Good Book Review About Looking At Out-Of-Pocket Model

Summary

The book “The Healing of America”, was written by T.R. Reid, published by Phillip Longman on September 20, 2009 and then was reprinted on August 31, 2010. The book is all about a Global Quest for Better, Cheap, and Fairer Health Care.
In his latest book, T.R Reid has done a service to his nation by showing how uninformed this conventional wisdom is. Considering his experience and research, the book is readable and informative. T.R Reid visited a lot of industrial democracies all over the world. The places he visited include Britain, Japan, France, Germany, France and many others. With new updated statistics and a plain English explanation of the 2010 health care reform bill, this book can be read by all those hoping to understand the state health care in the country and all over the world. By the use of his studies, T.R Reid acknowledges that the health systems in the countries he visited have their own problems that need to be solved. Reid admits that none has figured out how to solve the world long-term trend towards higher costs as populations’ age, epidemic of chronic illness is caused by the spread of Western lifestyle and the diet as expensive new medical technologies become available. In the book, Reid illustrates to us how other developed nations put together universal coverage and the government guidelines with entrepreneurialism and respect for market forces to produce high quality and low-cost health care. Reid sees the heath care issues as a normal question to which will response by technologically developed countries must be considered. This must be done by creating effective and affordable systems.
In page 19 of “The Healing of America”, the Author uses four models to explain about this issue of medical care. The four models used include: the Bismarck model whereby in both health care providers and payers are private, the Bismarck type health insurance tend to be private in Bismarck countries. The Beveridge model, where the health care is provided and financed by the government, through paying taxes. The government employs most of the doctors. Hospitals and Doctors in the countries using this model tend to be private. For instance, Japan has got private hospitals than in the US. In Germany, there are about 240 different funds. According to Reid, this model is Available in France, Germany, Belgium, Latin America, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Japan. The National Health Insurance (NHI) model, this where the providers are private though everyone pays into the government-run insurance program, this system has both the elements of Beveridge and Bismarck. Here there is no financial motive since there is no marketing. The universal insurance programs tend to be cheaper. The fourth one being the Out-of-Pocket model, this is where the patient pays with no help from the government or the insurance.

T.R Reid, states that it is high time for America to change its way of providing medical care to its citizens. According to his research, the out of pocket model provides poor medical care to the people of America. Considering the technology that America has, it should improve the medical services to its people in order to be like other countries that are technologically endured. The Author explores health care systems around the world with the aim of trying to understand why the US refuses universal care. US is the only remaining first world nation to refuse this kind of health care. Reid found out that, US was not concern for the health care of their citizens. Reid’s findings show that US spends a lot of many on health care as compared to another well-off nations. It is ironical that, despite the huge spending, the US leaves more than 45 million residents unsecured. This led to the allowing of around 22,000 to die from diseases that would have been treated easily.
The thesis statement that Reid used says that the US health care system can and must learn and adapt ideas from other health care systems. This thesis consists of four ideas. The first one is about the US medical care. This looks at the conditions of the medical services in the US. The second idea is that the US can learn the ideas of other health systems in the world. This shows that, it must learn those ideas in order to improve its medical systems. The third idea is about adapting to the medical care systems of the other developed countries. This depicts that, after learning, it must adapt to them hence improving the health care system in the country. The last idea is about the health care systems of the other developed countries in the world. This tries to explain how good are the health care systems of the other countries as compared to the healthcare system of the US.
According to my suggestions, the out pocket model is not the best model in terms of health care services in the United States. This because, the citizens suffer a lot when they are sick since they cannot afford the health care services. The United States government should shift to other models, for instance, the Bismarck model, The Beveridge model, and the National Health Insurance model. This will help many dying people because of failure to pay the health care services by themselves. The best model so far is the National Health Insurance since it combines the Bismarck and Beveridge models. This where the health care providers are private but the payer is the government- run insurance program where everyone pays into.
In his introduction to us about the health care in other countries, Reid uses a clever ploy. When Mr. Reid had a shoulder injury that had happened many years, he visited various countries to seek medical attention as well as an investigative reporter. In the U.S.A, the doctor recommended him for a shoulder replacement, which was rather very expensive and dangerous. The recommendations he received from different doctors across the world and the appointments helped him to compare the health services of that country and that of United States. He noted that those countries used different and favorable health care service systems to their citizens. This helped him to make some conclusions about the health care system of the U.S. the approach he uses allows him to interleave the estimated statistics and facts with the personal stories of the citizens of those various countries and the health care providers.
This title of the model, the out-of-pocket suggests that, for one to receive medical attention, he or she must pay the bills from his or her pocket. Failure to do so, he or she will not receive the attention of the doctors. This means that in the countries where the out of pocket model is applicable, no government assistance in terms of medical care. There is no medical insurance in those countries. This makes the people in those countries to live a miserable life more especially the poor. The government of U.S must use its resources for the benefit of its citizens. It must migrate from the out pocket and insure the miserable Americans. This is what is done by other countries across the world which are already developed. United States is also developed thus should copy the example of those developed countries in terms of health care services.
The intentions of the author of the scope of the model the out-of-pocket was to address the miserable lives the people of America pass through in terms of health care. Despite the fact that America is technologically endured, most of its citizens are unable to get good medical attention as compared to other developed countries in the world. The Author is trying to be against this model by saying that it is not suitable for the Americans. He is suggesting other models like the National Health Insurance where the citizens are helped by the insurance companies and the government to get their medical attention. The limitation of this model is that, it is not suitable for the poor in that they will not afford to pay for their medical services. Therefore, they need help from the government ad insurance companies.
The out of pocket model is that type of model that is followed by many of the poor countries. In this model, there is no wide public or private health insurance systems. Here people pay for the medical services they receive from the pockets hence the name the out of pocket model. This leaves many poor people without the required health care. In America, people have a short life expectancy and high infant mortality rates because of this kind of the medical system. Reid provides his field experience with this system in India and a summary of the ancient medical system of Ayurveda.
As per Reid’s research, the out of the pocket model is found in the majority of the world. It is commonly used in too poor countries or disorganized countries to facilitate the available kinds of national health care system. Reid traveled to India to do research on this model. In these countries that Reid studied, he found that those have got money and can pay for health care, they get it. During his research in Africa, South America, China and India, different individuals spend their entire lives without visiting a health physician. They consider visiting a non-professional operating in their homes-turned hospitals, their therapies are ineffective. From his research in the United States, Reid found the limitations of the current US system. Most of the Americans have some of the health-related outcomes of industrialized nations. From his experience in the field, Reid concluded that the best system is the one that covers health care for all. Therefore, the government should insure the uninsured citizens. It was known from the research of Reid that, many people die from minor diseases that are treatable. Since they are poor, and they cannot afford the health care bills, they die miserably. Reid says that the technologies available in the United States are enough to ensure that the citizen are provided with good health care services. The government must take the concern for the health care of the citizen.
According to the Author, in the United States, for Americans without health insurance experience the health care world of the poor in numerous underdeveloped nation. These people are left with no health care simply because the medical facilities are very expensive for the to afford. Around 15% of the US population who do not have health protection insurance cover, also those in Cambodia which is a city in America, and Sudan or in Indian local areas population. The Author illustrates that, when an individual have a Doctor available in their proximity can benefit from not being pressurized to pay the bill explained in this section. Therefore, there is no excuse for the US to possess any form of out of pocket system. In the book, the Author says that, unlike other countries in the world, US maintains a lot of dinstinct establishments for all social classes in the in the country.

Works Cited

T.R. Reid’s. The Healing of America. London: Longman Publishers. 2009. Print