Healthcare Systems in the U.S. and Canada
the social construction of health is a major research topic within medical sociology, including such factors as the cultural meaning of illness, the social construction of the illness experience, and the social construction of medical knowledge.
View this video on the role of society in our notions of health and disease:
Health & Medicine: Crash Course Sociology #42 (YouTube - 11:14)Links to an external site.
View this video on the structure and cost of US healthcare:
The Structure & Cost of US Health Care: Crash Course Sociology #44 (YouTube - 9:49)Links to an external site.
View this video discussing indicators that help us measure health for different populations:
Population Health: Crash Course Sociology #43 (YouTube - 9:55)Links to an external site.
Explore aspects of the US healthcare system. Resources you can access (but are not limited to) include:
U.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesLinks to an external site.
MIT MedicalLinks to an external site.
The Commonwealth FundLinks to an external site.
A Layman's Guide to the U.S. Health Care System (NCBI)Links to an external site.
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLinks to an external site.
Select a country other than the US and explore aspects of its healthcare system. Consider the following:
How does the healthcare system of your selected country compare to that in the US? Be specific.
How are these differences related to the concepts of the social construction of health?
How do the different theoretical perspectives view health issues and account for the differences in healthcare systems you discovered?
Write approximately 300 words. Review the properly document any citations and references (according to the current APA standard).
Healthcare Systems in the U.S. and Canada
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code and Title
Professor's Name
Due Date
Healthcare Systems in the U.S. and Canada
The social construction of health evaluates how people's contexts affect their health. It acknowledges the connection between health determinants and factors like culture and health systems. This paper highlights and compares the healthcare systems in Canada and the U.S.
Comparison
Differences exist between the Canadian healthcare system and the U.S. The U.S. healthcare system has the highest expenditures compared to Canada's on healthcare (Ridic et al., 2012). The Canadian government sponsors health insurance coverage for everyone since it has a universal health insurance program. In contrast, the U.S. has no health insurance coverage for the nation, but people purchase private health insurance (Ridic et al., 2012). Canada's healthcare system, unlike the U.S., has more services, lower costs, and universal healthcare access without financial barriers (Ridic et al., 2012). Notably, residents in Canada are more satisfied with the nation's healthcare system than U.S. residents due to lower costs and superior health services.
Social Construction of Health
Social health constructs determine people's health statuses based on their contexts. Notably, the healthcare system aspects enhance understanding, assessment, and treatment of different health conditions in a county. It incorporates socioeconomics, medical knowledge, the healthcare structure, cultural and social meanings, healthcare provider-patient relationship, and illness experiences. In Canada, universal insurance improves health status more than private insurance coverage in the U.S. because many people can access healthcare services (Madore, 1992). Unlike in the U.S., the superior health services in Canada reduce stigmatization culture for diseases because healthcare providers timely manage the conditions (Madore, 1992). Additionally, Canada's lack of financial barriers to healthcare enhances access to heal...