Traductorado Pblico de Ingls

Lengua Inglesa I (202)

Written Assignment- Health and Medicine -

Comparison of the US and Argentine Health System

Macarena Libera Vega

48010060

Susana Ortiz

29/06/17
Health System In Argentina:

The Argentine Health System is composed of three subsystems: the public, the Social Security (Trade

union-run medical insurance) and the private, which includes medical insurance:

Public System: This subsystem provides free healthcare through Public Hospitals and medical care

centers and its resources come from the taxes system. This system covers approximately 30% of the

population, mostly to low-income social groups. The geographical distribution of Public Health services

is very broad, it covers places considered unprofitable for the Private system. The Public System

operates through the national, provincial and municipal Health Ministries and Environment. These

Ministries are in charge of regulating, planning and evaluating public healthcare services. Argentina

was distinguished by the efficiency and high quality of its health public system, but in last decades the

public system has been suffering an important spoilage. In 2016 argentina invested 4.9 percent of its

GDP in health. Deterioration of hospitals, lack of medicines and lack of medical personnel are the

main problems nowadays. This situation triggered an expansive growth of the social security (Health-

care system provided by the trade union)

Social Security or Trade union-run medical insurance: Social Security is an entity in charge of

organizing the provision of medical care for workers in Argentina. This subsystem presents a central

characteristic which is compulsory membership. It means that to access to this service you must be

registered. Social Security is a social insurance for salaried workers whose contribution is mandatory

and is made through contributions from both the employer and employee. There are institutions that

cover health assistance and provides other types of assistance, such as tourism and social assistance

to employees. This subsystem covers 49.9% of the population.

Private System: This subsystem is financed by voluntary contributions from its users, who generally

have medium and high incomes and often are users who also have Trade union-run medical

insurance. About 7% of the population is covered by this subsector. For private for-profit institutions it

is important to have a growing increase of partners. During the last years, the private subsystem has

evidenced a fast growth. Associates have much faster medical care, avoiding the long waiting lists that

are often suffered in Social Security or Public System, making it easier to adapt the appointment to

personal or work needs. All companies offer different private hospitals to choose from. However, it is

1
not all beneficial. For example, some private insurance companies expire once the associate turns 64

years-old.

Health System In United States Of America:

The United States is the country that invests in health the most. It allocates 17.4 percent of its GDP.

The Health System of North America is structured on the basis of providing healthcare to its

population on a private system. Health is not a human right recognized by the state. It should be noted

that the system also includes federal, state or mixed public insurance financed with state funds, but

the benefits are always carried out by private providers. The Affordable Care Act, popularly called

Obamacare, was sanctioned by the United States Congress on March 23, 2010. The Affordable Care

Act forces the vast majority of US citizens to hire a health insurance, bringing subsidies to those who

need it to pay the health insurance, and prohibit denying coverage to people with a "pre-existing

medical condition". Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, there are 11 million more

Americans uninsured.

The health subsystems which are totally financed by the government are called Medicare and

Medicaid. Medicare is a federal programme that covers 65 year-old-people and older. The majority of

the older adult population in the United States enjoy this service. This is a government-run programme

and is what used to be called a "single payer", which means that the government is the entity that acts

as an insurer. Medicaid is a programme designed for low-income families. Pregnant women, children,

seniors, people with disabilities and parents who qualify under the country's poverty standards are

protected by the federal law. This programme is administered by the different states. Despite the

benefits of these semi-public safety programmes, there are many aspects that are still problematic.

For example, Medicare does not cover preventive medicine, or services such as dentists or

optometrists. Medicaid is exposed to rejection by providers of health services, because its repayment

rate is very low.

In the private sector, there are two ways to get health insurance. The first one is through the employer.

The second one is by hiring a private medical service. Patients pay monthly health insurance fees to

ensure that they will be covered when they need to go to the doctor, clinic or hospital. Insurance

providers cover thousands of patients, so they are able to negotiate with healthcare providers to

reduce fees and then pay for services. One of the most serious problems in the private sector is the

continuous increase in cost.

2
Conclusion:

Argentina's health system is fragmented by three types of organization, conformed by a public sub-

system that provides medical coverage to the entire population and fails to reach to all of the most

deprived sectors, a subsector of Social Security that provides coverage to workers but does not

ensure those who are unemployed, and a private subsystem aimed at upper-class society. Although

the system is disarticulated, it provides health coverage to the entire population despite the low per

capita resources used in comparison to the United States.

As for the accessibility to the system, it is not optimal. Although the population without health coverage

of Social Services or a Private Medical Plan has the coverage of the public system, this does not

always have the adequate infrastructure to respond to the needs of this population, so this group does

not have the same access as the rest.

The American health system depends on the citizens possibility to pay. The services are provided by

private healthcare companies, and part of it by the government through federal plans. However, a

proportion of the population remains uncovered generating unequal access to healthcare. Health is a

responsibility of citizens. On the other hand, in Argentina, healthcare is a human right. Although the

health system is worse than in The United States of America, in Argentina any citizen is free to access

the health system. Argentina allocates 823 dollars per inhabitant to health while The United States

invests in health 9400 dollars per person. Comparing the two countries, The United States of America

presents The highest percentage of investment in Health System. This difference is also connected to

the economic power of each of them. The United States belongs to what is called the developed

world, while Argentina belongs to the group of developing countries.

The United States is ranked 37th while Argentina, with public healthcare, is ranked at 75th (World

Health Organization).The injustice in the distribution of the financial costs of the health system is the

most vulnerable point for Argentina, while in The United States, the weak point is that health insurance

does not guarantee access to healthcare in case of illness, health is a privilege due to high costs for

citizens. Argentina and the United States have very different healthcare systems. Both systems have

their strengths and weaknesses and fit their country based on the countrys national character,

economy, history, demographics, and policy.

3
Bibliography:

[Introduction to Healthcare. USA: Khana Academy]

https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/brookings-institution/introduction-to-healthcare

[Elizabeth Cummings]. [Understanding US Healthcare System] USA.

https://www.interexchange.org/articles/abroad/2015/08/10/understanding-us-healthcare-system/

[Susan Lopez], [Sistemas de Salud]. [Monografa] Argentina.

.http://www.monografias.com/trabajos34/sistemas-salud/sistemas-salud.shtml#sisteeuu

[Salud En Estados Unidos]. [TeleSur].

.http://www.telesurtv.net/telesuragenda/Salud-en-Estados-Unidos-20170328-0036.html

[Katherine del Salto]. [Cmo Funciona el Sistema de Salud en los Estados Unidos]. [La VOZ]

http://lavoz.bard.edu/articles/index.php?id=11328

[Sistemas de Salud Argentina]. [Monografas]

http://www.monografias.com/trabajos16/sistema-salud-argentina/sistema-salud-argentina.shtml

[Health Care in the United States.] Wikipedia

Online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_united_states

[Health Insurance Coverage.] CDC Online.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/insure.htm