Health Care System
The United States health care system is run by both public and private institutions. Unlike most countries, private insurance companies dominate the U.S. health care system. The public health insurance is run by the government while private health insurance by employees and individuals. Though the United States health care system provides high quality health services due to modern technology and qualified medical staffs, it requires improvements to help all citizens (Chua, 2006).
U.S. Public Health Insurance
- Medicare
This is the United States health care insurance that covers people who are sixty five years and above and those with disabilities. It is run by federal government and financed by taxes collected by the federal government. It is divided into parts: A, B, C, and D, where services offered at the hospital are covers by part A, those that are provided by physicians are covered by part B, and medicine subscription covered by part D.
Despite its benefits, Medicare health insurance does not completely cover tooth, ear, or eye diseases (Chua, 2006). It also does not fully cover facilities offered by a skilled nurse and preventive care. This makes members to supplement it with other insurance covers, which can cater for them.
- Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health insurance, which covers those with low income and disabled. However, it does not cover adults with no children. It is run by different states and the District of Columbia, and financed through taxes.
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According to Federal law, children aged nineteen years old and below who come from poor families should be insured. Those who qualify for this insurance should be those whose incomes are under 100%. Medicaid, however, does not consider those who are almost poor i.e. whose incomes are within 100% to 200% (Sridhar, 2005). They, therefore, are most likely to be uninsured. Moreover, due to financial constraints, not all those who qualify enroll for Medicaid. The health insurance does not cover adults who live alone and those without children, no matter how r poor they may be. Parents who have dependent children also qualify for the insurance, but their poverty levels are put at lower levels. All these restrictions in Medicaid insurance make most of the poor people not to be insured.
- State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP)
S-CHIP is the government owned medical insurance, which covers children whose families’ income are high to be eligible for Medicaid, but low to join private health insurance. It is administered and financed just like Medicaid.
- Veteran’s Administration
This is health insurance designed for the military and has its services provided at various government owned Veteran’s Administration hospitals and clinics. It is funded by federal government from taxes. This health insurance is good since it covers almost every veteran’s health problems free of charge.