International Comparison of Health System Characteristics Note:  Before completing this Discussion, please familiarize yourself with the Week 6 Discussion Rubric located in the  Course Information  area of the course navigation menu. How does the U.S. health care delivery system compare with other countries’ health care delivery systems? What is the relationship of a country’s economic resources to health outcomes? How does the funding of services influence access to care? How does government involvement in health care delivery inform the patient/consumer experience? There are no simple answers to the questions above. Yet, health care administrators must engage in thoughtful, ongoing inquiry into questions such as these in order to gain a well-rounded perspective on health care delivery. In this week’s Assignment, you will analyze and compare data to deepen your understanding of the U.S. health care delivery system, as well as other health care delivery systems around the world. Your examination of data can provide valuable insights, but it is also important to consider the context surrounding health care expenditures and outcomes. In this Discussion, you will examine health system characteristics, such as government involvement and funding of health care delivery in the United States and other nations. For this Discussion and this week’s Assignment, select  two  countries to compare with the United States in terms of health care (i.e., compare the  same  countries in both the Discussion and Assignment). One country must be a developed country, and the other must be considered a developing (low- or middle-income) country: as much as possible, select countries that are  of similar size . To identify the development level of countries, use the following resources found in this week’s Learning Resources: · The International Statistical Institute: Developing Countries · World Bank: Country and Lending Groups Next, review the information in the Learning Resources related to health system characteristics, particularly Chapter 1 in the Shi and Singh textbook. Research the characteristics of the U.S. health care delivery system and the systems of your selected countries using the Walden Library and credible websites, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) site, found in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the following questions as you research each country: · How is the health system organized? Is there a central governing agency? · How does an individual gain access to needed services, including specialized care? · How are health care services paid for? For example, does the country have a national health system with tax-funded coverage, a health insurance system with a single payer, a health insurance system with multiple insurers, or something else? · What benefits do people in this country experience because of the health system’s characteristics? For instance, are people guaranteed access to health .

1. International Comparison of Health System Characteristics
Note:
Before completing this Discussion, please familiarize yourself
with the Week 6 Discussion Rubric located in the
Course Information
area of the course navigation menu.
How does the U.S. health care delivery system compare with
other countries’ health care delivery systems? What is the
relationship of a country’s economic resources to health
outcomes? How does the funding of services influence access to
care? How does government involvement in health care delivery
inform the patient/consumer experience?
There are no simple answers to the questions above. Yet, health
care administrators must engage in thoughtful, ongoing inquiry
into questions such as these in order to gain a well-rounded
perspective on health care delivery. In this week’s Assignment,
you will analyze and compare data to deepen your
understanding of the U.S. health care delivery system, as well
as other health care delivery systems around the world. Your
examination of data can provide valuable insights, but it is also
important to consider the context surrounding health care
expenditures and outcomes. In this Discussion, you will
examine health system characteristics, such as government
involvement and funding of health care delivery in the United
States and other nations.
For this Discussion and this week’s Assignment, select
two
countries to compare with the United States in terms of health
care (i.e., compare the
same
countries in both the Discussion and Assignment). One country
must be a developed country, and the other must be considered a
developing (low- or middle-income) country: as much as
possible, select countries that are
of similar size

2. . To identify the development level of countries, use the
following resources found in this week’s Learning Resources:
·
The International Statistical Institute: Developing Countries
·
World Bank: Country and Lending Groups
Next, review the information in the Learning Resources related
to health system characteristics, particularly Chapter 1 in the
Shi and Singh textbook. Research the characteristics of the U.S.
health care delivery system and the systems of your selected
countries using the Walden Library and credible websites, such
as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) site, found in this week’s Learning
Resources.
Consider the following questions as you research each country:
·
How is the health system organized? Is there a central
governing agency?
·
How does an individual gain access to needed services,
including specialized care?
·
How are health care services paid for? For example, does the
country have a national health system with tax-funded coverage,
a health insurance system with a single payer, a health
insurance system with multiple insurers, or something else?
·
What benefits do people in this country experience because of
the health system’s characteristics? For instance, are people
guaranteed access to health care services? Do patients receive

3. well-coordinated care because their health information is
readily available to providers through an integrated technology
system? Do they have a great deal of choice when selecting
physicians?
·
What challenges do people in this country encounter? For
instance, is there typically a long wait to see a specialist? Do
patients encounter adverse effects because medical supplies are
not readily available? Are health care services prohibitively
expensive for most people?
Post by Day 3
a substantive and cohesive response to the following:
·
Analyze
two or more
defining characteristics of the U.S. health care system.
·
Provide an analysis of how these characteristics compare to the
characteristics of the health care systems of your selected
countries. (Be sure to identify the countries in your posting.)
·
Evaluate potential benefits and challenges for people in your
selected countries based on the health system characteristics
you have identified.
General Guidance on Discussion Posts:
Your original post, due by
Day 3
, will typically be 3–4 paragraphs in length (not including
references) as a general expectation/estimate. Refer to the Week
6 Discussion Rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your
Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.

4. Required Resources
Note:
To access this week's required library resources, please click on
the link to the Course Readings List, found in the
Course Materials
section of your Syllabus.
Readings
·
Shi, L., & Singh, D. (2015). Delivering health care in America:
A systems approach (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones &
Bartlett.
o
Review Chapter 1, “An Overview of US Health Care Delivery”
(pp. 20–28)
o
Chapter 2, “Beliefs, Values, and Health” (pp. 52–73)
o
Review Chapter 13, “Health Policy” (pp. 510–531)
o
Chapter 14, “The Future of Health Services Delivery” (pp. 557–
558)
Use the following websites as needed to identify countries on
which to focus in your Discussion postings and the Assignment:
·
The International Statistical Institute. (2015).
Developing countries.

5. Retrieved from
https://www.isi-web.org/index.php/resources/developing-
countries
·
The World Bank. (n.d.). Country and lending groups. Retrieved
March 27, 2015, from
http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-and-lending-groups
Use the following website to conduct research on health system
characteristics for your Discussion postings:
·
OECD. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from
http://www.oecd.org
Use the following resources for the Assignment:
·
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Countries. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/countries/en/
·
Document:
Week 6 Example (PDF)