Health Insurance System in the US - Term Paper Example

Health Insurance System In Atlanta, Georgia, a private hospital turned away a woman in labor because the hospitals computer showed that she did not have insurance. Hours later, her baby was born dead because the woman was sent to a county hospital and it was too late to save the unborn child. The hospital sent this woman in labor to a county facility not for the medical reason, but for the economic one – the hospital administrators were afraid the hospital would not be paid for treating the patient. The case of this stillborn baby is only one of the countless examples of the injustice happening in the United States every day. There are approximately 250 million people currently living in the United States and almost 75 millions are uninsured (Botterweck 396). This includes not only the poor and minorities but also a growing number of low-paid middle class Americans who, with their salaries, cannot afford to purchase insurance. In cases of illnesses or accidents, they are left to mercy of those who run the hospitals. Because adequate health care protection is essential for all people, health care system in the United States must be reformed so that all Americans are covered in the time of need regardless of their ability to pay for medical services. Today, the United States is the only industrial country in the world that does not provide a government-sponsored medical system for all citizens (Botterweck 401). One major reason for this is an antinationalistic political philosophy which values limited government actions in order to maximize personal liberties. The involvement of the government is only seen in some kind of support for those most in need, the children of the poor, and the elderly – Medicaid (for the poor) and Medicare (for the elderly). Both of these programs grew out of the controversy about public health. While these programs give a certain level of assistance to the poor and the elderly (usually low-quality services), there are growing numbers of low-paid middle class working people who do not fulfill requirements for receiving Medicaid insurance. Furthermore, neither their employers provide them with health insurance benefits nor their low-amount checks allow them to purchase any kind of insurance. This category of people suffers the most in cases of illnesses or other medical emergencies. According to “Mortality,” leading causes for deaths in the United States are heart diseases and different types of cancers, which are in direct correlation with a lack of the adequate health care (2). If these people were insured, they would be provided with services such as regular check-ups and in many cases death could be prevented. The United States has turned health into a competition. Blue Cross and Blue Shield, OSF health care, Unicare, and many others compete against each other to give their customers their "best price." The truth is, many of these are too expensive for any American who is not middle class or above. According to Physicals for a national health care program, "Medical bills in the U.S. are too high for someone to simply pay out of their pocket." Depending on the type of insurance, trips to the doctor can cost anywhere from $10- $55, and trips to the emergency room can cost anywhere from $200-$1000 (Burman and Williams, 530) Most people would agree that everyone should be provided with health care. Most people will be in a situation when their well-being would be conditioned by the medical service they receive. Most people would agree that providing people with health care benefits cost a lot of tax-payers’ money. Rising health costs mean lower wages, higher prices for goods and services, and higher taxes. The points of disagreement arise from the question whether or not all the citizens should sacrifice and accept even higher tax rates for introducing a new health care program which would cover all the citizens regardless of their socio-economic status. Another question is how the government should address this issue and would the universal government-provided insurance mean interfering in people’s lives and limiting personal freedom of choice. To answer both questions, people should decide whether saving humans lives is worth of giving up on some amount of money or even losing some level of personal choice. Although having a national health plan seems to be working in other countries, some Americans might argue that we, as a nation, should not take this route. There are many important tissues to consider. A national health plan means that money has to come from taxes. Because of this fact, some may believe that in the end, all Americans will have to pay large amounts of money as then do now. This is not the case; taxes allow for richer citizens to pay more and for poorer people to pay less, in the end it all equals out and is fair. Another major problem with adopting this type of plan is the lower wages for doctors. The higher the health care bills and insurance rates, the higher doctors will be paid. If doctors wont be earning as much, they might not be as motivated to do the best that they can (Moeller, 285). If doctors start earning low wages, some people might believe that there will be less and less incentive for becoming a physician. There are pros and cons for all angles in the debate between a national or individual health insurance. The United States has been a great leader on many other issues, but it is falling behind on the health and well-being of its citizens. We will never know if a national health insurance policy will be a great success until we try. The United States is without a question the leading country of medical and scientific innovations. There always seem to be a new medical breakthrough every time people watch the news or read the newspapers, especially in the cure of certain diseases. Without the question, the medical research requires an enormous amount of money. The United States spends the most money on health care yet many people, mainly the working class Americans are still without any type of health insurance and thus are more susceptible to health risks and problems. A decrease in the number of uninsured Americans correlates with a decrease in the cost of hospitalization that is associated with treatment at the later stages of the disease (Grace 3). This means that it is less costly to prevent the disease than to cure it. Besides, if more people receive medical coverage for routine check-ups, the United States workforce would become much more productive since many people are taking days off because of illnesses. Therefore, by providing people with health care insurance the economy would progress and the money would be saved due to early detection and prevention of a diseases. A wealthy society such as American has a moral obligation to meet the basic needs of all of its members. The commercialization of medicine leads to the abandonment of certain qualities and ideals that are necessary to a moral community. People should have a sense of compassion and charity towards those that have had fewer chances to succeed. Many in our society have marked the poor class as unwanted and worthless. Why spend money on someone if they do not help you out in some way? People who think this way obviously do not think of these people as of human beings who also have feelings, wants, and needs. When people need medical treatment to save their life, it should not be important who they are. It is definite that health care is a fundamental human right because, if people are created equally, why should certain people be treated differently on the medical bases? Besides, most physicians in the United States are trained at public institutions through public subsidies and this should be an issue considered when discussing about health care reform. Because most of physician received their education at public institutions, they owe help to the citizens who subsidized their training expenses. The national health insurance systems were developed in order to lessen the economic burden on sick or injured people who do not belong to health insurance plans. Most countries have a system in which subscribers pay in accordance with income received from their jobs and these amounts are supplemented by money from the national and local governments. This amount is then applied against medical costs. According to the Chiba City website, "People who live in Japan are required to join either the Employers Health Insurance Plan at their place of employment or the National Health Insurance Plan provided by their local government." Once Japanese join the national health insurance plan, each household is issued one health insurance certificate that provides proof of membership in the insurance plan. This health insurance certificate is used whenever someone receives medical care from a doctor. To be covered with health insurance is crucial because, sooner or later, all people will be faced with needs for medical services. Unfortunately, millions of Americans do not have that “privilege” that is accessible mostly to wealthy members of the society. Until people find better and permanent solutions to provide health care for the all uninsured Americans, they will have to endure the rising costs and problems of the system. They will also have to witness terrible events such as the one that happened in Atlanta, Georgia. It just seems ironic how the United States can spend the most money on health care and having the best technology and research in the industry and yet there is still 14.6% (Botterweck 398) of the nations population that lack coverage and access to that health care. Because the working class comprises most of the uninsured group of people, the economy is also affected because the productivity of the workforce directly depends on their overall health. Most importantly, providing all Americans with health insurance would save countless lives and that should be the ultimate goal of American society. Works Cited Botterweck, Michael C., et al. Everyday Sociology; an Introduction. 4th ed. Elmhurst: Starpoint, 2004. Burman, Leonard E., and Roberton Williams. "Tax Caps on Employment-Based Health Insurance." National Tax Journal 47 No. 3 (September, 2004): 529-45. EBSCOhost Academic Search Elite. Black Hawk College, Moline, IL. 27 June 2005, 1-4. Grace, Kevin Michael. “Nobody Here But Us Socialists.” Newsmagazine. 12 Aug. 1994: 17. Moeller, John F. "Gainers and Losers under a Tax-Based Health Care Reform Plan." Inquiry 32 No. 3 (Fall, 2005): 285-99. Read More