Indeed, the American health system is one of the best, yet unorganized. I agree with you that it has always been driven by economic motives instead of offering quality healthcare services for the longest time. I think that this disorganization has resulted from the fee-for-service (FFS) payment model, which the American health sector has practiced for years. The FFS model entails paying the healthcare providers based on the services they provide (Knickman & Elbel, 2018). A healthcare worker or organization makes more profit when the quantity of services is high, making the healthcare not to be patient-centered. As Abram and his colleagues (2015) argued, I think the FFS has been one of the key reasons for the American healthcare system to keep evolving its policies. The current goal of the government is to make quality healthcare services accessible to everyone, even those who cannot afford them. The FFS model limits this goal as every provider expects to be paid for every service he provides. An excellent example that addresses this issue is the Affordable Care Act, which limits healthcare professions from being business-centered and instead is patient-centered. Even though America is yet to adopt the single-payer plan, I think the damage caused by the FFS model on the value of the American healthcare sector will push the need to apply the plan. I am confident that the single-payer plan will change the business effect of the healthcare sector to be patient-centered.
References
Abrams, K. M. et al. (2015). The Affordable Care Act’s Payment and Delivery System Reforms: A Progress Report at Five Years. The Commonwealth Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/pulications/issue-briefs/2015/may/affordale-care-acts-payment-and-delivery-sytem-reforms
Knickman, R. J. & Elbel, B. (Eds). (2018). Healthcare Delivery in the United States, 12th Edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
