Date of Award
6-2013
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Melinda Goldner
Language
English
Keywords
primary care, medicine, infrastructure, health care
Abstract
Primary care medicine is an essential component of the U.S. health care system, yet there is no other part of the health care system that is in greater trouble right now. Primary care is undergoing profound change in the United States, as evidenced by an increasingly sick population along with the concurrent decrease in the supply of doctors to care for that population. The passage and the Supreme Court’s upholding of the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is but another confirmation of the need to improve upon primary care in the U.S. In this paper, the major deficiencies in the primary care infrastructure in the U.S. are outlined. In addition, analysis of health care systems of countries that have substantial primary care systems, namely the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, was performed to identify solutions to mitigate U.S. deficiencies. Innovative U.S. models and initiatives spurred by the ACA were also assessed. The results of this analysis indicate that to make substantive change to the U.S. health care system requires community directed initiatives based on the medical home model and centered on the primary care physician.
Recommended Citation
Joseph, Noah, "Reforming Primary Care in the United States: Analysis of Deficiencies and Potential Solutions Based on Existing Models" (2013). Honors Theses. 685.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/685