The debate on the state of the healthcare system in the United States has been raging between politicians, political pundits, and healthcare professionals. With millions of Americans living their daily life without access to health insurance, the cry for healthcare reform is no surprise. The current healthcare system not only leaves millions of Americans uninsured, but with growing prices in health insurance premiums and in health care, many Americans can not afford quality medical care. The high prices of insurance have forced many struggling businesses to pull insurance from their employees; yet, the United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world — by 52% more than the next most costly nation.

The website OurBlook, a website utilizing the dynamic atmosphere of an online blog and the researched analysis of a book, is conducting an interview series on the debate over healthcare reform. More specifically, OurBlook has gathered experts ranging from doctors to health care administrators and interviewed them about their opinion and stance on healthcare reform in the United States.

Some of the issues covered in this interview series include the debate on why healthcare reform is needed, whether “good health” incentives are feasible, and the state of health care in the United States.

There is little to no debate over the fact that healthcare reform is needed in the United States. Experts generally agree that the current system of health insurance leaves many uninsured, that government-run health care will tie up federal revenue, and that health care has become expensive and inefficient. While many Americans will claim that we have the “best” health care system in the world, the clarity of the quality of care in the United States is now in question. In fact, the World Health Organization ranks the United States as having the 37th best health care system in the world, just ahead of Slovenia.

On the issue of incentivized health insurance plans, OurBlook interviewers asked experts such as Michael Nadeau about their thoughts on the issue. Nadeau, the president and chief executive officer of Viverae, a national provider of health management solutions, agrees on the possibility of plans that emphasize the importance of preventive medicine. As he says:

“Absolutely. We definitely need health insurance policies that reward people for living healthier … following prescribed treatment plans and taking necessary medications, among other healthy living choices.”

Taking preventive measures can help to reduce health care costs by improving the health of Americans around the nation. The burden of responsibility then falls on Americans, to help themselves stay as healthy as possible. After all, why should healthy individuals be forced to pay high costs when others are not willing to keep themselves healthy?

While most experts agree that health insurance needs reform, many experts on OurBlook also agreed that health care in the United States needs reform as well. Furthermore, some experts pointed to the overall health of American society as the culprit. As Brent Pottenger, one of the top bloggers on wellsphere.com, says, health insurance is not a guarantee for healthcare, but a change in culture for a healthy society is the key. Problems such as diabetes, cancer, or cardiac ailments are seen as chronic, incurable diseases. However, this does not mean that the are unpreventable. A healthy lifestyle and healthy behavior can lower the risk of such disease, lowering the cost of health care for the individual.

The issues covered above are only some of the issues covered on OurBlook’s debate on health care reform. By sharing what our health experts think about the possibility of healthcare reform in the United States, OurBlook helps the public better understand the state of healthcare and the arguments put forth for both reform and change in culture, pushing forward the overall health of Americans.

Friday 5 February 2010