| The American Health Care system prides itself on | | | | Many serious health problems |
| providing high quality services to | | | | -- such as lead poisoning and drug-resistant |
| citizens who normally cannot afford them. It's been | | | | tuberculosis -- are handled |
| in place for years and until now | | | | inefficiently or not at all.Perception of family |
| has done a fairly decent job. The problem today is | | | | physicians is another leading problem in health care. |
| money; the cost of hospital | | | | Under our |
| services and physician fees are rising faster than | | | | current system, specialists can take any patient |
| ever before. Government has been | | | | they want without a referral |
| trying to come up with a new plan even though | | | | (assuming insurance/payment is guaranteed), further, |
| strong opposition against the idea | | | | that specialist can provide a |
| of a new Health Care system exists.There are | | | | patient with primary care in addition to their own |
| arguments to be made for both sides of the aisle, | | | | specialty.The reduction in the number of primary care |
| but money seems to be | | | | physicians has resulted in specialists |
| the common concern. Both sides want to save | | | | taking on some of the workload left behind. But the |
| money, but in different ways. The | | | | question remains, are they truly |
| movement for change believes that there is a need | | | | the best qualified to provide primary level care? One |
| because the system was not | | | | could argue that since a |
| designed to face the problems it does today. Every | | | | cardiologist has had some training as an internist |
| month, 2 million Americans lose | | | | before their fellowship, that they |
| their insurance. One out of four or 63 million | | | | are qualified as general practitioners. Conversely, a |
| Americans, will lose their health | | | | physician trained specifically in |
| insurance coverage for some period during the next | | | | primary care cannot legally, ethically, or morally |
| two years. 37 million Americans | | | | provide cardiology based services. |
| have no insurance and another 22 million have | | | | But is the cardiologist really suited to handling a |
| inadequate coverage.Losing or changing a job often | | | | patient's primary care needs?The more a specialist |
| means losing insurance. Becoming ill or living with a | | | | sees patients for primary care purposes (and they |
| chronic medical condition can mean losing insurance | | | | do, because |
| coverage or not being able to | | | | economically, it adds to their practice) the less time |
| obtain it. Long-term care coverage is inadequate. | | | | they have to pursue knowledge |
| Many elderly and disabled | | | | and research in their respective field. In the United |
| Americans enter nursing homes and other institutions | | | | States, the whole idea of having |
| when they would prefer to | | | | specialists is having "the best and brightest in their |
| remain at home. Families exhaust their savings trying | | | | field."If a new crop of primary care physicians could |
| to provide for disabled | | | | be cultivated, they could focus more |
| relatives. Many Americans in inner cities and rural | | | | on community health and expand practices (in |
| areas do not have access to | | | | general, not just a few) to house |
| quality care, due to either poor distribution of | | | | calls, free clinics, and off-hours clinics. In this way |
| physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics | | | | health care could be made more |
| and/or support services. Public health services are | | | | accessible and affordable to those who typically |
| not well integrated and | | | | need it most: the low-income, |
| coordinated with the personal care delivery system. | | | | elderly, uninsured or underinsured. |