Kimberley,
An argument can be made that the innovations in healthcare that are pioneered in the
United States are a direct result of the free-market system and consumerism in the United States
health care system. Clinicians, physicians, and health care workers feel more pressure to provide
patients with better services because of the rise in consumerism in health care (Shrank, 2017).
This pressure felt throughout healthcare settings leads to innovation. Patients can shop around
for other doctors to treat their infirmities because of the way our healthcare system is designed.
This ability that is unique to the United States pushes clinicians, physicians, and health care
workers to provide better services by creating new and better treatments. If we were to compare
the amount of healthcare innovation in the United States to a country with a state-run healthcare
system such as Canada, we would find that the United States is leagues ahead of these other
countries (Alami & Dixon, 2020).
Because of increases in premium prices, deductibles, out of pocket expenses, and co-pays
patients are now looking to take more responsibility in their healthcare decisions. This has also
led employers to re-evaluate the healthcare benefits that they are providing to their employees
(Pfeifer, 2019). The patients also help clinicians, physicians, healthcare workers, and researchers
ask the question “what is appropriate for the patient” rather than just imagining what is possible
and trying to make that a reality (Shi & Singh, 2019). It is decision making abilities like this that
helps to increase the knowledge and effectiveness of medicine in the United States.
A free-market health system will always be better than a state-run, or universal healthcare
system. It helps to promote free thinking and innovation as I have shown in the preceding
words. Healing the hearts, souls, and bodies of people was a huge part of the ministry of Jesus
Christ. In fact, Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse
lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay” (English Standard
Version Bible, 2001, Matthew 10:8). The hardest part of universal healthcare in the United States
will always be the cost. As a Christian, and healthcare provider, I find that if I want to carry and
spread the word of Jesus Christ, I should follow these words that were preached. As an ethical
healthcare worker, it’s obvious that I should adhere to the first part of this scripture. It is the
second part, the giving without pay that I will never be able to institute. It is unfortunate, but
nothing in this world is free. Operating costs of healthcare have to be passed to insurance
companies and patients; this is just the way it is.
Work Cited
Alami, I., & Dixon, A. D. (2020). The strange geographies of the ‘new’ state capitalism. Political
Geography, 82, 102237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2020.102237
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Matthew 10:8 ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
Pfeifer, B. D. (2019). Healthcare consumerism and its impact on Rural Health. Frontiers of
Health Services Management, 36(2), 33–36.
https://doi.org/10.1097/hap.0000000000000072
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2019). Essentials of the U.S. health care system (5th ed.). Jones and
Bartlett Publishers.
Shrank, W. H. (2017). Primary care practice transformation and the rise of consumerism. Journal
of General Internal Medicine, 32(4), 387–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3946-1
