Healthcare systems: what do we want?

Abstract

The United States does not have a public healthcare system with universal coverage. There are only some programs funded by the government, such as Medicare, for individuals over the age of 65 years, or Medicaid, for low-income individuals. 1-3 Hence, most Americans need to obtain their own healthcare insurance plan, either through their employers or by funding healthcare themselves. 1,2 The present healthcare system is criticized as being expensive and ineffective. In 2007, the United States spent US$ 2.2 trillion on medical care: equivalent to 16.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP). 1 Over the same period, Spain spent 8% of its GDP on healthcare. 2 The inadequacies of the American healthcare system were exposed in a study conducted in 2010, 4,5 in which the present situation in 11 developed nations was compared. This study left the United States poorly placed in relation to others such as Australia, France and the United Kingdom. After consulting 19,700 adults in the United States,