Understanding of health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Understanding of health - Essay Example As a result of the controversy surrounding the changes currently being proposed by the President of the United States, the issue of healthcare in America is particularly timely and relevant. Seeking to understand healthcare from an issue-based perspective and attempting a holistic analysis, this essay will compare and contrast the medical model of healthcare with the social model of health. Following this we will debate which model is the most important to health today giving examples as to why this might be. In the United States, health insurance coverage ensures that basic healthcare can be accessed by all. Individual comprehensive health insurance plans depend on an one’s age, employment status, residency, and race/ethnicity. Medicare is a federal government funded insurance program for disabled young adults, persons above the age of 65, and those with permanent disabilities who become eligible for Social Security. A racial difference in coverage among Medicare beneficiaries has also been found to influence difference in supplemental care. Most individuals rely on private healthcare plans for the coverage that they need and the Obama administration is seeking to implement a single payer government system of healthcare as part of his reform package as opposed to market-based reform. Decried by detractors as â€Å"socialism†, Obama’s plan proposes that the government become more actively involved in healthcare provision and argues that the reform will cost a total o f $1 trillion USD. Seeking to address the issues at stake, the following will provide a concise overview of theories of healthcare in America, as well as around the world, today (Smedley et al. 2003; Reuters, 2009). There are two important theoretical models of healthcare which will be discussed in this analysis. The first is the medical model of healthcare and it represents the