US and International Health Care Systems Vocabulary (week 3)

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the U.S. and International Health Care Systems lecture, including system models, historical legislation, determinants of health, and government roles.

Health

A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Health Care System

A system consisting of all the people and actions whose primary purpose is to improve, restore, or maintain health, with the primary goal of achieving the best health for its consumers.

Determinants of Health

Factors that influence health status, categorized as Genetic Inheritance, Physical Environment, Social Environment, Health Behavior, and Health Care.

Primary Care

The level of health care delivery involving the practice of basic general medicine.

Secondary Care

Health care services involving surgical procedures, diagnostic testing, and treatment provided by specialists.

Tertiary Care

Highly specialized diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative health care services.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

The initial federal legislation towards food and drug safety, focusing on preventing the misbranding of drug products and enforcing accurate labeling without addressing drug efficacy.

Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938)

Legislation that created the present-day FDA, placed drug safety under government control, and mandated premarket approval with evidence of safety, though it made no formal distinction between prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Durham-Humphrey Amendment (1951)

An amendment to the FDC Act of 1938 that created the official distinction of "legend" (prescription) drugs requiring the label statement prohibiting dispensing without a prescription.

Kefauver-Harris Drug Efficacy Amendment (1962)

An amendment requiring proof of both efficacy and safety, accurate advertising disclosures, adverse drug reaction reporting to the FDA, informed consent for human studies, and prohibiting generic drugs from being re-marketed as new costly brand name drugs.

Flexner Report (1910)

A landmark report that revealed deficiencies in medical training, leading to reforms that placed medical education within universities, established accreditation under the AMA, and closed weaker medical schools.

Charters Report (1927)

A study titled "Basic Materials for a Pharmaceutical Curriculum" that analyzed the needs of the profession, defined pharmacy as a profession, and led to the adoption of a 4-year BS degree in 1928.

Hospital Survey & Construction Act (Hill-Burton, 1946)

Federal legislation passed during the Era of Expansion that funded the construction and surveying of hospital facilities across the United States.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Act (1973)

Legislation enacted during the Cost Containment Era to encourage the development of cost-effective health care delivery systems.

Police Power

The authority reserved to state and local governments to enforce laws and restrict individual behavior to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the population.

Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, operated by the federal government to directly provide healthcare services to U.S. veterans.

Private Funding Mechanisms

Health care financing streams involving direct out-of-pocket payments from individuals to providers, or insurance premiums paid by individuals and employers to private health plans.

Public Funding Mechanisms

Health care financing where taxpayers contribute through taxes into a government-administered public plan, which reimburses health care providers for services given to enrolled individuals.

Beveridge Model

Also known as the Socialized Medicine Model, a system where health care is financed and provided directly by the government through tax payments, facilities are publicly owned, and doctors are government employees.

Bismarck Model

Also known as the All Payer Model or Social Insurance Model, a system that uses non-profit private insurance plans ("sickness funds") funded jointly by employers and employees via payroll deductions, with heavily regulated fees.

National Health Insurance Model

Also known as the Single Payer Model, a health system where financing comes from a universal government-run insurance program that citizens pay into, while medical care is delivered by private-sector providers.

Out of Pocket Model

Also known as the Pay-to-Play or Market-driven Model, a system common in developing regions where individuals pay directly out-of-pocket for medical services without public or private insurance coverage.

Patchwork Model

The health care delivery model used in the United States, consisting of a blend of private funding and public programs (Medicare, Medicaid, VHA, IHS) serving different segments of the population.

Era of Expansion (1940–1970)

A 20th-century period in U.S. health care defined by major growth in facilities, health insurance availability, utilization, and the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid.

Era of Cost Containment (1970s–1980s)

An era marked by rapidly escalating health care costs, prompting cost-control responses such as Medicare DRGs, wage and price freezes, and HMO development.

Era of Assessment & Accountability (1990–Present)

The current period of health care focused on standardization of care, comparative effectiveness research, outcome evaluation, and linking reimbursement to quality of outcomes.