Traveling In Pearls

As I study for my Global/Comparative Health Studies class, I...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:33:45 -0400

As I study for my Global/Comparative Health Studies class, I have been breaking down the health care systems of the United States and around the world. With an ever aging population, we as patients pay for treatment as well as pay for the generation before us (due to taxes).
And as my professor said, healthcare in the U.S. is “not delivered through a standard linear system, but instead through a kaleidoscope of financing, insurance, delivery, and payment mechanisms that are not standardized and are loosely coordinated.” It’s an interesting concept, and quite a complicated one (come to find out). Financing, Insurance, Delivery, and Payment are all getting harder to achieve in the US. However, this new healthcare law (brought forth by the Obama administration) has promised to ease some of our burdens.

Attached to my update is a video which breaks down the reforms in a simple way. And in class, we have been comparing the ever changing (for better or for worse) US Healthcare System with others around the globe.

Starting with the United Kingdom’s centrally controlled healthcare system, the whole entity is financed by general taxes. Hospitals and clinics are owned by the government (essentially the British citizen), and there is a high degree of central gov’t authority. It all sounded great until I found out that GPs (General Practitioners) are under government contract while specialists are treated as government employees. GPs don’t even make rounds in the hospital (according to my professor)!

Next is the Local Control HCS, which is utilized in Canada and France. National taxed fund the programs, but the taxes are distributed at the providence level (state like level). Doctors are allowed to work privately and the hospitals are also privately owned. Basically, each providence controls their own health system.

Social Insurance, or Germany’s way of the HCS, is financed like the USA’s…govt mandated contributions and general taxes. They utilize the same private doctors and private institutions as the LC HCS does in Canada.

Finally, the Hybrid model in Holland is the newest (and in my opinion, hardest to grasp) HCS around. They are financed through taxes and through the particular individual which the government serves, and they also utilize the private systems with private insurers like Germany.

I learned a lot from my professor to say the least, and have yet to wrap my head around the entirety of the world’s different health care systems. I might not agree with Universal Health Care, but they do have some great ideas which work for the cultures of the country in which it serves.

Cheers,

Every Evening by 2AM Club and Chiddy Bang via The Kollection

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:15:24 -0400

Every Evening by 2AM Club and Chiddy Bang via The Kollection

It’s been quite a busy past couple of weeks here in...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:05:16 -0400

It’s been quite a busy past couple of weeks here in Auburn!

Silver Wings summer work has been picking up swiftly, and we are preparing ourselves for Exec Boards in Washington DC! I purchased $2,069 worth of plane flights thanks to a grant from Auburn University (War Eagle), so we have secured a round trip to DC. That’s more money that I have spent in one setting than I have ever spent in my lifetime! We’re also about to start buying plane tickets for all of the ARCONs which we will attend, so I will end up having tons of Delta SkyMiles along with plenty of memories by the end of November! And I plan on documenting all of my travels on here (of course!).
Kevin, Greg, Amalia, and I are headed to the Gathering of the Eagles AFA Brunch in Montgomery, AL on Saturday, so we are excited for another road trip!

As you can see by the picture above, Amalia and I (along with a group of friends) attended a Biscuits baseball game over this past weekend. It was military appreciation night, and we were able to stay for the fireworks at the end.

In other news, I have become re-obsessed with Love by the Beatles, thanks to going to see the Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas this time last year. My favorite is (of course) Come Together, but I also loved Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Well, it’s about that time to go and continue studying. Summer classes are worth it, though!

Cheers,
KC

Downloaded from The Kollection.

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:32:01 -0400

Downloaded from The Kollection.

I finally broke down and got a tumblr! Quick update on the...

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:47:52 -0400

I finally broke down and got a tumblr!

Quick update on the events of the spring…
I was finally able to declare my major as Biomedical Science with a concentration in medicine and I was also able to start my minor in Public Health. It’s just one more step closer to my dream of becoming an Emergency Medicine Physician!
Also, I finished my job up as National Business Chairman of Silver Wings (What an incredible year!). The even better news is that Auburn University won National Staff for Silver Wings AND Arnold Air, which means that I’m National President! WOW! I cannot wait to keep on working with the organization and the society and see what the upcoming year has in store for me! I get to travel to Atlanta, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Portland, Detroit, and Toledo all in one semester! I will (of course) post pictures about my Silver Wings and Arnold Air travels, along with who I get to meet. The best part, of course, is that I get to travel with my friends. What an amazing semester, and I look forward to beginning a new one!