Health is one of the most important things in any society because it determines the wellbeing and the ability of people to actualize their full potential and dreams in society. Consequently, many countries are implementing universal health coverage or developing a policy that can allow people to access affordable health care services freely. However, the healthcare sector is still characterized by many challenges such as the rising cost and the declining quality, including increasing health disparity. Every human being should have the right to access quality health care services, even though him or should be responsible for his or her health.
The debate on whether health care is a right or a privilege started in earnest in 2008 when the former US president Obama that health care is a right of every American. His declaration was based on the fact that health disparity was high in America and millions of Americans were not able to access healthcare services because of lack of health insurance. It is estimated that about 25 million Americans do not have health insurance ( Bauchner, 2017) . The US ensures that all its citizens have the opportunity to enjoy rights education and access security and emergency services. However, these rights can only be enjoyed when people are healthy or can access quality health care services.
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Health care should be amoral and legal right in any society. Any country that is denying its citizens the ability to access critical health care services because of their inability to pay is encouraging injustices in the society ( Maruthappu, Ologunde & Gunarajasingam, 2013) . Social injustice is also likely to occur when due to uneven distribution or access to health care services, especially when economic and social factors determine it. Therefore, to reduce injustices in the society, health should be a right and not a privilege. Healthcare is a critical requirement for well-being and denying it to some people because they are not able to pay cripples their ability to enjoy other rights and to engage in useful activities ( Maruthappu, Ologunde & Gunarajasingam, 2013) . People will only enjoy other rights when they are healthy, which is a strong reason to justify why healthcare should be a right of every individual.
Nevertheless, with financial constraint, people should contribute some money towards the cost of their health. The US is one of the countries that spend a significant percentage of their revenue on health. The country spends about 17.8% of its GDP (gross domestic product) on health care, which is higher compared to other developed countries ( Papanicolas, Woskie & Jha, 2018) . Therefore, by declaring health care a right, the expenditure may double, resulting in a reduced expenditure other critical sectors such as security and education. As a result, health care should be a right but individuals should contribute to its costs.
At the same time, clients have the additional responsibility to ensure that they embrace a healthy lifestyle. The cost of health care in the USA is associated with diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and obesity that are mainly caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. For instance, about 11.4% of Americans smoke on a daily basis while 70.1% are either overweight or obese ( Papanicolas, Woskie & Jha, 2018) . Nurses, on the other hand, must educate their clients and society at large to prevent diseases, which is one of the effective ways to reduce the cost of health care. They should educate patients and communities on how to prevent diseases. Also, the health care system should be based on cost-effective policies that are aimed at improving the quality of healthcare while ensuring that all people can access care services.
Comparing the Cost of Healthcare in the US
Even though the cost of healthcare is high in the USA, the country is using some approaches to improve the health and wellbeing of the people. The three main strategies that are used include health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic diseases management. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), health promotion is a process of ensuring that people can take control of their health and well-being, especially after being informed and educated. It is one of the most cost-effective approaches that the country can use to address various health problems while reducing the cost. Although the exact amount spent on health promotion in the USA is not clear, the expenditure towards has increased significantly ( Papanicolas, Woskie & Jha, 2018) . Health promotion is aimed at reducing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Generally, the cost of health promotion is lower than that of disease prevention and chronic diseases management.
Diseases prevention, which mainly focuses on specific interventions that are intended to reduce the development of diseases, is another approach that many countries rely on to keep people healthy. Many countries have increased their expenditure on disease prevention. For instance, in the USA, about $1.5 billion annually are spent annually to prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases. However, is preferred by many countries because it cost effective. For instance, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every a dollar that is spent on immunization can save the country about $18.40 ( Papanicolas, Woskie & Jha, 2018) . The cost of preventing diseases is much lower than that of curing various illnesses.
With the increasing prevalence of complex diseases, the use of chronic disease management is now inevitable. However, it is an expensive approach, mainly based on the complexity of chronic diseases such as cancer. For instance, the average cost of managing asthma and diabetes in every state in the country is $410 million and $1.8 billion respectively ( Trogdon et al ., 2015) . The cost of managing cancer is also significant, as it accounts for about five percent of the country’s healthcare spending. Therefore, the most cost-effective approach is disease prevention. Disease prevention can save the cost of healthcare significantly while improving the quality of health and wellbeing of the people.
Besides, the nursing practice has an impact on the cost of each approach. First, nurses can reduce the cost of health promotion and diseases prevention by education patient when they visit hospitals. The government will not have to finance some of the health promotion and prevention programs when nurses can educate and inform individual patients when they are seeking health services ( Trogdon et al ., 2015) . Besides, the nursing practice can impact the cost of chronic disease management, by recommending the best health practice and diets for patients with chronic illness. Nursing practices have a direct impact on the cost of health care.
The Current U.S. Health Care System Design Shortfalls
The major shortfall in the current healthcare system design is that it is based on disease prevention rather than wellness and prevention. The health system is mainly aimed at treating diseases, which explains why the cost of health care in the country is high ( Ridic, Gleason & Ridic, 2012) . It does not emphasize the need to improve wellness and prevent diseases that affect millions of people in the community. Consequently, preventive care in the country is underutilized, leading to high spending, especially on chronic diseases. Therefore, I would redesign the system in such a way that a significant percentage of health funds are directed towards social services to promote wellness, prevent diseases, and effectively manage chronic diseases.
Using Nursing Knowledge
Nurses play a critical role in the healthcare sector mainly because they have direct contact and interaction with patients. As a result, I believe that I can use my nursing knowledge to champion for health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic diseases management. Specifically, I will use my nursing knowledge change the behavior of patients, especially concerning adopting a healthy lifestyle. At the same time, I will empower patients and the community to learn about various diseases and how to prevent them before they become a problem. Also, I will use my knowledge to advocate for sound policies that can enhance the effectiveness of disease prevention and chronic disease management.
Conclusion
Ever country should ensure that all its citizens are can access quality healthcare services. As a result, health should be a human right and not a privilege. However, people should also take care of their health by living a healthy lifestyle. Importantly, the health system should be aimed at preventing diseases instead of treating them to improve the health and wellbeing of the people. At the same time, nurses should play an active role in the health sector, especially in health promotion and disease prevention. Every American should have the right to access healthcare.
References
Bauchner, H. (2017). Healthcare in the United States: a right or a privilege. Jama , 317 (1), 29- 29.
Maruthappu, M., Ologunde, R., & Gunarajasingam, A. (2013). Is health care a right? Health reforms in the USA and their impact upon the concept of care. Annals of Medicine and Surgery , 2 (1), 15-17.
Papanicolas, I., Woskie, L. R., & Jha, A. K. (2018). Health care spending in the United States and other high-income countries. Jama Networks , 319 (10), 1024-1039.
Ridic, G., Gleason, S., & Ridic, O. (2012). Comparisons of health care systems in the United States, Germany, and Canada. Materia socio-medica , 24 (2), 112-120.
Trogdon, J. G., Murphy, L. B., Khavjou, O. A., Li, R., Maylahn, C. M., Tangka, F. K., ... & Orenstein, D. (2015). Peer-reviewed: costs of chronic diseases at the state level: the chronic disease cost calculator. Preventing chronic disease , 12(2) .
