The American healthcare system has undeniably demonstrated its positive characteristics, such as quality, productivity, ingenuity, and creativity. Nevertheless, the problem of reforming the healthcare system for many years was one of the most important tasks for the American government (The Infographics Show, 2018). Having a health insurance policy became a requirement for American citizens after the introduction of Obamacare. Starting in January 2014, almost all Americans should have some form of health insurance: from their employer, individual, or through a government program such as Medicare and Medicaid (Eitzen et al., 2018). In other words, it establishes individual liability requiring all Americans who can afford insurance coverage to purchase it or pay a fine.
However, a significant increase in prices in the field of medical care has increased, causing widespread discontent in the country, fueled by the unpredictability of the conditions of insurance coverage. The too-high cost of medicine has long been a heavy burden on the country’s economy and on the shoulders of the nation, politicians complained (Eitzen et al., 2018). It is the main reason why Americans have trouble accessing health care. Middle-income Americans are much more likely than in other countries not to see a doctor when they are sick and do not use care and rehabilitation services.
In addition, in the United States, there is a problem with insurance for national minorities and children. About 10% of non-Hispanic whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics are uninsured. It has also been found that the majority of the uninsured are US citizens (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2017; Center for Prevention MN, 2018). What is more, US health insurance premiums are rising rapidly. This growth rate is outpacing both inflation and wage growth for workers. The idea behind Obamacare, which was that young, healthy Americans would buy health insurance and thereby cover the cost of insurance for the elderly, did not materialize (Eitzen et al., 2018). Large insurance companies began to leave the program, and the remaining ones raised insurance premiums.
There is also dissatisfaction with the fact that many pay large contributions for what they do not need. Attempts to take the processes occurring in health care under state control meant the need to conclude a new “contract” between the medical community and society. Such a political task can be seen as extremely difficult. Violent criticism from outside, mainly supporters of the Republican Party, literally fell upon Obamacare (Eitzen et al., 2018). The over-generosity of the health care package mandated by the Affordable Care Act is a target for attacks.
The abovementioned facts indicate the importance of help coming from professionals to address the issues of expensive healthcare services in the US and the exact extent of social inequality in the sector. Particularly, the insurance industry can arrange a kind of economic consortium that will assess the risks and opportunities of reducing costs for healthcare for society as a whole. Then, it is essential to develop a program that will provide some preferences to minorities in terms of access to healthcare. Politicians can come up with such an initiative in Congress, referring to the current social disparities in the sector. Finally, healthcare providers can cooperate to publish a comprehensive report on the actual state of societal inequality in the industry. This can draw the attention of mass publish to the problem, as well as put additional pressure n politicians forcing them to take action.
References
Eitzen, D. S., Smith, K. E., & Zinn, M. B. (2018). Social problems (14th ed.). Pearson.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2017). Minority health disparities | Michelle’s story [Video]. YouTube.
Center for Prevention MN. (2018). Health equity animated: Equity vs. equality [Video]. YouTube.
The Infographics Show. (2018). US healthcare system explained [Video]. YouTube.