Assignment: The Healthcare Industry - What is their job?

The U.S. healthcare industry is in the spotlight today more than ever. From the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to the more than 45 million American's that are uninsured or under-insured due to high premiums, the healthcare industry is in the news on a daily basis. Add to that medical malpractice, recall of widely used prescription drugs, and a growing population of untreated mental illness patients and the healthcare industry seems more like an epic fail than the highly skilled science the public expects.

Please respond to the following questions:

•What is society's obligation to ensure access to a basic level of healthcare for all its citizens and how can it be accomplished?

•How can an acceptable quality of healthcare be assured for all?

•How can the costs of health care be kept affordable for both individuals and society?