U.S. Healthcare System Cheats Children
October 12th 2007 21:17
During President George Bush’s speech to the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lancaster, PA he said, “This year, the Administration will spend about $35.5 billion to provide health insurance for poor children through Medicaid.” During the same speech Bush said he supports the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), “I strongly support the program. I like the idea of helping those who are poor be able to get health coverage for their children.” Bush’s remarks coincided with his veto of a bill in Congress which would expand SCHIP coverage.
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study on U.S. healthcare which found that American children only receive recommended healthcare procedures 46% of the time when they visit a physician. The study reviewed medical records of 1,536 children from twelve areas in the country. Eighty-two percent of the children in the study, predominantly from middle or upper-middle class families of European ancestry, were covered by private health insurance.
Children do not regularly receive weight and measurement checks during annual physicals, according to the study. The study found that 69% of three to six year olds did not have their height and weight measured, and only 15% of adolescents did. One-third of American children are overweight.
The study also found that children do not receive the recommended care for asthma or diarrhea: 54% of asthmatic children did not receive treatment, and only 38% of children with acute diarrhea received the proper treatment.
The co-author of the study, Elizabeth McGlynn, said, “Until now, most people assumed that quality was not a problem for children. This new study tells us that’s not true.” The study blames much of the lack of proper treatment on health insurance companies who pressure doctors to spend ten minutes on regular checkups. Ten minutes leaves doctors with little time to perform all the recommended tests, such as health and weight screening.
U.S. Healthcare: Alone in the Industrialized World
The U.S. is the only industrialized country which does not provide a form of universal health coverage. Americans annually spend $5,267 per capita on health care, while the industrialized world’s median is $2,193. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the U.S. as 27th in the industrialized world for infant mortality. The average life expectancy, according to the WHO, in the U.S. is age 78, ranking 25th among industrialized nations. The average number of good health years is 69, also ranking 25th, and below Slovenia.
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study on U.S. healthcare which found that American children only receive recommended healthcare procedures 46% of the time when they visit a physician. The study reviewed medical records of 1,536 children from twelve areas in the country. Eighty-two percent of the children in the study, predominantly from middle or upper-middle class families of European ancestry, were covered by private health insurance.
Children do not regularly receive weight and measurement checks during annual physicals, according to the study. The study found that 69% of three to six year olds did not have their height and weight measured, and only 15% of adolescents did. One-third of American children are overweight.
The study also found that children do not receive the recommended care for asthma or diarrhea: 54% of asthmatic children did not receive treatment, and only 38% of children with acute diarrhea received the proper treatment.
The co-author of the study, Elizabeth McGlynn, said, “Until now, most people assumed that quality was not a problem for children. This new study tells us that’s not true.” The study blames much of the lack of proper treatment on health insurance companies who pressure doctors to spend ten minutes on regular checkups. Ten minutes leaves doctors with little time to perform all the recommended tests, such as health and weight screening.
U.S. Healthcare: Alone in the Industrialized World
The U.S. is the only industrialized country which does not provide a form of universal health coverage. Americans annually spend $5,267 per capita on health care, while the industrialized world’s median is $2,193. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the U.S. as 27th in the industrialized world for infant mortality. The average life expectancy, according to the WHO, in the U.S. is age 78, ranking 25th among industrialized nations. The average number of good health years is 69, also ranking 25th, and below Slovenia.
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