The Time for a Radically Renovated Health Care System
America’s health care system is badly in need of a significant overhaul. The sad truth of the matter is that we’re the only modern, industrialized nation on the planet that doesn’t offer mandatory coverage for all citizens, regardless of personal economic factors.
Perhaps most disturbingly, the US government spends the most money of any nation in the world on health care, yet lags far behind in a wide variety of critical issues related to coverage. Of course, specific members of the media and various pundits claim that this is altogether an unfair attack. If America’s health care is so bad, why then do individuals from countries all over the world come here for top-quality care not available in their own nations?
The answer to this question sheds a spotlight on the biggest fundamental flaw facing the US health care industry. Yes, it is true that America’s health care in many ways leads the world in technology and innovation. The US boasts some of the finest medical facilities anywhere on earth, offering cutting-edge services and technologies that aren’t found readily abroad. In essence, America does not have a problem with health care; America has a problem with health coverage.
According to the US Census Bureau’s 2012 statistics, 48 million people in the US live without health insurance coverage. This is our fundamental flaw. We may have some of the best medical facilities in the world, but with so many of our fellow citizens uninsured or under-insured, many Americans have no chance of ever receiving this care.
Unfortunately, Obamacare is not the end-all solution to the problem in its current state. While it has extended coverage for millions of Americans, it still leaves tens of millions with no coverage and security, and millions more vastly under-insured for what they need.
What we need in this country is a simple system -- Everybody in; nobody out. The for-profit insurance industry has turned health care into a game of “How can we make the most money off of healthcare denial?” I don’t believe that game is fair, ethical, or just. I don’t believe the safety and security of any American should be left up to big-corporate money games. If this nation truly is the greatest nation on earth, then I don’t believe any citizen should ever have to worry about the financial burden of an unexpected illness putting them tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. This is deplorable.
Americans should be free to have proper medical access whenever they need it, regardless of the expense. A single-payer system, paid for directly by US tax dollars, could easily provide for every American to have adequate access to the care they need. Beyond that, streamlining the system by cutting out the for-profit insurance industry would actually save taxpayers money by allocating funds directly to the doctors and medical facilities that need them. Couple that with an intelligent system, focused heavily on cost-saving preventative care, and the US could easily provide maximum coverage while lowering costs for everyone involved (including taxpayers).
While it is true that no one system is perfect, this should not be thought of as a detractor to overall progress. America has a long history of incorporating valuable cultural traditions from abroad into its own society. We should learn from all other health care models worldwide -- borrowing from the good, taking note of the bad, and crafting our own unique system to provide the best coverage for all Americans.
America deserves to be a worldwide leader in health care and coverage. We should strive to create the best system possible for our nation and our people.
These are the policies which promote the true promise and notion of American exceptionalism. This is the America our citizens demand and deserve.