Elements of an Ideal System

            The first and most important factor in achieving an ideal healthcare system is creating a market that is consumer-driven:  “Availability and utilization of long-term care services should be based on the needs of the consumers of those services, rather than on the needs of providers, reimbursement agencies, or politicians” (Pratt, 2009, p. 37).  This ideal is nearly impossible to achieve in the current healthcare market place; however, it could be realized in some form under a healthcare reform that would encourage true competition among providers and little government involvement.  In this scenario, healthcare would be similar to purchasing any other goods or services. 

            Another important aspect of an ideal system would be focusing on customer needs and rights.  Each customer needs to be recognized as an individual and be treated with courtesy.  In the past, many long-term care institutions had a less than positive image in the public eye, but that would spell disaster in an idyllic system because the healthcare market’s success would depend solely on consumer approval.  By recognizing each customer’s needs, wants, and cultural values, healthcare employees can show empathy and caring to those they care for, and in return, consumers will value these services by feeling they are treated with dignity and respect.

            In addition to the healthcare system’s needed commitment to its consumers, everyone will, at some point in their life, need healthcare services, so they should do their part to help keep costs low for everyone by making good lifestyle choices.  The long-term care portion of the healthcare system is particularly affected by personal choices such as smoking, over-eating, excessive use of alcohol, recreational drugs, etc., due to the fact that over time they cause many serious health problems, leading these consumers to need institutional care for the remainder of their lives.  This could be avoided, or at least prolonged, in most cases if as a whole our country practiced healthy behaviors, thus saving money for everyone and improving the quality for life for the many. 

            There is a great need for a healthcare system that is simple to use, understand, and transfer throughout with ease.  Particularly in the long-term care realm, elderly users can have difficulty entering into the system due to the numerous providers and facilities they would need to use.  There is also the problem of financing and approval processes needing to be simplified and coordinated (Pratt, 2009, p. 44).  All of these difficulties can cause a delay in services and treatments and do not meet the criteria of an ideal system.  The “aging in place” programs that are being adopted by numerous organizations are a step in the right direction to fixing this complicated system because they allow patients to receive multiple levels of care in only one location (Pratt, 2009, p. 44). 

            Funding for healthcare is another important topic when it comes to creating an ideal system, however, there is no simple answer to this problem.  With the current debate on this topic, it is understandable that there is no clear solution, and looking at other countries’ healthcare systems, it is probable that there never will be a system that works perfectly.  With this in mind, however, there is a great deal that can be improved here, especially by eliminating medical bankruptcy, which is virtually unknown in other developed countries.  A possible solution to this would be to create a system in which insurance is obtained entirely through the private market with no employment necessary.  Also, everyone should be paying into the system and be covered by their plan of choice.