Discussion of Healthcare and Healthcare Agenda

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Discussion of Healthcare and Healthcare Agenda

I think that the U.S. is ill-prepared for COVID-19 and its effects. As a country, the U.S. has recorded the most COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide. While critics may point to the fact that the U.S. is a group of many states with a huge population to defend the huge total number of cases, it is important to consider that other developed countries and emerging economies with bigger populations, such as India, have had significantly lower COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita. Nationally, there were more than 10m cases in the U.S. by November 6, including more than 242,000 deaths (Worldometer, 2020). The key change that the U.S. needs to make to combat the disease relates to its leadership effectiveness. I think that the U.S. has suffered from a political unwillingness to enforce science-based measures to control the disease and its spread effectively. The country’s leadership needs to accept and enforce these measures to confront and control the disease effectively.

The future of care in the U.S. is dependent on the outcome of the U.S. election on November 3. The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, and his party have constantly expressed opposition to the Affordable Care Act, which extended health insurance coverage to a broader scope of the U.S. population. A Republican win is likely to result in continued efforts to undermine the act and hence limit the availability and affordability of healthcare insurance for a significant part of the U.S. population. On the other hand, the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, was a part of the administration that promoted and enforced the legislation, such that he is likely to strengthen its effect of more affordable and quality care for more of the U.S. population.

In the next four years, I think that the focus of the president-elect in disease control and healthcare reform should be on the effort to lower the costs of healthcare for the aged, minorities, and other disadvantaged groups of the U.S. population. Healthcare costs represent an important factor in the efforts of the U.S., as a society, to eliminate health disparities and inequities in its population, and hence promote public health. In the long term, the U.S. should build its healthcare system towards universal healthcare coverage (UHC). Health insurance is vital in improving the use or receipt of appropriate healthcare because of its role in increasing individuals’ access to a regular source of care. Stable health insurance coverage establishes and preserves individuals’ access to an effective and regular source of care over time (Wallace & Sommers, 2016). The effectiveness of programs and plans of healthcare insurance that facilitate a regular and uninterrupted (continuing) care relationship for individuals should be a critical area of focus in public health. UHC is essential to enable all citizens, irrespective of socioeconomic, community, or other differences, to receive health services that meet their needs effectively without suffering financial hardship.

Concerning COVID-19, the U.S. can learn from other countries in terms of the value of competent and effective leadership in confronting and controlling the spread of infectious diseases. Other countries have illustrated the positive impact of accepting and adhering to science-backed measures, such as the enforcement of social distancing and the wearing of face masks in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Adherence to evidence-based measures is essential for communities to promote the health and wellbeing of their members effectively.

The effort to rebuild the global public health system in the long-term should involve heavy cooperation and collaborations among the world’s governments and societies. The “global village” concept illustrates the interconnectedness of the world’s societies, such that events and outcomes in one of them have significant consequences on others and the whole world. In this context, the world's countries have to cooperate and adopt a united front through global health agencies, such as the World Health Organization, to confront and address health emergencies and concerns effectively.

References

“United States Coronavirus cases”. Worldometer. Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Wallace, J., & Sommers, B. (2016). Health Insurance Effects on Preventive Care and Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 50(1): 27-33.