Final answer:
Primary healthcare aims to be universally accessible and serves as the first point of contact within the healthcare system, offering prevention to chronic care management. The U.S. healthcare system, although high in quality, struggles with cost and universal access issues. Organizations work globally to reduce healthcare costs and improve care quality, especially in underdeveloped regions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Primary healthcare refers to a broad range of health services that are directly accessible to individuals within a community, covering most health needs throughout one's life. This includes prevention, wellness, treatment of common illnesses and conditions, and chronic care management. It is intended to be universally accessible to individuals and families in a community and is generally the first point of contact with the health system, bringing healthcare as close as possible to where people live and work. Primary healthcare embodies the principles of health equity and social justice by striving to provide high-quality care that is patient-centered and culturally appropriate.
In the United States, healthcare coverage is divided into public healthcare, which is government-funded, and private healthcare, which is privately funded through health insurance purchased from private companies. The U.S. system, while offering high quality of care and life-saving innovations, faces challenges such as controlling costs and ensuring basic medical care for all. By contrast, healthcare systems in other countries may have lower costs and more equal access but may struggle with rapid access to the most up-to-date care.
Organizations such as the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders are integral in assisting countries with lower per capita incomes, where even basic resources like clean water for drinking and health workers may be scarce. These organizations help to bring down the cost of healthcare and increase the quality of care, especially in developing or underdeveloped countries.