I am writing this letter to present the universal healthcare proposal regarding the Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) in the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the need for change in the American medical system as currently available Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Exchanges do not provide the necessary support and functionality to all the patients with the lung problems. This situation occurred because some people cannot afford to pay for healthcare under the given circumstances and inadequate distribution of the resources. Universal healthcare could be an effective solution to these problems.
Receiving adequate medical treatment when needed should become a norm in any civilized society. Currently, American health organizations aim at the citizens’ ability to obtain the required assistance (Centers for Medicare, n.d.). However, reforms that seek the balance between the affordability of the hospital treatment and current service models, such as Medicaid or Obamacare, do not improve health systems coverage (Manchikanti et al., 2017). Minorities, students, immigrants, and other groups that historically struggled to receive timely medical help, experience not only financial difficulties but stress and frustration from the bureaucracy and frequently changing guidelines (Patel et al., 2018). The American healthcare system requires a more radical change than adjusting the existing insurance policies.
The universal healthcare system should provide access to medical services for migrants, minorities, and other financially vulnerable groups. The government could propose and implement cross-sector strategies with a focus on innovative healthcare and technology usage. The global development community and political representatives should collaborate to create common monitoring mechanisms and learning platforms (Bloom et al., 2019). Organizations like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may use one database and provide help to all the citizens with the government support, similar to the way it is done in Canada (Martin, 2018). Presently, it is difficult to tell how much these institutions can be controlled as changing to the universal healthcare system has never occurred in the U.S. Since it would be a lengthy and complicated process, American politicians have to start considering the new strategy implementation as fast as possible to avoid or reduce the negative effects in a transition stage.
CDRs, while being the primary concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, require different direct and indirect costs when being treated. In some cases, the patients have to pay for several months of medical care, which can amount to unbearable sums of money for some U.S. citizens (Hackett, 2020). Over 40% of Americans are likely to support the Universal Medical Care initiative (Lagasse, 2020). Incorporating it could reduce stress and improve the workforce in the U.S. as people would more likely use preventive medicine instead of waiting for the critical condition to occur.
CRDs are a significant medical issue for many people all over the world. Millions died because of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and asthma, whether caused by COVID-19, genetics, environmental problems, or allergies (To et al., 2020). Giving the guarantees of maximal financial and medical support to the population could encourage better resource distribution and lead to significant overall life quality satisfaction and less stress. Universal medical care could be the trigger for such national change.
The U.S. is one of the most powerful states in the world with well-organized economic and political systems, yet its citizens may not be able to afford a hospital visit. This prevents the workforce, education institutions, and research facilities from reaching their full potential and creates unnecessary stress during crisis times. Implementing the universal healthcare system will require additional spending initially but provide both financial and psychological benefits for the population in the long run.
References
Bloom, G., Katsuma, Y., Rao, K. D., Makimoto, S., Yin, J., & Leung, G. M. (2019). Next steps towards universal health coverage call for global leadership. BMJ, 365(2107), 1-9.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (n.d.). We’re putting patients first. Web.
Hackett, M. (2020). Hospitalized care for COVID-19 averages $34,662 to $45,683 varying by age. Healthcare Finance.
Lagasse, J. (2020). Coronavirus pandemic makes universal healthcare more popular in the latest Morning Consult poll. Healthcare Finance.
Manchikanti, L., Helm Ii, S., Benyamin, R. M., & Hirsch, J. A. (2017). Evolution of U.S. health care reform. Pain Physician, 20(3), 107–110.
Martin, D., Miller, A. P., Quesnel-Vallee, A., Caron, N. R., Vissangjee, B., & Marchildon, G. P. (2018). Canada’s universal healthcare system: Achieving its potential. The Lancet, 391(10131), 1718−1735.
Patel, M. R., Press, V. G., Gerald, L. B., Barnes, T., Blake, K., Brown, L. K., Costello, R. W., Crim, C., Forshag, M., Gershon, A. S., Goss, C. H., Han, M. K., Lee, T. A., Sweet, S. & Gerald, J. K. (2018). Improving the affordability of prescription medications for people with chronic respiratory disease. An official American Thoracic Society Policy statement. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 198(11), 1367−1374.
To, T., Viegi, G., Cruz, A., Taborda-Barata, L., Asher, I., Behera, D., Bennoor, K., Boulet, L.-P., Bousquet, J., Camargos, P., Conceicao, C., Gonzalez Diaz, S., El-Sony, A., Erhola, M., Gaga, M., Halpin, D., Harding, L., Maghlakelidze, T., Masjedi, M. R.,… Yorgancioglu, A. (2020). A global respiratory perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic: Commentary and action proposal. European Respiratory Journal, 56, 2001704. Web.