Running Head: HEALTHCARE f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f 1
6-2 Journal: Government Health Care Expenditures
HRM 630
SNHU
HEALTHCARE f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f 2
The U.S. Government spends a considerable amount of money on the health care
system in order to enhance the quality of health care services that are made available to the
general public of the nation. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS), the U.S. health care spending grew 9.7 % in the year 2020 and it reached $ 4.1 trillion
or $ 12,530 per person in the nation. The money that is being spent on the health-related area
has increased to a considerable extent in recent times. As a share of the country’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), the health spending currently accounts for 19.7 % (Historical. CMS,
2021).
The rate at which the U.S. government has been spending on the health care system
needs to be curtailed. At the current rate, the government might not be able to address the other
important needs of the people relating to diverse areas such as housing, poverty, etc. Even
though health is considered to be one of the most important areas that the U.S. government
needs to lay emphasis upon, there also exist other equally important areas that can have a direct
and significant implication on the quality of health of the citizens. For example, it is critical for
the government, to spend proper funds and financial resources in military operations. As the
political situation is highly volatile for the United States of America, it is imperative to keep
aside an adequate number of financial resources to strengthen the military capability of the
nation so that the nation will be prepared to face any kind of contingency situation in the
military front. Similarly, the government also needs to make sure that there is sufficient funds
to meet the needs of the refuges that have entered the country from other nations such as
Afghanistan. It is imperative for the government to strategically allocate the available financial
resources so that all the needs of the people in addition to the health-related needs can be met in
the best way possible.
It is a fundamental necessity to keep a check on the ever-expanding health care costs in
the U.S. so that the government can take proactive measures to focus on the quality of life of
HEALTHCARE f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f 3
the people instead of restricting its vision towards the health aspect alone (Twitter et al., 2022).
In addition to focusing on health spending it is necessary to allocate money towards equally
important areas like employment, security, education, etc. so that the quality of life of the
people can be improved at an integrated level in the United States of America. Instead of
diverting most of the funds towards health care, there is an opportunity to curtail the amount of
money that is spent on the health area. This is because other wealthy nations all across the
globe spend almost half as much per individual on health as compared to the United States of
America (Twitter et al., 2022). Thus, by focusing on other important areas, it will be possible to
promote holistic development at the national level.
HEALTHCARE f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f 4
References
Historical. CMS. (2021). Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.cms.gov/Research-
Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-
Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical
Twitter, E. W., Twitter, E. W., Ortaliza, J., & Twitter, C. C. (2022, January 21). How does
health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries? Peterson-KFF Health System
Tracker. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-
collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries-2/
