Why American Medical System Is Broken - Essay Example

American Medical System is broken Introduction The health care system in America is broken, broken because the system is experiencing a significant meltdown. The health care system is on a virtual course of realizing a decline in the quality of care. Simply put, there is a tremendous rise in the cost that most American people cannot afford. This implies that both the companies and individuals are having a hard time trying to afford the ever-rising cost of health care. Moreover, the numbers of individuals and companies that are uninsured are on the rise, Insurance companies are in a profit-making spree at the expense of the people. When all these aspects are put together, the American health system is deemed broken. This paper is going to give its focus on the broken American health care system. Furthermore, this paper will highlight the reasons behind having a broken health care system in the United States. In this paper, I ask; why is the American health care system broken? Reasons behind the American Broken Health Care System The broken American health care system can be attributed to various reasons. It is apparent that the American health care system is a complete paradox. This is because in regards to technology in medicine as well as the disease scientific understanding, the United States is a leader. Doctors in America are the best paid in the world. Despite all these privileges, the Americans are still not the beneficiaries (Gumbel). Gumbel continues to argue that the healthcare system is run by insurance companies that are profit-propelled thus making the system be inefficient and more expensive, besides being dehumanizing. America’s expenditure on healthcare is two and a half times that of Britain, and twice as much as that of France. However, the health care system is on a meltdown in almost every key indicator in public health sector, high infant mortality rate when compared to other developed countries like Britain. There has been no serious debate on healthcare system in America since 1994 when Bill Clinton was the president and his wife Hillary Clinton failed in her attempts to overhaul the health system. About 45 million American citizens are not insured (Garson). This number includes 10 million children (Gumbel). Gumbel continues to remark that the growing numbers of uninsured is unacceptable in any civilized society, more so not in America. Analysts had predicted that the American health care system would be broken, come the year 2011, and the government would have taken measures to avert the situation before it happens. For instance, Bolen, a consumer advocate, had remarked in 2004 that everybody was aware that the U.S Medicare system would experience a meltdown in 2011. According to him, the healthcare care system was going to be unaffordable to most Americans. Bill Frist, the majority leader of the senate and a heart specialist physician, gives scary Statistics on the American health care system. The statistic show that America spends about 15% of its overall income on health issues. This is higher than other developed nations. In this regard, when broken down, America spends approximately $5,540 annually on every man, woman and child (Broder A24). Similarly, health care costs are experiencing four times increase when compared to wages. Broder predicted that in 2006, the cost of health care coverage sponsored by the employers would be at $14,500 per family. However, the health stakeholders and the government did not do anything to prevent the situation from taking place. In 2003, the Census Bureau stated that about 44 million Americans were rendered without health insurance in 2002. Amazingly, the number of uninsured has been on the increase to approximately two million people every year. A consumer group known as Families USA reported that about 82 million Americans did not have health insurance cover in 2002/2003 period, most of them for a period not less than nine months (Broder A24). Furthermore, The American Journal of Medicine, as reported by Orville stated that the Middle class families are on the verge of collapsing as a result of a broken health care system, that, “treats physical wounds, but often inflicts fiscal ones” (Orville). Surprisingly, the California’s Anthem Blue Cross insurance company owned by profit instigated WellPoint announced that its premiums in the individual market would rise by 39% in the coming months (HealthReform.Gov). Many individuals and organizations were not shocked by these assertions, since most families have witnessed their premiums increasing in the recent period. In this regard, HealthReform.Gov continues to report that a broken health insurance system has been profitable for insurance companies at the expense of families. This is simply because the broken health insurance companies have given a lee way for the rise in premiums. If not properly checked, the increase will continue to be witnessed in the coming years by the American citizens. Broken American health care system can also be regarded to be as a result of being triggered by regulatory bodies such as Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (Pharma), which do not want to manifest their stipulated mandate as stated when they were established. According to Bolen the Pharma is bleeding the Americans to death. Bolen continues to argue that the top three causes of deaths in America are related to the broken American health care system. Bolen asserts that latrogenic deaths is the leading cause of unnecessary death in the United States. 783,986 people die of Latrogenic deaths in the U.S. Secondly, the number two unnecessary deaths is caused by the Heart disease, at 699,697 annual death rate. Thirdly, the number three American death is caused by Cancer with an annual death rate of 553,251. This implies that annually, the total number of deaths (2,036,884) are known and directly linked to the American medical system. The regulatory systems that had been proposed and put in place by the people have been compromised. For instance, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not working for the people. According to Bolen, the FDA is run by “Big Pharma”. This has resulted to drug pricing swindle; prescription drugs are sold from 2 to 20 times in America, compared to their costs in other developed countries, while at the same time the FDA decides to raid companies that attempt to import the prescription drugs from Mexico and Canada, with its guns withdrawn (Bolen). Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is not working in the interest of the people. The Big Pharma continuously manipulates the FTC. This is manifested in the manufacture of varied standards for health claims for such things that are in competition with drugs in the American health market such as herbals, supplements and devices for electro-medicines. Furthermore, the FTC runs covert operations such as Operations Cure-All, though it did not receive authorization from the Congress to run such operations, since the covert operations can only be run by the CIA and other intelligence groups. The Operation Cure-All has no offices, telephone numbers, management, employees and accountability, even though it continues to boast of using the name of FTC (Bolen). Certain bodies such as the State Licensing Boards have been mandated with responsibilities of ensuring that American health care system is regulated in all the States. However, the State Licencing Board does not regulate and check the American health care system. Bolen asserts that the Licencing Board has not done anything in relation to the number one cause of unnecessary deaths in America-the latrogenic deaths, since there is no single State that has tried to put a halt, or even find out the problems of Hospital Adverse Drug Reactions that cause about 106,000 deaths, or the 108,000 deaths caused as a result of malnutrition, the 98,000 deaths caused as a result of medical errors, 105,000 deaths due to bedsores, 88,000 deaths resulting from infections, the 199,000 deaths caused by outpatient Drug Reactions, the 37,136 deaths as result of unnecessary procedures as well as the 32,000 deaths caused by surgery related cases(Bolen). The unnecessary deaths caused by the broken American system significantly increases every year because the American States Regulatory Agencies have continuously been ignoring their mandates. The American health care support system has been compromised. There is a common thread that adversely winds its way through the Cancer Society of America and the AIDS Network. The common thread that impacts negatively the American Cancer Society and the AIDS Network is the “Big Pharma” (Bolen). Bolen continues to remark that the Cancer Society and the AIDS Network are funded primarily either directly or indirectly by Big Pharma. This implies that therefore, as mentioned above, the overtly advertised war on Cancer and war on AIDS is only done as a way of promoting new and very expensive drugs that is not easily afforded by the American citizens. It is imperative to acknowledge the fact that the American Medical System is fully aware that the American health care system is broken and is not taking steps to fix the problems, but according to Bolen, they strive to continue destroying those bringing in better transformations as well as the individuals or companies trying to manufacture or maintain a healthy people as well as those who focus their efforts towards finding treatment for Cancer, AIDS and other top causes of unnecessary deaths in America. The American Medical system is however engrossed in maintaining their status-quo (Bolen). The agencies that have been put in place by the government (the people) have continuously been ignoring the health care problems. They, on the other hand, have been re-focusing their efforts to attacking solutions that are in competition with the drugs-surgery paradigm. There exists what Bolen refers to as the war between health and medicine, which the FDA, the FTC, some State Regulatory Agencies and the Support System have directly or indirectly joined and are striving to ensure that affordable health care systems for the American citizens is not achieved. For instance, the FDA has been fighting the manufacturers of supplements, installations of electro-magnets through the use of battering arms, automatic weapons, seizure of assets. All these are tricks to halt competition against the masters-the Big Pharma. On the other hand, as discussed earlier, the FTC maintains the daily running of the Operation Cure-All that targets the attempts by the American people to disseminate new and innovative health care ideas. However, despite all the challenges faced by the American healthcare system, Garson sees light at the end of the tunnel. He argues that new technology will see the rise in efficiency, the new tests costs and treatment will outweigh the savings, and as doctors improve their expertise in treating problematic issues, patients’ lives will be lengthened. Moreover, the number of individuals seeking healthcare will be increased, since the new generation will actively demand for top-quality care. Additionally, the challenge of uninsured citizens will still be encountered, since, as Garson views, the Insurance companies will do away with benefits for new employees. This is because as the health costs increase, employers will not accept status-quo. In this regard, some insurance companies will run away from the industry, thus channeling their funds towards costs of coverage, while at the same time not providing the coverage themselves. The transformations will see the rise in the number of uninsured citizens. The middle class will be disenfranchised and they, together with the employers will in turn advocate for significant and radical transformations (Garson). Conclusion It is apparent that the American healthcare system is broken. Everyone knows that the American health care system needs to be salvaged since many Americans continue to dig deep into their pockets. Many Americans are uninsured as a result of the broken health care system. Many factors are attributed to this fact, and amazingly, the government, together with other people-established organizations do little or nothing in trying to salvage the situation, in which the citizens unwillingly find themselves. The whole healthcare system deserves a complete overhaul. Various recommendations that will help in averting the situation include embracing the use of electronic medical records, severity adjusted premiums as well as data collection that will be used as evidence in medicine. The government can also empower health care institutions in order for patients to achieve true quality services. Physicians have to be included in the overhaul, since they are the major players. Bodies charged with regulations should ensure that they meet their objectives and the expectations of their employers-the people of the United States. Reforming health care system will fix the broken healthcare system. The health insurance reforms will push down costs while at the same time ensuring that power of consumers as well as their choices are averted to the hands of the people. In effect, this will imply that all the American citizens get their much needed and well deserved health care services. In this regard, the reforms will not only help the health care system, but also the American economy. Reforms will oversee the health insurance companies so that people get value for their paid premiums. Reforms will end arbitrary limits placed on insurance companies coverage as well as ending discrimination in the insurance sector. Reforms will oversee the creation of ample competition among the insurance companies. Therefore, it is the mandate of every American citizen to see to it that the American healthcare system is transformed. The major players such as the Pharma, FDA and the FTC should ensure that they are people friendly by accomplishing their stipulated mandates. Works Cited Bolen, Tim. "The American Medical System is Broken...." The Consumer Advocate (2004). Broder, David S. "Our Broken Health Care System." Washington Post (2004): A24. Garson, Arthur. "Current Perspectives." 2000. Circulation. 20 November 2011 . Gumbel, Andrew. "Sicko? The Truth about the US Healthcare System." The Independent (2007). HealthReform.Gov. Health Reforms. 20 November 2011. 20 November 2011 . Orville, Peter. "US Health Care Financing System is Broken – Most Bankruptcies Due To Medical Debt." 2011. Bankruptsy Law Network. 20 November 2011 . Read More