Healthcare in US

In the constant discussion of Healthcare in US, medicaid and such other controversial topics, one thing is for sure, the healthcare in US will definitely undergo some radical changes. The Universal health care proposal pending in Congress is called the United States Health Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office and related government agencies scored the cost of a universal health care system several times since 1991, and have uniformly predicted cost savings, probably because of the 40% cost savings associated with universal preventive care and elimination of insurance company overhead costs.

Some key projects in healthcare in US that could radically change the way the medical profession is paid for services are Medicare and Medicaid. The current system, which is also the prime system used by medical insurers is known as free-for-service because the medical practitioner is paid only for the performance of medical procedures which, it is argued that doctors have a financial incentive to do more tests which may not be in the patients' best long term interest. The current system encourages medical interventions such as surgeries and prescribed medicines and does not reward other activities such as encouraging behavioral changes such as modifying dietary habits and quitting smoking, or follow-ups regarding prescribed regimes which could have better outcomes for the patient at a lower cost.

Also regarding medicines and treatments, depending on the medical insurance coverage the medicines with no prescription most likely will not be covered, so if you have for example erectile dysfunction condition and you want to buy Generic Viagra or if you suffer of depression and you want to buy Paxil, you can do it but you will have to pay for the drug with your own money. Scenarios like those are going to be evaluated in future discussions and might get implemented on the insurance coverage.