Healthcare is a huge topic in today's news. It is the most important thing because it helps people when they are in need and saves their life sometimes. Healthcare has also helped me a lot because I have had many injuries and sicknesses. many parents have paid a lot of money for me to have healthcare and I wanted to learn a little more about our healthcare system. Healthcare is a world wide situation and some countries are in need of a change. Some countries like Canada have tremendous healthcare systems, which the people get free or low cost care. We are very lucky to live in America with all of it's freedom and benefits, although our healthcare system is flaud and in need of a change. Being 1 quarter Italian I thought it would be a good idea to also look into their healthcare system and compare it to where I live now. I really wanted to know how other people that come from the same place my ancestors did live and what they go through to get healthcare.
There are many problems in today's healthcare system and there is a lot of evidence which shows that. Right now there are 47 million people that lack health insurance which is 15% of the population and 16 million who are under insured. The way our healthcare system works is that we pay for health insurance and our employer pays for part of our bills. If we can't afford health insurance then we can't get helped. Our healthcare system is a lot worse than
years past and there are studies that show it is getting worse. The cost for health insurance is escalating and are very high now. Healthcare costs are rising at 5 times the rate of inflation. For an average family in Hawaii the cost of health insurance is $1225 a month, and for an individual it is $400. This is a little lower than other states in the U.S. The reason for these high cost is that the government is spending a ridiculous amount of money on healthcare. The U.S. is the number 1 world healthcare spender. In 1950 the U.S. spent 5% of their national income on healthcare. Since 2005 it has gone up 7.4% and right now it is at 16%, which means we are spending $2 trillion per year. In 2015 the spending for healthcare is estimated to reach $4 trillion which is 20% of our GDP. The U.S. spends 4.3 times more money than they do on national defense. They also spend more on healthcare than food. The U.S. is also 28th in infant morality which shows that we aren't doing a good job in helping children. Medicine also cost more in the U.S. than Canada. Canada sells the same product for less money. Premiums are going up and people have to change their lives because of the costs. Healthcare cost is the number 1 reasons why people file for bankruptcy. Our incomes are growing so we have to pay more. Economist found that healthcare cost is why people are dropping health insurance. The insurance companies and also unfair, because each person they turn down for health insurance they get a commission. This shows that all they care about is money instead of helping other people.Some outcomes of this are that 18,000 die prematurely annually from the lack of health insurance. Also one half of U.S. hospitals have negative financial operating results. Our economy is one of the main problem for this healthcare problem. Americans are more likely to be obese than most other countries. This leads to health problems. We are obese because our economy supplies us with high calorie food which is cheap. Food in America is a lot less healthy than other places. As our healthcare becomes a larger part of the economy, it will become more costly. Our healthcare system is a market based system and it is a restricted one. The system divides us into two groups , insiders and outsiders. The insiders are people who have health insurance and the outsiders are the ones that are under insured or have no insurance at all. People without insurance who have cancer are 70% more likely to die in three years than someone with insurance. That isn't fair and shouldn't happen.
There isn't just negative things to say about our health system. There are actually some positive things about it. We have top notch doctors and very good medical technology. Ev
en though medical technology is a cause to the high prices, it saves many lives and is better than many other countries. We also are 31st in world wide life expectancy, although we should be lower considering we are the U.S. and have many resources. Also since 1940 people with healthcare has gone up which shows progress. Medicaide is also a good program because it allows people who don't have health insurance to have some type of healthcare. There is also a law which the hospitals have to take anybody in no matter what.Italy
Healthcare in Italy is a whole different story. It is very different than the U.S. and works differently. The healthcare system in Italy is a socialized one which is totally funded by the government. The National Heath Service of Italy was created in 1978 which allowed the people of Italy to become part of a national health plan, where the people would receive free or low cost. It is very similar to other European countries as well as Canada's system were the people get free healthcare. The system is the same for medicines and dental work. People can get private healthcare which they then have to pay more for. Italy's healthcare system ranks in the worlds top 10 countries for quality healthcare.
There are however some problems with their system. The hospitals in Italy aren't that great and are overcrowded. It is also very slow and it takes a very long time to get service or appointments. Although nobody is not taken care. The quality of the care has also been said that it is worse than here.
I wanted to get some first hand information on this subject so I asked my friends mom Joan Kaimikaua a couple of questions regarding Healthcare in Italy. She had lived in Italy for a few years and worke for the government.
What is the healthcare system like in Italy?
It is very different than here because it is a socialized medicine. The goverment takes care of the healthcare cost and everyone gets free healthcare. The system is very slow and it takes a long time to be seen.
In your opinion is the healthcare in Italy better than in the U.S.?
There are some good things and bad about both. The quality of the care in Italy is less than here, although it is free but it is kind of slow. Sick leaves are very different in Italy than here. Here you have a certain number of sick leaves that you work up by working your ours. If you use them all up then you could miss work without pay. In Italy you have an unlimited amount of sick leaves as long as your doctors approve you. So you could be sick for a year and still get paid.
Do you have any stories where you learn something new about the healthcare system in Italy?
One time I had to take my son in for a operation and we new someone so we got to go right away instead of waiting for a couple months like the people have to do. It takes long to get your appointments or whatever but if you know someone then you can sort of cut in line.
It is important for me to know how some things work in another country where my ancestors came from, especially healthcare. This project has givin me insight on things I never knew before and how we need to change our healthcare system fast. The prices are getting to high and it seems less people are lacking health insurance. In my opinion I would like to live in Italy rather than here because their healthcare system seems to work better. Even though we have good doctors and technology here, the cost are to high and it isn't fair. We are in need of a change if we as a country are to prosper.
