ABSTRACT
This chapter examines generic healthcare system goals and explores values that shape the kind of healthcare system. It explains how well the US healthcare system has performed. The chapter describes the value of quality and comparing the US with other Westernized, industrial nations. It considers what fixes might be made to the Affordable Care Act that get people closer to the kind of healthcare system. The chapter discusses liberal and conservative health reform proposals. It deals with some observations about the future of the American healthcare system. The Commonwealth Fund has produced reports comparing the quality of healthcare in the United States to that of other Westernized, industrial countries. Conservatives and Republicans have several problems with the liberal/Democratic plans. For conservatives, healthcare is more of good than a right, a good not much different from other goods. For Republicans and conservatives, insurance companies would continue to be vital parts of a healthcare system.
