Health Care Delivery System
A Comparison of Health Care Delivery Systems: United States versus South Korea
Excelsior College
Abstract
The United States and South Korea have very different health care delivery systems. The United States currently operates under mostly private sector insurance programs stemming from employer-based policies while South Korea provides universal health care coverage to all of its citizens. The United States is currently transitioning their health care system to provide coverage for all. It took South Korea only 12 years to implement universal health care where it has taken the United States several decades. There is no health care system that runs perfectly. Both the United States and South Korea each have challenges they face within …show more content…
72) There are many mechanisms that determine whether health care services are utilized more or less. According to the CDC, primary preventive measures and the use of antibiotic therapy have lowered the need for health care services, whereas the growing elderly population and growing chronic illnesses such as diabetes has increased the need for health care services. (pg. 13) One issue that occurs with the current health care delivery system in the United States is, those who need to seek treatment choose not to because they are uninsured or underinsured and cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs. According to the Institute of Medicine, health insurance improves health outcomes, and health may be negatively affected for all individuals living in a community with large numbers of uninsured members (IOM, 2009) In South Korea, when a person does not seek out medical treatment, it is normally a cultural issue and not a financial issue. For example, mental illnesses such as depression are seen as a weakness in the South Korean culture. There is a stigma attached and many will not seek the medical help they need for this
Excelsior College
Abstract
The United States and South Korea have very different health care delivery systems. The United States currently operates under mostly private sector insurance programs stemming from employer-based policies while South Korea provides universal health care coverage to all of its citizens. The United States is currently transitioning their health care system to provide coverage for all. It took South Korea only 12 years to implement universal health care where it has taken the United States several decades. There is no health care system that runs perfectly. Both the United States and South Korea each have challenges they face within …show more content…
72) There are many mechanisms that determine whether health care services are utilized more or less. According to the CDC, primary preventive measures and the use of antibiotic therapy have lowered the need for health care services, whereas the growing elderly population and growing chronic illnesses such as diabetes has increased the need for health care services. (pg. 13) One issue that occurs with the current health care delivery system in the United States is, those who need to seek treatment choose not to because they are uninsured or underinsured and cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs. According to the Institute of Medicine, health insurance improves health outcomes, and health may be negatively affected for all individuals living in a community with large numbers of uninsured members (IOM, 2009) In South Korea, when a person does not seek out medical treatment, it is normally a cultural issue and not a financial issue. For example, mental illnesses such as depression are seen as a weakness in the South Korean culture. There is a stigma attached and many will not seek the medical help they need for this