Health in America? Discuss three issues with a classmate?

Costs, access, quality, insurance, preventive medicine, alternative

medicine, diseases

Access

• Waiting time could be up to a week• Not enough Primary Care Physicians• General practice, family practice, internal

medicine• Economics plays a role. Primary care doctors

earn an average $200.000 yearly, specialists earn more. Dermatologist $350.000 / Gynecologists oncologists $460.000 / Neurological surgery $550.000 yearly.

Quality

• Managed Care, must choose approved doctors, requires approval before treatment and limits on drugs that can be prescribed. 75% Americans under some type of managed care program.

• “Patients” bill of rights / 1999 • Some clinics use Doctors assistants, nurse

practitioners

Health Insurance

• Private group plans through employers• Public through the government / Medicare,

Medicaid• 45 million people uninsured in the U.S.• Private insurance can deny coverage with pre-

existing conditions• National health care system / Affordable Care

Act 2010-12 ( Obama Care )

Alternative / Preventive Health Care

• Acupuncture, acupressure , massage, yoga herbal remedies

• Exercise, healthy diet• Healthy life style• Regular access to doctors• Health education• Access to physical recreation facilities• Monitor negative health advertising

Diseases / Health conditions

• Human immuno deficiency virus (HIV)• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)• Asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high

blood pressure, obesity, mental health, gum disease, high cholesterol, arthritis, endocarditius, epilepsy, chromes disease, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, crabs, lice, anorexia, bulimia , fibromyalgia, skin cancers, cirrhosis of the liver

Smoking

• Number one cause of death ( Smoke related)• 443.000 deaths per year• More deaths than HIV/AIDS, illegal drug use,

alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined

• Heart and lung diseases• Cancer “every where”

Obesity

• Approaching as the number two cause of death in America

• 34 % of Americans are overweight and an additional 31 % are obese

• Poor diet • Lack of physical activity• Child obesity• 400.000 deaths per year (related)