Foundation 1
Foundation of U.S Health Care Delivery
Kaisha Depusoir
Liberty University School of Business
Author Note
No notes to discuss.
Email: Kdepusoir@liberty.edu
Foundation
The United States Health Care
What purpose does an understanding of the history of health care delivery serve?
The development of modern medical science has inspired all improvements in the health
care system in the United States, and that has affected the basic training and education of health
care professionals (Helms, 2000). Therefore, awareness of the history of health care is crucial for
understanding the main characteristics of the health care delivery system. The health care system
is complex and has three major concepts of healthcare delivery: primary, secondary, and tertiary
prevention (Shi & Singh,2015). These significant concepts focus on different areas of health in
the health care system and coordinate with one another.
It is essential to understand the history of the expansion of the United States healthcare
system. There are four major parts of healthcare: the history of medical education, the history of
public health, the growth of the hospital system, and the history of health insurance. In the early
history of medical education, medical schools only needed four physicians and a legal authority
to confer degrees. Physicians got paid directly from students and operated the school-based of
that. The hospital system at first was almshouses or poorhouses to serve the poverty-stricken.
Those who were wealthy did not want to go to the hospital because the providers there were not
skilled. The first health insurance was hospital insurance, and hospitals are the foundation of our
healthcare system. With the need for society's health increasing, the expansion of medical
facilities also increased. Government Officials eventually started being involved in healthcare,
and physicians were worried government health departments could regulate how they practiced
medicine, which would affect their income. This created public and private health practices,
leading to health insurance. It is essential as a United States citizen to understand the history of
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the United States. health care delivery system, how it works today, which contributes to the
system, and what problems continue to trouble the system. (Jones&Bartlett).
Which factors have been predominant in shaping the United States Health Care?
Cultural values, technological advances, economic constraints, politics, and social
changes helped shape the United States Health Care (Shi & Singh, 2015). The United States
government has protected the health care system. However, social and political forces have led to
different compromises. Examples are Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare and Medicaid assist
people who cannot afford medical care. Training for health care professionals is being reviewed
more carefully, and hospitals continue to evolve.
Conclusion
The history of the American healthcare system is truly messy and complex as its
extensive different regulations for the public and private health care industry. 1 Corinthians 3:16
states we should know that we are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in our midst (NIV). It is
essential to treat and take care of ourselves, and accessible health care, such as Medicare, helps
one do that. Understanding the history of health care delivery increases our chances of moving
forward and making the system better.
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References
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of health confidence in rural, suburban and urban areas in the U.K. and the USA: a
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Helms, R. (2000), The Changing United States Health Care System: The Effect of Competition
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Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public in the 21st Century.
The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century. Washington (DC): National
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Kingsley, T. (2014). Diagnosing the current problems of the united states health care system
requires examining the history of health reform. Kennedy School Review, 14, 63.
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Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2015). Essentials of the U.S. health care system — with access (4th ed.).
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN: 9781284156720.
The Holy Bible, New International Version : containing the Old Testament and the New
Testament. (1984). International Bible Society. (Original work published 1973)
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