The health care system in the United States (U.S.) has evolved over the past half century to be one of the most complex health care delivery systems in the world. It does not provide universal access to all Americans so its utilization is primarily income dependent. The U.S. government has chosen to let private insurance and private enterprise take the lead in the provision of health care with oversight and regulation by federal and state government. At the same time this country has developed the most sophisticated technology in the world for diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing medical care. There has been, essentially, no rationing of health care in this country, unlike other developed nations.
This has led to a system that is indeed a paradox, where some people have access to the system that exceeds their medical need, and others have no access to health care, up to 52 million Americans according to recent estimates. In this country, unlike other nations, there is not one payer of...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsSuggested Reading
Starfield, B. (2000). Is U.S. health really the best in the world? Journal of the American Medical Association, 284(4), 483–485.
US Census Bureau. (2004). Income, poverty and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2003. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Suggested Resources
The US Department of Labor—www.dol.gov/ebsa/consumer_info_health.html: This website has consumer friendly versions of labor laws that protect people from losing health insurance, define the ability of employees to submit for health coverage and allow employers to understand their responsibility in providing health care coverage. It also has several links to other websites that review health benefits and labor implications.
The National Center for Health Statistics—www.nchs.gov: This national database covers the most recent information on health care utilization and access to care.
The National Association of Community Health Centers—www.nachc.org: Community Health Centers are separately funded by private and public monies to provide health care to individuals who are uninsured or underinsured. This website has a regional list of these centers throughout the country.
National Association of School Based Health Centers—www.nasbhc.org: The National Association of School Based Health Centers (NASBHC) links individuals to states that offer School Based Health Centers (SBHCs). SBHCs are a valuable resource in addressing medical needs of children and youth who may be uninsured or underinsured.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Bearss, N. (2010). Access and Utilization of Health Care. In: Clauss-Ehlers, C.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural School Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-71798-2
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-71799-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science