Healthcare in America is a growing issue that has been attempted to be fixed several times but still needs more attention. The United Stated of America is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal healthcare system. Around 18,000 people each year die in America because they are uninsured. Most people are unable to afford full coverage insurance without benefits from their employer. Without insurance, it leads to medical bills being extremely high and causing about half of all bankruptcies. Other countries spending less than America on health care have healthier populations and the infant mortality rate in the United States is now higher than most industrialized countries.
America has one of the best private health care systems because of all the advancements in technology and medicine in recent history. The biggest issue about private health care is that not every is able to access it because of the expense. While the private health care system is soaring, the public health care system is emptying many American's wallets. For example, if you were uninsured and needed to get a blood test, the average price out of pocket would be $1,500 and the more complex tests could reach all the way up to $3,000. The prices are unaffordable.
Americans pay way more on health care than anyone else. As a country, we pay $2.8 trillion annually which makes one-sixth of the total economy. If the health care system were to break off from the United States, it would be the fifth-largest economy in the world. America spends more on public health care than other countries such as Canada and even more on private. Canada's health care system has different plans that cover every Canadian citizen, yet 33 million Americans are still uninsured.
Obama attempted to fix the growing problem by creating Obamacare. When it is in full effect in 2024, about 31 million Americans will still be uninsured. The largest issue with Obamacare is that it does not apply to everyone.
The healthcare system needs to find a way to cut costs for uninsured people or find a way to develop a universal health care system. The medical industry has the money flowing in but needs to start to use it in a different manner to be able to help every citizen. Healthcare should not be a privilege, it should be a fundamental right.
