Overview of the Current System Update
It is projected that between 2014 and 2024, nearly 10 million jobs will be added in the U.S. healthcare industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2016a). The United States spends the highest proportion of GDP on healthcare expenditures of any country. The system is a combination of private and public resources. Since World War II, the United States has had a private fee-for-service system that has produced generous incomes for physicians and has been profitable for many participants in the healthcare industry (Jonas, 2003). The healthcare industry operates like traditional business industries. Organizations designated as for profit need to make money in order to operate. The main goal of entities that are designated nonprofit is based on a particular social goal, but they also have to make money in order to continue their operations.
There are several major stakeholders that participate or have an interest in the industry. The stakeholders identified as participants in the healthcare industry include consumers, employers, healthcare and non-healthcare employers, healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, governments (federal, state, and local), insurance companies, educational and training institutions, professional associations that represent the different stakeholders, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions. It is also important to mention the increasing prominence of alternative therapy medicine. Each role will be discussed briefly.