The main providers of  health services are health care organizations. To enhance efficiency and  cost-effectiveness, health care organizations have combined health care  sectors or components to create health systems. These sectors can be  divided many ways. The text provides one example, classifying them as  financing, institutional providers, individual providers, public health  agencies, enablers, suppliers, and regulators. The Health Care Sectors  Interactive Media Flash tutorial demonstrates that the components of  health care systems can be organized in many ways.

Prepare for this discussion by reading the following chapter from the course text: Introduction to U.S. Health Care:

• Chapter 1, “The U.S. Health Care System”

Explore the supplemental interactive media tutorial, Health Care Sectors.

In this Discussion:

• Describe the similarities and differences in both the components and the systems that you organized.
• Assess the classification system on the basis of the three criteria you think is most important.
• In 2–3 paragraphs, explain why you grouped the components the way you did.