Health Care Spending In The United States

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Health care spending in the United States is a major problem today and continues to grow at an incredible rate, healthcare facilities and policy makers are continuously looking for ways to slow or reduce spending overall. Policy makers are attempting to eliminate waste spending, without harming consumers or reducing the quality of care that is received by patients. The estimated amount of funds wasted amount to one-third upwards to one-half of all US health spending. Included in the funds wasted are those services that have yet to prove evidence of providing better health outcomes compared to less-expensive alternatives. There are many inefficiencies in the delivery of health care services. Fraud and abuse within the medical facilities is a major problem that could possibly be avoided, which was the topic of a Health Policy Brief published on July 31, 2012. Studies have examined the amounts of wasteful or ineffective US health care spending within public health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. These studies have shown that the amount of healthcare waste is immense. …show more content…
There are many factors that come in to play to when it comes to spending. Almost $91 billion is spent due to inefficient and redundant health administration practices. It has been found that healthcare funds are wasted by delivery of care failure. Included in this topic is the reduced implementation or lack of good health care practices, such as effective preventive care or patient safety practices. These failures tend to result not only in higher cost but can also be a cause for patient injuries and incorrect clinical