The U.S. Healthcare System: A Health Policy Primer for Medical School Applicants

hello! I’m Sabrina, an incoming first year medical student at the University of Chicago and a health policy researcher (concentrating on health equity and delivery system reform.)

questions about the American healthcare system come up pretty often during medical school interviews, and I know it can be intimidating to learn about these topics for the first time. this video provides a broad overview of U.S. health policy — applicable to premeds and non-premeds alike! I define some terms and high level concepts, review a few ongoing debates and issues in our healthcare system, and briefly touch upon the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare in America.

topics covered:
1:10 basic concepts & definitions
– 1:14 health care payers, premiums, copays, and deductibles
– 2:28 employer-sponsored health insurance and health insurance sources
– 3:44 medicare and medicaid
5:04 ongoing debates and issues in the U.S. healthcare system
– 5:12 healthcare reform and expanding insurance coverage
– 6:36 the affordable care act, medicare-for-all, and the public option
– 8:18 health care costs
– 8:38 price negotiation
– 9:48 fee-for-service reimbursement vs. value-based payment
– 11:10 health inequities and disparities
12:18 the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare policy

sources mentioned:
3:10 breakdown of health insurance sources — https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-267.html
6:05 impact of medicaid expansion on mortality — https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1202099
8:25 u.s. healthcare spending and breakdown — https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2019
9:27 private insurance vs. medicare on price negotiation — https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/how-much-more-than-medicare-do-private-insurers-pay-a-review-of-the-literature/
11:24 health equity and justice from 1993-2017 — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2736934?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=062819 and https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/28/736938334/the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-americans-health-is-widening

further resources:
rosenthal’s “an american sickness” — https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318776/an-american-sickness-by-elisabeth-rosenthal/
history of medicare and medicaid — https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/8/4/16095062/medicaid-explained-history-how-works
summary of the affordable care act — https://www.kff.org/health-reform/fact-sheet/summary-of-the-affordable-care-act/
the 2020 democrats’ health insurance plans — https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/19/21005124/2020-presidential-candidates-health-care-democratic-debate
robert wood johnson’s value-based payment resources — https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/collections/health-care-payment-reform.html
maryland’s global budget program — https://khn.org/news/paying-hospitals-to-keep-people-out-of-hospitals-it-works-in-maryland
COVID-19 and the need for healthcare reform — https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2000821
Video Rating: / 5

In this video, we will discuss how to pick the right healthcare profession for you. We will discuss various healthcare salaries, healthcare work duties, and what form of education is needed to enter a healthcare field. If I missed a healthcare profession you were wondering about, comment below and let me know!

Let me know what other healthcare professions would you like me to discuss!?

These are the 10 different fields I would have looked into before physical therapy and their required degrees. You can see the salaries for each healthcare profession in the video
1. Respiratory Therapist (Associates Degree)
2. Radiation Therapist (Associates Degree)
3. Dental Hygienist (Associates Degree)
4. RN – Registered Nurse (Bachelors Degree)
5. PA – Physicians Assistant (Masters Degree)
6. Speach Language Pathologist (Masters Degree)
7. Physical Therapist (Doctorate Degree)
8. Occupational Therapist (Masters Degree, but soon to be Doctorate)
9. Optometrist (Doctorate Degree)
10. Pharmacist (Doctorate Degree)
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TIMELINE
2:30 Respiratory Therapist
3:12 Radiation Therapist
3:50 Dental Hygienist
4:30 Registered Nurse (RIGHT NOW)
5:54 Physicians Assistant (PA)
6:56 Questions you should ask yourself when thinking about which healthcare professional you should be
8:50 Speech-Language Pathologist
9:50 Physical Therapist
10:15 Occupational Therapist
11:30 Optometrist
12:10 Pharmacist
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All average salaries found here: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm
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HEALTHCARE CAREER VIDEOS
PT vs PT Assistant

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ONLINE COURSE
Everything You Need to Know to Get Accepted Into DPT School
https://justin-s-school-279b.thinkific.com/courses/DPTschool
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Interested in coaching from me to:
-Get accepted into DPT school
-Excel in academics for high GPA
-Financial success (student loan debt, strategies to being debt-free)
-Get a job as a physical therapist
**Email me for inquiries: liftforchange@gmail.com
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Pre-PT Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3xFKHMv7E&list=PLdxUIDTaI7pyTDzeJUbnPiQiLaKAztlZV
DPT Hawaii Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKSohid6Oc4&list=PLdxUIDTaI7px1y64q6_U1yeyZkYDErNKN
DPT School Vlogs (all 3 years): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxUIDTaI7pysGoPOUMzN4oQU2oThA5Zb
WHAT I LEARNED AFTER DPT SCHOOL https://youtu.be/j5UoGMA4g_s
WISH I KNEW THIS BEFORE DPT SCHOOL https://youtu.be/tspSs4j6fTM
Is Physical Therapy worth 110K debt?

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Helpful videos:
What is Physical Therapy?

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How to Make Money as a DPT Student

Best Majors for Physical Therapy School

Tips to Stand Out as a Physical Therapy School Applicant

How to be a Successful Incoming PT Student

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