Abstract
Health care in the United States is plagued by many problems. This includes excessive specialization with too few generalists, burdensome bureaucratic federal rules and regulations, and outlandish malpractice awards—all contributing to costs of care that exceeds all other nations. Cost has erroneously been identified as the cause of the problem rather than being one of many results of a failing system. Rather than repetitive unsuccessful efforts to tinker with cost as the cause, it makes far more sense to design and build a better structure of health care including expanding the existing biomedical model into a broader biomedical-psychosocial model. Hawaii, with virtually 100% of its population insured, is closer to this model than most states. It also manages to be ranked the healthiest state with one of the lowest health care costs in the nation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beeson, P.B., Too many specialists, too few generalists.Pharos. 54:2–6, 1991.
Schroeder, S.A., The troubled profession: Is medicine's glass half full or half empty?Ann. Intern. Med. 116:583–592, 1992.
Reiser, S.J., Consumer competence and the reform of American health care.JAMA 267:1511–1515, 1992.
Engel, G.L., The biopsychosocial model and medical education.N. Engl. J. Med. 306:802–805, 1982.
Greenlick, M.R., Educating physicians for population-based clinical practice.JAMA 267:1645–1648, 1992.
Bakken, E.E., On the current crisis in health care and its implications for the hospital of the future.Archaeus Project 2010. 42–44, 1992.
Hawaii gains first place in health ranking survey.AMA News. Oct. 7, 1991.
Stenson, R.V., Comparison of health expenditures in U.S. and Hawaii economics.Hawaii Med. J. 51:10–14, 1992.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gilbert, F.I., Nordyke, R.A. The case for restructuring health care in the united states: The Hawaii paradigm. J Med Syst 17, 283–288 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00996959
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00996959