A health care system is a complex network of individuals and institutions whose goal is to provide medical services and support to people with health problems. It includes doctors, hospitals, and other clinics, as well as pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and insurance providers. Some countries have national systems that make health care available to all citizens, while others have private systems, which are run by businesses or nonprofit organizations. In many countries, government agencies regulate the price and quality of health care.
Concerns about rapidly escalating health care costs have been a major factor in recent political debate. They threaten the solvency of federal, state and local governments, the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and the financial security of tens of millions of Americans. They also contribute to the growing number of uninsured and under-insured, and may undermine the quality of life for those who do have coverage.
There are a variety of proposals to control health care costs, and they differ significantly in how they would accomplish this goal. The main differences are whether they rely on the private sector or government to provide health insurance coverage; how they deal with issues such as cost containment, financing and governance structures; and their degree of universality and mandatoryness. Moreover, within the two major parties, there are substantial differences on these issues.
The most common way for consumers to obtain health care is through private insurance provided by employers or purchased directly by individual consumers. There are also some public programs that provide health insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Consumers can purchase plans with various coverage tiers to fit their specific needs and budget. For example, some plans allow consumers to choose among primary care providers and to select from a variety of specialists.
Historically, growth in health care spending has been much faster than that of the overall economy. In the early 1980s, for example, spending on hospital and physician services grew at about 15 percent a year, compared to about 7 percent for all personal consumption. This trend continued into the 1990s.
One of the reasons for this growth is that, despite increasing efficiency in hospitals and in medical practice, demand for health care has grown as a result of technological advances in medicine and increasing awareness of the benefits of good health habits. Other factors include the increase in the older population and the growing number of Americans with chronic health conditions.
In addition, the availability of health care often depends on a number of sociocultural and logistical factors. For example, people who lack access to affordable transportation can face barriers in seeking needed health care services. They can also have difficulty communicating with their health care professionals due to language and cultural barriers, or simply because they cannot afford the time to seek out health services. Interventions that address these barriers can help expand health care access. These interventions can take the form of subsidized health care insurance, increased tax incentives for the purchase of private health insurance, or regulations that prevent health insurers from discriminating against consumers who require expensive treatments.