The Performance and Implication of A Market-oriented Health Care System in United States

미국 시장지향 의료체계의 성과와 시사점

The United States has a unique health care system, which is unlikely any other health care systems in the world. The major part of basic functional components of the system -financing, insurance, delivery, and payment- is in private hands. A market-oriented economy invites the participation of numerous private entities that are interested in carrying out the key functions of health systems. Due to this central feature, U.S.health care is not delivered through a network of interrelated components designed to work together coherently. For lack of standardization, the various components of the system fit together only loosely. The involvement of numerous players in the key functions leads to duplication, overlap, inadequacy, inconsistency, and waste, which add to the complexity and also make the system inefficient. Hence, cost containment remains an elusive goals. Moreover, the system falls short of delivering equitable services to all americans, though consumption of health care services is the largest in the world. On the other hand, United States leads the world in the latest and the best in medical technology, medical training, and research. It offers some of the most sophisticated institutions, products, and processes of health care delivery. This article discuss the characteristic features of the U.S. health care system. and its performance, trying to seek its implication on Korean health care system.