Question

Compare health and disease disparities between the American population and people in other countries.

Answer 1

Health and disease disparities between the American population and people in other countries

Health disparity refers to the difference in the health status of different people based on different factors like race,ethnicity,income,gender,geographical location etc. In other words, health disparity refers to a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one group when compared to another. Health disparities can be measured by checking the  differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, burden of disease, and other adverse health conditions persisting in a particular region.

• A 2015 Commonwealth Fund brief showed that, before the introduction of the Patient protection and Affordable Care Act (also called as Obamacare) in 2010 , the United States had worse outcomes and spent more on health care related services, mainly due to increased use of medical technology and high cost, compared to other high-income countries.
• The united states have a higher burden of chronic diseases which is almost double the average rate in other OECD countries. Lesser life expectancy and unfavorable health outcomes may be a reason for it. One fouth or more of the adult population in the U.S. reports to be diagnosed with two or more chronic conditions like diabetes mellitus, asthma, hypertension or heart problems in their lifetime, while it is less than 22 percent in other countries.
• The obesity rates in the U.S is also the highest when compared to other countries, that is the main risk factor for occurance of chronic diseases.
• The U.S. spends almost twice more on health care from their economy when compared to other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, but still  have the lowest life expectancy and highest suicide rates.In 2018, 16.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) was spent on health care by the United States.The second highest ranking country is Switzerland who spent 12.2 percent.
• Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 78.6 years in 2017 which is five years lower than Switzerland, which has the longest lifespan. In the United States life expectancy conceals racial and ethnic differences. For example average life expectancy of a non-Hispanic black American is 75.3 years, which is 3.5 years lower than for non-Hispanic white, whose life expectancy is 78.8 years.
• Technologies involved in health care like radiation procedures involving MRIs,CT scans and specialized procedures including hip replacement surgeries are costlier in US than other countries.
• Americans had lesser consultations with their  physicians compared to other countries, that may be related to a lower count of physicians available in the United States. Visit to a physician by an American is at half the rate as the Germans and the Dutchs do. New Zealand, Switzerland, and Norway, has the same rates as U.S in this matter.  Their rates are higher than that in Sweden.
• The United States has the highest number of hospitalizations due to disaeses that are preventable like diabetes and hypertension and the highest rate of avoidable mortalities.
• The preventive strategies employed in the U.S is higher when compared to other countries. For example it has the highest breast cancer screening rates among womens between 50 to 69 years. Also, the second highest rate of flu vaccinations among people of 65 years and above,first place is for the U.K..

Finally to conclude, the United States spends more money on health care than any other country, but the results are not comparable with other peer nations whose performance is better in this field. Health outcomes are poor including low life expectancy and high suicide rates, incresed burden of chronic diseases, expensive treatment strategies compared to other countries. The outcomes can still be made better with the following suggestions:

• Making the heath care services more affordable by reducing the cost of such services.
• Focussing more on preventive stragies for common disease conditions.
• Adressing the risk factors to prevent the occurance of diseases.
• Motivating the public for utilising health care services,encouraging for regular health check ups and follow ups.