The current health care system in the United States does not work efficiently or effectively and is unaffordable for many, if not most, people. A new system needs to be developed which will cover everyone, and be organized so that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals can concentrate on healing the sick and not have to worry about the cost of care to their patients, and the paperwork. Too many of the current systems are business-oriented rather than patient-oriented and health-oriented. They benefit businesses and insurers rather than the patients. The new Medicare prescription plan is a glaring example of such a system. The people who benefit most from the plan will be the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies, not the patients. Many patients who take only a few prescriptions are much better off without the plan, which is too costly and too confusing for the elderly whom it is supposed to benefit most. A new healthcare plan needs to be put into place. This new plan would be simple enough for everyone to understand, and would cover everyone regardless of their socioeconomic status. It would be paid for by reinstating the taxes on the top five percent income bracket, improving efficiency of care and resulting paperwork, eliminating waste, and putting limits on the charges for medical equipment, supplies and medications which companies can charge the government, who will administrate the plan.
The British National Health Service (NHS) is a publicly-funded healthcare system which provides the majority of healthcare for those in the United Kingdom, ranging from general practitioner care and Emergency Departments to long-term care and dentistry (National, 2005). It pays directly for healthcare expenses, with a few minor exceptions, as well as employing the doctors and nurses providing these services, and in most cases, owns the hospitals and clinics in which care is given. General Practitioners (...