HLTH 3110 Assignment 2—Healthcare Around the World Template
Name: Date:
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬The purpose of this Assignment is for you to compare the U.S. healthcare system to healthcare systems in at least two other countries on dimensions of performance, specifically access and cost, quality (includes safety), efficiency (measured by % of GNP), cost to the consumer, and health outcomes.
To successfully complete this Assignment, you need to do the following:
1. Select two countries to compare to the United States. Choose one developed country and one developing country for comparison.
2. Read Chapter 2: Health, Health Care, and the Market Economy (Barr, 2016), specifically pages 24 through 41, located in Week 4 Learning Resources area.
3. Read Factors associated with multiple barriers to access to primary care: An international analysis (Corscadden, Levesque, Lewis, Strumpf, Breton, & Russell, 2018), located in Week 4 Learning Resources area.
4. Read Mirror, mirror on the wall: How the performance of the U.S. health care system compares internationally (Davis, Kristof, Squires, & Schoen, 2014), located in Week 4 Learning Resources area.
5. Fill in the table and answer all the questions below.
6. Follow APA guidelines. Support the narrative portions of your Assignment with specific in-text citations from this week’s Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources, as appropriate. Include all sources in the Reference section.
7. Submit by Day 7 in Week 5. Save your Assignment document according to the instructions provided in Week 5.
Data Sources (Use these sources to help you complete this assignment.)*
1. The World Health Organization: Global Health Observatory (GHO) Data site at http://www.who.int/gho/countries/en/.
2. The World Bank Data Catalog site at https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/search?sort_by=field_
wbddh_modified_date&sort_order=DESC&f%5B0%5D=field_license_wbddh%3A1335.
3. The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care at http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/data/topic/, located in Week 4 Optional Learning Resources area.
4. Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker at https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/dashboard/. Located in Week 4 Optional Learning Resources area.
*These are great data sources that have been provided to help you complete this Assignment; however, do not rely solely on them for all data. You may have to search other data sources to get the most current information, depending on the countries you have selected for comparison. Always provide the most current reporting year with any statistic you insert into the table below.
Instructions: Type your answers directly into the document. The space will expand as you type. Be sure that “track changes” is off under the “Review” tab before you begin. Fully respond to the following questions and complete the table.
1. Identify and briefly describe why you selected each comparison country. Consider using demographics (e.g., race, age, socioeconomic status, education level, etc.) to describe each country.
2. Complete the table below.
United States Insert name of country Insert name of country
Country Demographics: Choose at least 3 different demographics. Provide a statistic and the reporting year for each one. Be sure to list each demographic below and use the same demographics for all three countries. Example demographics include age, birth rate, death rate, median income, education level, religious affiliation, etc.
Health expenditure per capita: Provide the statistic and reporting year.
Total expenditure on health as % of GNP: Provide the statistic and reporting year.
Who pays for healthcare? List all. (i.e., government, private insurance, out-of-pocket, etc.)
Quality: Use at least 2 of the indicators below to describe this dimension for each country.
• Safety
• Coordinated care
• Patient-centered
• Other (choose an indicator not listed)
Access: Use at least 2 of the indicators below to describe this dimension for each country.
• Physicians per 1,000 people
• Insurance coverage
• Equity in care
• Proximity of healthcare facilities and services
• Other (choose an indicator not listed)
Behavioral Patterns: Provide a statistic and the reporting year for each bullet.
• Smoking
• Inactivity
• Alcohol use
• Obesity
Health Outcomes: Provide a statistic and the reporting year for each bullet.
• Life expectancy at birth (female)
• Life expectancy at birth (male)
• Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
• Death rate for cardiovascular diseases (per 100,000)
• Death rate for malignant diseases (per 100,000)
• Other (choose at least one other health outcome of your choice)
3. From the data gathered, describe what you have learned about the comparison healthcare systems and how they compare to the United States. Frame your response using the different dimensions of performance and other indicators shown in the table. (Must be at least 350–500 words).
4. From the data gathered, what relationships do you see between healthcare cost, access, and quality; country demographics; behavioral patterns; and health outcomes? Provide specific examples. What do these data tell you about the health of a country?
5. Considering what you have learned about the healthcare system of the two countries as compared to the United States, describe a healthcare policy recommendation that you might make to improve healthcare for U.S. consumers. Frame the policy using at least one of the dimensions of performance discussed in this Assignment.
References
HLTHB3110 WALDEN UNIVERSITY CURRENT ISSUES IN HEALHTCARE POLICY AND PRACTICE
Writing Guide:
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Selecting Comparison Countries:
Developed Country: Consider factors like:
Demographics: Population size, age structure, income levels, education attainment, etc. (World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/)
Healthcare System: Type (universal, single-payer, multi-payer), financing mechanisms, access, quality indicators (WHO: https://www.who.int/gho/countries/en/)
Economic Indicators: GDP, GDP per capita, healthcare expenditure (World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/)
Developing Country: Consider factors like:
Demographics: Similar to developed country selection, but also consider poverty rates, urbanization levels, etc.
Healthcare System: Type, challenges faced (resource limitations, access barriers), progress made in recent years (WHO: https://www.who.int/gho/countries/en/)
Economic Indicators: Similar to developed country selection, but also consider development indicators (human development index).
Completing the Table:
Use credible sources like the WHO, World Bank, and other scholarly resources to gather data for each country on:
Demographics: Choose at least 3 relevant demographics.
Health Expenditure: Per capita and as % of GNP.
Financing: Identify all payers (government, private insurance, out-of-pocket).
Quality: Use at least 2 indicators like patient satisfaction, healthcare worker density, etc.
Access: Use at least 2 indicators like insurance coverage, wait times, etc.
Behavioral Patterns: Smoking rates, physical inactivity prevalence, etc.
Health Outcomes: Life expectancy, infant mortality, disease burden, etc.
Analyzing and Comparing:
Compare each dimension (cost, access, quality) across all three countries. Highlight similarities, differences, and potential reasons for them.
Examine relationships between healthcare cost, access, quality, and other factors. Consider how demographics, behaviors, and policies might influence these relationships.
Draw conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of each healthcare system. Discuss their impact on population health and potential implications for the US.
Policy Recommendation:
Identify a specific area for improvement in the US healthcare system based on your analysis.
Formulate a policy recommendation that addresses this area. Consider its feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with ethical principles.
Support your recommendation with evidence and reasoning. Explain how it would improve the US healthcare system compared to the chosen countries.
Remember:
Use credible sources and cite them appropriately (APA format).
Maintain a professional and objective tone.
Proofread your work carefully before submission.