurance, but this is tax subsidized. In essence the government pays part of the healthcare bills of employees in private companies that are receiving healthcare plans through their employers. The soaring medical costs are causing private employers to cut back on wage increases to their employees in an effort to find the means to meet the growing healthcare bill, leading to dissatisfaction. In short the main issue of the healthcare implementation is the scarcity of funds. This situation is hardly going to change with the Government unwilling to consider tax reforms. Therefore managed care has to look after soaring medical bills with a paucity of funds. In such a situation the dissemination of healthcare to all segments of the population becomes difficult, and as usual it is the weaker segments of society that feel the pinch of inadequate healthcare provisions. (Americas health-care crisis: Desperate measures). The American healthcare system is an umbrella organization. The World Health Organization (WHO) has in its recommendations