The cost of living a healthy life is a sensitive matter to talk about, but we can’t keep turning a blind eye to it. The crisis of the current US healthcare system takes its root in the organizational factors, which formed throughout the 20th century. Unlike consumer-driven health insurance in European countries, US insurance coverage was introduced by health care providers, who were seeking a steady source of income (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2016). The current Affordable Care Act is still based on experience ratings, which favor those who need the least care, often higher class members. I think our country needs to find the balance between quality and costs, this issue brings many hardships to the lives of US citizens.
The complexity of health care utilization often scares away people who are in a higher risk zone. I firmly believe that the proper education and explanation of the mechanics of insurance policies by healthcare organizations will make people more confident in our healthcare system. Every type of health insurance comes not only with benefits, but with problems as well, and this knowledge can encourage people to take a more sensible approach.
Private insurances tend to use the experience-rated method of charging premiums from their customers, but increased risk of illness correlates with reduced income (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2016). The lack of proper regulation of private insurance further worsened this condition. Employment-based insurances put people who are unemployed, self-employed or retired at a disadvantage. Enormous subsidies by the government gave more access to health care services for some people, but also further increased the costs of such services. I believe we are yet to find a way from this crisis, which was accumulated from multiple problems added by every invented solution.
Reference
Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2016). Understanding Health Policy: A Clinical Approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.