Comparison of U.S./Other Healthcare System

1. WRITE a paper (at least 750 words) comparing and contrasting the healthcare system of your selected country and the United States (U.S.) healthcare system.Choose one (1) country from the following list. These countries ranked high (in the top 20) on the WHO overall healthcare system rankings:

For assistance on searching for information about your selected country, see Module 1 (Term Paper Assignment instructions). For the United States (U.S.) healthcare system and health care reform, use the following references to find information (the references below are in APA format and can be cited in your paper):

•   Chua, K. (2006, February 10). Overview of the U.S. healthcare system. Retrieved from http://www.stritch.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/IPM/ipm3/BPandJ/HealthCareSystemOverview -AMSA%2020062_25_09.pdf
  Article is a little old (2006), but a concise summary of U.S. healthcare system.
•   Shay, P., & Schumacher, E. (2014). U.S. health care delivery: An overview. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University.
  (CLICK on POWERPOINT file: US HEALTH CARE OVERVIEW
  A more recent (2014) PowerPoint presentation, includes tables and statistics on U.S. health.
•   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015, July 17). FastStats: How healthy are we? Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/healthy.htm Up-to-date U.S. health statistics from the CDC.

•   Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2011). Disparities in healthcare quality among racial and ethnic groups: Selected findings from the 2011 National Healthcare Quality and Disparity reports. Retrieved from http://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr10/minority.htmlProvides tables/statistics on inequity/inequality health care issues among U.S. racial/ethnic groups.
•   Jackson, J., & Nolen, J. (2010, March 21). Health care reform summary: A look at what’s in the act. New York: CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/health-care-reform-bill-summary-a-look-at-whats-in-the- bill/or (CLICK on the PDF file: HEALTH CARE REFORM) Provides a concise summary of the Affordable Care Act.

  You MUST use the following major headings to compare the U.S. and your country. To organize the content of your paper for the “comparison” discussions, you MUST use the level heading titles & positions that are found at the end of this module. These level heading titles & positions are in APA format.

  PAPER HEADING: Introduction Selection of country (name of country and reason for choice). See module readings for U.S. health care system information.

  PAPER HEADING: Health Statistics and Costs Discuss the following: 1) life expectancies; 2) mortality rates; 3) major health conditions/diseases; 4) health care expenditure ($) per capita as ratio of total population; and 5) health care expenditure (% of gross domestic product) for U.S. and your selected country. For the U.S., see module readings (Chua; Shay & Schumacher; CDC) or more recent internet sources, if available.

  PAPER HEADING: Health Care Financing Discuss the following: 1) How is health care financed for its citizens—through public sector [taxes] or the private sector [personal or employer] or a combination of both? 2) How are the funds (private & public) collected? 3) If a combination of financing, what are the percentages of private/public? 4) For the U.S., how is the new Affordable Care Act financed? For the U.S., see module readings (Chua; Shay & Schumacher; Jackson & Nolan) or more recent internet sources, if available.

  PAPER HEADING: Health Care Administration Discuss the following: Which national government agencies (major agency and its assisting agencies) a) oversee, b) regulate, and c) service the provision of health care for its citizens (i.e., employed, low income, elderly, uniformed personnel, veterans, native Americans)? For the U.S., see module readings (Phillips; Chua) or more recent internet sources, if available. Describe agency missions/functions/purposes. Be brief: 1-2 sentences for each U.S. agency is sufficient. For your selected country, an example is the Ministry of Health (or itsequivalent) along with its assisting agencies.

  PAPER HEADING: Human Resources Discuss the following: What are the total numbers and/or number (per 100,000 population) of 1) nurses; 2) physicians; and 3) hospitals/hospital beds for U.S. and your selected country? For the U.S., see module readings (Chua) or more recent internet sources, if available.

  PAPER HEADING: Conclusion: Access and Equity Issues Discuss the following: 1) Does the country have citizens/populations who are uninsured, underinsured, and/or experience health disparities? 2) Which citizens or populations (i.e, ethnic, income, and/or immigrant groups) in the U.S. and your selected country? For the U.S., see module readings (AHRQ) or more recent internet resources, if available.

  5) See below for how to format the headings. Headings levels are important in a professional paper because they provide organization and progression for the reader. APA format standardizes levels/positions, although heading levels may differ somewhat according to the type of paper and discussion. Use the APA-formatted heading levels below to differentiate your countries and include a short comparison discussion.