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Healthcare Access and Outcomes U

Compares U.S. healthcare financing and outcomes with other developed countries, highlighting cost barriers, access issues, and the impact of social determinants on population health.

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    Healthcare systems have many similarities in how they deliver patient care around the world. However, the financing and delivery of healthcare in the United States when compared to other advanced and developed countries has notable differences. When discussing the health of a population, social determinants of health are useful indicators and alter how a population's health is perceived. Economic stability, access to quality education and healthcare resources, geographical environment and built neighborhood, and social and community context are all aspects of how a population lives, works, and thrives or struggles. In the United States, access to healthcare is not just based off proximity to facilities, there is also the barrier of cost. The cost of access to healthcare in the United States "includes insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles; out-of-pocket health expenditures not covered by insurance; taxes (Social Security, federal, and state)" (Mason et al., 2021, p.126). Although public insurance through Medicare and Medicaid have created changes in the way the healthcare system in the United States is financed, the system is still largely run through private insurance agencies offered through employee benefits. The introduction of the Affordable Care Act has helped to increase accessibility of healthcare services to the entire population and reduced the possibility of insurance companies terminating coverage for those with preexisting conditions (Mason et al., 2021). However, compared to other emerging countries, there is still a disparity between our advancements and expenditures in the United States versus patient outcomes. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is made up of 36 member countries (OECD, 2024). Aside from the United States, "most developed countries have a health insurance system funded, subsidized, or managed by the national government" (Mason etal, 2021, p.126). According to the OECD, the United States is amongst the higher expenditure countries with higher avoidable mortality, ranking in the lowest grouping for access to healthcare indicated by lower number of those within the population with primary care providers or financial protection (OECD, 2024). "The United States is ranked 28th for life expectancy at birth out of 35 peer countries determined by the OECD" (Mason et al., 2021, p.127). With the lowest number of practicing physicians reducing access to primary care providers its an important step in the United States to push for full unrestricted practice for APNs to increase the number of possible healthcare providers that the population can see. Although technological advancements and usage of diagnostic imaging, pharmaceuticals, telehealth, and other technology is higher in the United States, the country still has outcome disparities like "highest maternal mortality ratio in the industrialized world" (Mason et al., 2021, p.127). References Health at a glance 2019 . OECD iLibrary. (2024). hitps://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues- migration-health/health-at-a-glance-2019_4dd50c09-en Mason, D. J., Dickson, E. L., McLemore, M. R., & Perez, G. A. (2021). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care (8th ed.). Elsevier.

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