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By Karmyn Jones
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The United States is the only modernized western country that does not offer publicly funded healthcare to all its citizens. The United States operates on an insurance-based system; this means that in order to get somewhat affordable health care you must be insured. Unfortunately, there are currently about 30 million uninsured Americans. Not to mention, insurance companies are often more interested in profit rather than actually providing healthcare. Currently healthcare is considered a privilege for the middle and upper class; however, like education, it should be considered a right for all US citizens. Health insurance is rising as one of America’s top issues; high premiums, deductibles, copays and other unseen expenses are all associated with remaining healthy. Many Americans have the luxury of insurance, but many still have to go without it. This is a frequent topic within Congress, but no one can agree on a solution.
Every day, Americans get a new disease or condition. Sometimes the most effective treatment is a clinical trial that, with or without insurance, costs unimaginable amounts. This can cause detrimental financial consequences that most people will not recover from. Some prescribed medications may not be covered unless a cheaper version, no matter how effective, is offered. This causes around 78% of people to deny treatment or delay care. It’s unfortunate that Americans must choose to take that risk. Every year around 18,000 Americans die from lack of health insurance; a universal healthcare system will save lives as well as motivate all Americans to remain healthy.
In the United States, healthcare has extensive costs while the quality of care remains low. The United States spends more than any well-developed nation on healthcare, but it has poor outcomes on most health services including maternal mortality and suicide. Most people are uninsured or underinsured. Unfortunately, this means many face bankruptcy if they develop a serious illness. A Harvard study found that around 60% of all bankruptcies were caused by medical issues. There really is no way to compare your options to decide which insurance is best. There are many places for surprise bills. For example, when having a surgery, a surgeon may be covered by insurance, but the physician's assistant may not be. This means a person would get a bill without being told of the hidden cost beforehand. Providing a universal affordable healthcare system would eliminate people having life ruining-expenses from medical conditions.
Healthcare access is irregular within the United States. Most people look for jobs that have good health insurance, but what happens if they are let go? This can cause many people to go without insurance for extended periods of time. Another way access is irregular is by what services are provided to which people. The United States seems to deny the sickest people simply because they cannot afford it. Unfortunately, this means there is a divide in health care coverage between minority groups.
Becoming a nation that provides cost efficient universal health care for all its citizens will be far from easy. All of the companies involved (insurance companies, drug companies, medical equipment companies) have their own special interests they would do anything to fulfill. Maintaining the current system makes them billions of dollars, so why would they want change? The point is that the current health insurance system provides huge profits for companies while providing mediocre health care coverage and benefits. Foundational change is necessary to fix this. The resources that are available must be used differently in order to benefit Americans while simultaneously creating new resources. The end goal is for the healthcare system to put people before the profit.
Karmyn Jones is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2026. She is studying neuroscience and political science at the University of Louisville.