A remarkable aspect of the healthcare system in the United States is the four components of the health care system. Healthcare consumers, providers, institutions, and regulators are the four key components that define the healthcare framework in the country (Libraryindex, n.d) . The health care consumers in the United States include individuals who seek care interventions and are part of the decision making, which implies that a consumer representative or the actual individual is subjected to engagement before a service is delivered. Families, individuals, and caregivers who used healthcare services in the past, currently, or will do so in the future are considered as consumers. Essentially, consumers decide when to access a healthcare service and are therefore part of the decision making process. On the other hand, health care providers are different types of specialists who offer care services or act as assistants. In the United States, care providers fall under different categories, which include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, administrative staff, technologies and technicians, and therapists (Maxey, Norwood, & Osburn, 2016 ) . Healthcare providers are qualified and trained professionals who offer services or effectively support the process of care delivery. Similarly, the institutions or financers and regulators are also part of the healthcare system. Financiers and institutions in the United States are responsible for offering financial support and linking consumers to providers and professionals in line with the respective subscription. Healthcare insurance plays a key role in shaping the healthcare system and service in the country. In addition, regulators, which include private and state institutions, offer the guideline and supervisory support that ensures healthcare service delivery is within the defined quality and professional standards (Shi & Singh, 2014 ) . In the United States, regulators have played a significant role in structuring the healthcare sector through policy and regulatory frameworks (Libraryindex, n.d) . In this regard, this paper argues that although the healthcare system in the United States is characterized by a comprehensive interrelation between the four components, that is, providers, consumers, regulators, and financers, there are significant challenges that require immediate interventions at state and federal level to enhance the experience of consumers.
Challenges and Problems
The health care system in the United States revolves around treatment, diagnosis, and includes rehabilitation. For the healthcare system to be effective and efficient, four components namely providers, consumers, regulators, and financers are all integrated and work as one package. In essence, the absence of a single component of the health care in the U.S. system results in a disorientation of the quality of services being provided by the health givers. The various institutions responsible for financing health care in the U.S. can either evolve from the public or the private sector. Equally, the majority of the interaction among the components of the health care system is between the providers and the consumers. Notably, the facilitators of the health care service such as the insurance companies act as interlinks between the providers and the consumers. Besides, the interaction between the consumers and the providers can be indirect or impersonal. More so, the ability of an individual to gain from the services being provided by the different health care depends on their ability to secure re-entry into the system of health care. The act of obtaining re-entry into the health care system is termed as access, and several factors can hinder or facilitate the entrance to health care. In summary, the United States healthcare system is centered on treatment, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.
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Regardless of the evidence pointing to the existence of a comprehensive healthcare system in the United States, different evidence-based analysis has shown how the country’s healthcare sector is still facing diverse problems that negatively impact consumers ( Overton & Lowry, 2013) . Critics have already stated that what is considered a system in America is not equitable to a robust framework of care delivery (Institute of Medicine, 2003). In some cases, the system has been termed as a conglomeration of uncoordinated entities that are taking advantage of consumers. There is a significant advancement in science and technology yet there is a limited level of patients’ need accommodation. The number of patients with chronic illnesses is increasing in the country; however, the insurance covers available for the public remains high with a potential risk of restricted benefits and increased costs of premiums. Moreover, it is considered that the current system is operating as a cottage industry with improper long-term interventions that guarantee sustainability ( Overton & Lowry, 2013) . The IOM report showed the lack of incorporation of human factors when making healthcare reforms, which proves why the minorities and lower-class citizens have been unable to afford comprehensive care ( HHS, 2018) . Another critical challenge observed is the inability to fully assimilate complex scientific discoveries in professional and care development. Moreover, there is a need for advanced adoption of information technology to transform the healthcare system as indicated in the Quality Chasm Report. Summarily, the healthcare sector in the U.S is still facing problems that negatively affect consumers.
Review of Literature
As the level of spending on healthcare delivery programs continues, minority groups and all Americans at large are still concerned with the need for affordable and efficient services to guarantee the existence of a healthy society ( DPEAFLCIO, 2018) . The healthcare system is comprehensive; however, there is enough evidence that points out how the bills are complex amid restrained choices for people with limited ability to afford private care services. Insurance premiums have been increasing and the out-of-pocket costs of services have equally escalated in recent years. Nevertheless, the government has been keen to set up policies and institutional interventions with the objective of curbing the skewed nature of healthcare system outcomes in the United States. Federal and state regulations have played a key role in shaping the current status of the healthcare structure by defining the interaction between the components of the system ( UCDENVER, 2017) . Ideally, a changed perspective regarding the need to incorporate the most affected groups as well as the inclusion of the market shifts and positive competition could go a long way in saving Americans from the escalating cost of healthcare services (Manoj & Bandyopadhyay, 2014). Scholars have been keen to account for the role of the minority groups in defining the nature of government interventions when it comes to healthcare rejuvenation and revitalization of operations. Overall, while the government continues to spend on healthcare delivery programs, vulnerable groups and indeed all Americans are still concerned with the high costs of healthcare services.
The government, through regulatory frameworks, has already taken several steps to restructure the healthcare market to guarantee effective interaction amongst the components of the healthcare system in the country (Institute of Medicine, 2002). One of the key approaches has been the revisiting of the regulations that limit choices available to consumers and enhancing competition to improve service availability, affordability, and quality. In 2018, the department of health, labor, and treasury proposed a unified strategy to ensure that employers have the opportunity to enjoy the flexible framework of healthcare funding as outlined in the Health Reimbursement Arrangement ( HHS, 2018) . The move was meant to empower Americans to decide on the type of healthcare insurance benefits they need. In addition, the move was estimated to benefit more than ten million civilians ( HHS, 2018) . The move also focused on minority and special groups to ensure that the affected persons have the obligation to determine the benefits they receive through insurance covers. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act did not entirely meet the needs of special groups ( Manoj & Bandyopadhyay, 2014) . Therefore, the government went ahead to allow Americans to purchase short-term insurance covers with affordable premiums but diversified benefits. The American Patients First blueprint saw the reduction of the cost of drugs and out-of-pocket payments made by healthcare consumers to private and public facilities. The eradication of individual mandate tax penalty through the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also provided the opportunity for Americans to enhance their ability to afford care services by making their personalized choices ( HHS, 2018) . Therefore, it is clear that the government, through federal and state initiatives, has enacted several reform initiatives targeting the majority of Americans as well as special and minority groups with the objective of improving the healthcare system and services.
Apart from the interventions by the administration to create a robust system, another remarkable element of American healthcare is the degree of interaction between the components of the system. The level of professionalism is high and only trained and certified individuals and organizations are allowed to offer healthcare services and consultations in the country. However, the call to improve leadership is evident (Maccoby, 2013) . The available services fall under three major categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary. At the same time, the government has offered multidimensional interventions to foster robust regulatory services and a framework to protect the consumers and service providers ( HHS, 2018) . Although there are constantly new reforms, the government has been focusing on measures to improve service delivery through proper monitoring of quality and integration of private and public sectors in healthcare. Moreover, the coordination between federal and state government and insurance agencies has offered Americans opportunities to access their favorable covers in line with their financial ability.
Critical Analysis of the Challenges of Problems
From the analysis performed by a number of scholars, it is clear that the four components of the health care system in the U.S. interact directly and indirectly to ensure there is efficiency in the health care services being provided. The disparity in the health care system remains to be an issue in the United States and the economy keeps on changing. Studies have shown that the minority groups have impacted the nature of reforms being made in the healthcare sector in terms of policy and regulation; however, they still face challenges when other factors such as healthcare affordability and accessibility are considered ( Manoj & Bandyopadhyay, 2014 ). From a wider perspective, the collected evidence and analysis carried out in this paper has shown that numerous administrative interventions have been carried out in the United States to improve the interaction and integration of components of the healthcare system in order to enhance efficiency and experience of consumers. Nevertheless, amid the efforts being made by the federal and state governments, persistent challenges still characterize the healthcare sector in the United States.
A number of issues emerge when one critically reviews the U.S. healthcare system. Foremost, the healthcare system in the country is not yet universal in terms of accessibility and affordability. Public and private entities are characterized by fragmented programs, which in turn, affect the nature of strategies being adopted by financiers and other institutions in the sector ( Maxey, Norwood, & Osburn, 2016 ). Government-funded initiatives such as Medicare and Medicaid have been tailored to meet the needs of the minority and marginalized groups. The move to implement the Affordable Care Act in 2010 was meant to eliminate the gap in terms of healthcare disparity; however, subsequent reports have shown how a significant number of Americans are unable to afford health insurance covers that meet their needs.
Moreover, the current evidence equally shows that the healthcare system esteems public funding as opposed to private financing options available in the country. Nonetheless, private entities have reported a higher representation as opposed to public financing at the federal and state level ( Maxey, Norwood, & Osburn, 2016 ). In such a case, it is evident that there is a lack of proper coordination and integration of stakeholders in the sector with the objective of creating a sustainable consensus. The observations and reviews made in this paper also depict out how the United States’ expenditure on health, both private and public financing, exceeds the cumulative expenditures across all OECD member countries (Tunstall, 2016). Moreover, comprehensive programs and legislation such as ACA are numerous and create conflicting interests in the system, which could be the primary cause of extensive costs and expenditures witnessed in the country. From a superficial look, the country has a robust system, but from a critical perspective, numerous reforms are needed across all components of the healthcare system.
Additionally, the healthcare system in the United States is considered as one of the unique health frameworks across most developed nations. In the United States, it is not straightforward to conclude the existence of a uniform system across all states. Over the years, the country has not yet developed a universal healthcare coverage for all citizens. However, in recent years, the government went ahead to establish a legal provision that mandates healthcare coverage for each citizen ( DPEAFLCIO, 2018) . When it comes to the issue of payment, the United States lacks a national health service, which implies that it cannot be attested that the country has single-payer national insurance for healthcare services or a multi-payer fund for the same purpose ( Overton & Lowry, 2013) . Nonetheless, the available data and analysis of the cross-state interventions reveal that the country has a hybridized system. For example, it is estimated that in 2014, 48% of annual healthcare spending originated from the private fund while 28% and 20% care from household and private businesses respectively ( DPEAFLCIO, 2018) . At the same time, the federal and state government accounted for 28% and 17% of spending. The statistics have maintained this trend for an extended period, which is a clear indicator of how healthcare services are privately delivered even when publicly financed at the state or federal level.
Recommended Solutions
In line with the findings and conclusions of this paper, there is a need for significant changes and implementations in the healthcare sector in the United States. Federal and state leaders in charge of health care endeavors need to adopt a number of integrated strategies of intelligence and profound knowledge that will lead to an integration of the components of the health care system in the United States. The adoption of information technology is necessary to consolidate the data for long-term and sustainable planning. Ideally, numerous interventions in the sector have failed to meet the needs and desires of the consumers since the planning process was not based on complete data that depicts the actual experiences of the targeted groups. The incorporation of human factors will also assist in achieving the desired change. In the United States, social factors have not been fully integrated into the healthcare system, which explains why most minority groups are still marginalized. Moreover, there is a need for the use of a unified healthcare framework that is common across all states and territories. Additionally, the health department and regulators should set limits for private entities and insurance providers could enhance the efficiency of the healthcare system in the United States. The move will equally prevent the exploitation of consumers.
Implementation of Solutions
Based on the current evidence, consumers, providers, institutions, and regulators are all intertwined for the effective and efficient operation of the health care system despite efforts put in place for the components to function as independent entities. In order to effectively implement the proposed solution, there should be proper brainstorming measures between the state and federal stakeholders as well as private and public parties. The challenge of implementation has always originated from the lack of proper coordination between different governments across the states in the country and the lack of total inclusion of the private sector players. Therefore, before considering changes, it will be necessary to involve all stakeholders and draft a comprehensive plan for change. As noted earlier, consumers, providers, institutions, and regulators are the key components of the system, which implies that there is a need for the state and federal agencies to consider how a change in the healthcare system will impact each component both in a short-term and long-term basis.
Conclusion
There is clear evidence of the existence of significant drawbacks associated with the healthcare system in the United States. In this regard, there is a need for the proper management and transformation of the various health care components in the country. The results prove that the financiers and private entities in the sector have taken advantage of the regulatory laxity to inflate the cost of healthcare services. Moreover, the hybrid-type system based on different approaches across states has contributed to the challenge that is being currently witnessed.
References
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