The US healthcare systems and Italy

Introduction

Providing high-quality health care to all citizens at a reasonable cost should be a simple task; however, it is not. There is a host of complex and competing issues involves and also special interests that are working to preserve the status quo. We have about 200 countries on the planet, and each country device its' set of arrangements in meeting the basic goals of a healthcare system that includes treating the sick, keeping people healthy, and protecting families from financial ruin from the medical bills. In this report, we focus on the healthcare system in the US and Italy.

Brief history

The US is one of the world’s most powerful nation states and since the end of World War II; the economy has been achieving relatively steady growth, with rapid advances in technology, and low unemployment and inflation.  As of July 2014, the country had a population of 318,892,103 with a birth rate of 13.42 births per 1000 population and 8.15 deaths per 1000 population (Index Mundi, 2014). The life expectancy at birth is 79.56 with 77.11 years for male and 81.94 years for a female. The infant mortality rate is a total of 6.17 deaths per 1000 live births. Based on estimates on 2007, the ethnic groups include 79.96% whites, 12.85% white, 4.43% Asian, 0.97% Amerindian and Alaska native, and 0.18% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (Index Mundi, 2014). The common religion include Protestants which account for 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jewish 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Muslim 0.6% and unaffiliated 12.1%. The most spoken language in the US is English followed by Spanish, indo-European, and Asian and Pacific Island. The literacy rate includes people of age 15 and above who can read and write, which is a total population of 99%.

Italy has a population of61, 680,122 with the median age being 43.3 years for male and 45.6 years for a female. The population growth rate is 0.3% with a birth rate of 8.84 births per 1000 population and death rate of 10.1 death/1000 population (Index Mundi, 2014). The infant mortality rate is 3.31 deaths per 1000 live births, and life expectancy at birth is male 79.7 years and 84.82 years for a female. The ethnic group is Italian that includes a small cluster of French, German, and Slovene-Italians in the North and Albania-Italians. The country includes 80% Christians and Muslims, atheists, and agnostic making 20%. Italian is the official language, but there is also German, French, and Slovene-speaking minorities. Italy has a literacy rate of 99%.

History of health care system

In the US, it tends not to have a purposeful system for healthcare. The central element in the country is the financial arrangement made that pays for health care services through employer-purchased insurance. Patients in the country have the right of choosing any physicians and physician are free to practice how and where they like. The new managed care plans tend to restrict both of these choices. The market incentives encourage the development of high-tech treatments and new drugs (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). The group health insurance purchased by employees started during the World War II when the wage freezes caused employers to offer benefits as a means of competing for workers. For uninsured, the government normally pays for health care through the military, veteran administration, Native Americans, Medicaid, Medicare, and other programs. It causes great complexity, as all these plans follow different underwriting, benefits, eligibility, and reimbursement policies.

Italy tends to rank among the World Health Organization’s top ten countries for quality health services, and it has a compulsory state funded healthcare. However, although the medical facilities are adequate for any emergencies, there are some public hospitals that are under-funded and overcrowded. The medical staff in Italy is well-trained, and healthcare is available to all citizens and registered long-term residents. Private healthcare in the country is also widely available, and all employed citizens and their employers normally contribute to the system. Servizio Sanitario Nazionale oversees the health services in the country, and law entitles all citizens, to have equal access to healthcare (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013).

Description of current health cares system

Italy and the US are both wealthy and developed countries; however, they have different approaches to health care. Italy tends to have a public-based system supported by the tax income and also flourishing private insurance market. In the US, public coverage is limited to Medicare and private sector is the major provider of health coverage to citizens.

In Italy, depending on the region, the public funds are normally allocated by local health units to the public and accredited private hospitals. In 2012, Italy did have 3.4 hospital beds per 1000 people with 80% dedicated to acute care. Italy has the number of nurses at 6.3 per 1000 people, and the ratio of nurses to doctors is 1:1. In the US, there are 2.9 acute care beds per 1000 people (Miller, 2011). In America, there are 920,000 physicians who are a ratio of 10 nurses to 3 physicians.

Italy tends to have a national health plan Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) that offers hospital and medical benefits (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Italy considers health care a right and the national health plan offer for all Italian citizens and resident. With Servizio sanitario Nazionale, most care is low-cost or free that include consults with the general physical, lab work, hospital visits, and medication. In Italy, corporations and citizens tend to pay around 50% income tax. The income tax is calculated on citizen’s income, but the taxation in the country is among the heaviest in Europe (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). SSN receives funding from the central government through the Imposta Regional Sulle Attivita Produttive tax paid by employers on behalf of employees (Miller, 2011). Self-employed tend to pay for themselves through their taxes.

In the US, there is group insurance purchased by employers. However, for some uninsured, the government tends to pay for health through Medicare and Medicaid. The Medicare is normally paid through two trust funds accounts help by US Treasury (Rushefsky & Patel 2014). The Hospital Insurance trust fund normally funded by payroll taxes paid by employers, employees, and self-employed people. For the supplementary medical insurance trust fund, funding is through premiums from people enrolled in Medicare part B and Medicare prescription drug coverage.

When considering the quality of care, Italy tends to have the most efficient healthcare system in the world, and the quality is getting better and better from year to year. In measuring the quality of care, it is clear that Italy tends to have a high quality as compared to the US. The infant mortality rate can health measure quality with Italy having 3.38 deaths per 100 live births and US has 6.06 deaths per 1000 live births. The quality of health care system in Italy is 68.02 for Italy and 45.81 for the US with Italy ranking 20th, and the US ranked 41 (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013).

When comparing the satisfaction with the health care, it is clear that patients in Italy have high satisfaction in health care offered than Americans. The mortality rate in the US is very high when compared to Italy, which indicates poor quality health care services in US (Rushefsky & Patel 2014). When compared to Italy, US do not have a comprehensive national health care system, and it does not have any legislation in place that defines the rights of citizens to health care. In US healthcare is not a right, but a business while Italy considers health as a fundamental right to an individual.

Conclusion

When comparing Italy and US, the total health care spending in the US is 18% of GDP, which is double that of Italy. It is the time that the US should consider using Italy system. Not everything that Italy is doing should apply in America. However, US should consider seeing healthcare as a right rather than a business. America should say sure that it makes health care system free to everyone. The US should have a system that balances individual rights against collective interests. When health care is free to everyone and the costs funded by the government, it will help ensure improved services, quality and also reduce costs in the US system. The US is a country with the most advanced medical technology; thus, with free medical care, it will be possible for the country to offer satisfaction to patients and improve care quality. For the country to be able to adapt the system, it will encounter an obstacle of funding as it will mean that the US will incur more debts so as to fund the health care system.

Reference

Index Mundi (2014). Italy demographics profile 2014. 

Index Mundi (2014). United States demographics profile 2014. Retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/united_states/demographics_profile.html 

Miller, T (2011). Dream of a Nation: Inspiring ideas for a better America. SEE Innovation

Rushefsky, M & Patel, K (2014). Healthcare politics and policy in America. Routledge Publishing

The Commonwealth Fund (2013). International profiles of health care systems, 2013. The Commonwealth Fund 

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in research paper services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for professional research proposal writing services.