An American Sickness - Essay Example

An American sickness

Healthcare is a universal concern that has been present for decades, and many measures have been put in place to help curb this situation. The problem seems to be increasing over time because many people need medical attention and many people have come in to improve the situation. Dr. Elizabeth Rosenthal is a journalist in the New York Times and one of the best sellers in that field. In the nineties, she had a passion for writing and became a freelance writer at the same time. Elizabeth then became a full-time journalist writing articles that focus on the healthcare system in America. She wrote the article "Paying Till it Hurts" which focuses on how the system, has become so expensive for all Americans in general.

The prices for the systems are now five times the value it was a decade ago. This has become a worrying trend due to the fact the hospitals are now running businesses and are managed by business people which have become the leading priority, and the care of patients takes second place. Dr. Rosenthal saw this as she was doing her practice and became much affected by all these since the people paying for these treatments are not getting what they deserve. She went on ahead and wrote the book 'An American Sickness- How Healthcare Has become a big Business and How You Can Take It Back.' She used her knowledge in the medical world and brought about the problems that healthcare costs are causing people.

This writing aims to, showcase how the medical field is all about money making, the issues that arose from this situation and the solution that will enable the creation of better and affordable healthcare in the country. An American sickness deals with the way the health costs in the country is a sickening situation in the country. Here are the problems that are brought about by the financial issues in the healthcare systems. They include the following;

The first problem is the fact that medical care and treatment is expensive. The price of receiving medical care is skyrocketing at a worrying trend, and there are no signs of them reducing any time. The amount of money paid once one enters a hospital building is in the tens of thousands if not hundreds. This situation weighed heavily on the consumers who are practical all the citizens of the country, and the government had to step in. The tenure of Barack Obama as president brought about the presence of Obama care which was to help every American to receive affordable healthcare all over the country, and this could only be done if the people could have an insurance cover to pay for the expenses, which is not cheap. This situation is a hard task because these hospitals are turning out to be business ventures at the cost of the innocent patients and their main aim is to become the most profitable business which is a goal in every business venture. This is a nightmare because the citizens have no other option because healthcare is a basic need and people require such services on a daily basis.

Secondly, the failing medical devices and items used in hospitals and many companies in the production industry do supply medical equipment to medical institutions all over the world. This is with the aim to improve health in general and improve ways of treating patients using the new technology. F D A (Food and Drug Administration) has reported many challenges in their endeavours to create a better support system for the patient which have raised eyebrows in the country. This has been practiced over the years, but issues have been raised about the real intention of these industries. This is because the treatments of these diseases take a more extended period. Some like cancer, diabetes or HIV/AIDS have proven to be diseases that are treated for a lifetime, and there is no treatment that would last a shorter period or else these companies would suffer losses which are in the billions.

The third problem is that there is no itemizing of the bills meaning that some measures do not indicate individual items in the final statement. Here is one situation, a patient who arrived while he or she was unconscious and was admitted for some time and received treatment when the chance of being discharged came; the patient was given a bill that generalized the whole statement. There is no indication of how the individual procedures were accounted for and the money is expected to be paid. How does the person fathom this Information? This can create a big problem since there is no way to find out about the expenditure. Another case in point is the fact that some expenses are not correctly mentioned or are abbreviated and the patient has no information about them. They might end up paying for items that they are not supposed to pay which means more expenditure in the hospitals.

Fourthly, dysfunctional health care, the real intention of hospitals is actually supposed to take care of the patients. Be there for them when they arrive and treat them till they are okay to leave. That is now the story of the past. Dr. Rosenthal is a former physician herself brings us to the reality on the ground. She walks the reader through what goes on inside a hospital. The rules have changed, and the quality of healthcare around the country reduced hugely. This is because they are driven to the goal of being the best hospital (because their care is more expensive than the rest) which is also the fact on the ground. This is a fallacy that has been going around, and the reality is one can get the same care in most hospitals at an affordable price.

The fifth problem is the rise in premium in the insurance covers of the citizens, the foundation of any insurance cover is to have every citizen gain access to proper medical care at an affordable price. This is the case with Obama care. This was good at the beginning, and people saw the need to acquire such which is a great help in their financial problems. The demand for the various health covers skyrocketed over the years, and more insurance companies developed. As the price of receiving medical attention increased so did the premiums of the covers offered by all the insurance companies. This has also become a profitable business in the economy. The companies make profits in the billions, and the people of this country have no option but to obtain these covers if they want to afford the medical care partially. The worst bit in all of this is the fact that the insurance covers may not pay the whole bill. Some are paid by cash and the patient, or the family must cater for that. In short, as much as people are having all these covers they do not pay 100% of the bill.

The last point focuses on how hospitals have become monopolies, and they are being run by businessmen instead of the medical staff. Medical care is a basic need and now one of the most profitable business ventures, these organizations tend to utilize this opportunity to make profit and patients to suffer consequences. The politics in the country are making things worse for the consumers who are the most significant share in the economy and profiting a handful of people.

As much as there are problems in the health sector, Elizabeth Rosenthal has brought forth some solution that will help the patients who are the most affected people in this situation. Here are some of the answers;

Firstly, there is nothing much that can be done on the skyrocketing prices of medical care of the treatments, but they can be controlled in some way. One way is through asking questions. This involves asking what medical procedures will be needed. The other part can be asking for more explanation on the bill that is presented and ensures that each expenditure is accounted. Another case in point is to search for the most affordable hospital to undertake the procedure that is needed. It is evident that some institution offers affordable treatments for the similar method. Some hospitals are cheaper than others and its best to look at all available options.

The Second solution is eminent in the way the hospitals are being monopolized and managed by businessmen which were adding fuel to the increased pricing of the treatments, the government needs to step in and control some of these companies to be able to help the citizens get better healthcare. Then the boards of management should put into consideration the patients’ needs first because they are the sole reason for their existence and they should be given the priority.

Itemization of the bills is the third solution. This means that the measures should be put in such a way that the private expenditure is seen and well elaborated to pay for treatment done. This is a significant issue since the patients get frustrated when they get the bill and do not understand how they got that high, and it does not relate to the treatment done. The abbreviated items can easily be found on the internet, and the meaning is brought out to know what is being paid for.

The fourth solution is dealing with the dysfunctional healthcare system and insurance policies where the patients are suffering the consequences of these malpractices and expenditure. There need to be policies that are required when purchasing and dealing with such equipment and let the public in the know about such and how to detect faulty equipment. This is because the quality of healthcare is dwindling and there is a need for action to curb and deal with this since a lot of lives are being lost on a daily basis. The insurance companies need to come forth and provide services that correspond to the money being given to them they should put more focus on helping consumers of their products.

At this point, the primary focus is on the way the medical institutions are not as productive as they were in the past. The doctors need to take charge and play their roles as expected. People get sick every day and need medical attention. As they walk in a hospital, the main thing running in peoples mind is ‘when will I get well?' No one thinks that they are going to die but to heal. The government needs to step in and help. The country is in dire need to get proper medical attention. The author of the book in this research was a doctor a former physician who has now ventured into writing, the primary focus being the health of the country. The findings of this writing showcase how the health system is and help that will enable the system to do its primary goal which is to improve the health status of the country. The cost is increasing, and the equipment are a goldmine. How do we move from here? Thankfully Dr. Rosenthal has shown ways in which we can take back our health care system.

In my personal opinion, it is true that the medical institutions do need to be improved. The issues presented in this writing showcase the same idea. The following are ways in which it can be helped. First of all, health is a delicate matter and needs to be handled as so. The solution should be universal hence one man cannot come in and solve the problem alone. It is a collective agreement. All the stakeholders involved should sit down and come up with better ways of addressing the price issues. The business people should keep in mind the sole purpose of hospitals and maintain that. The business part should not go out of hand and have people die just because they cannot afford the medical expenses.

A walk down memory lane brings out a different picture of how hospitals were in the past, and it is different now, and there is a great need to bring that back. It is upon every citizen to take part in this which can be done by actively participating in what goes on in all medical institutions and point out all the issues and find solutions. People might not feel obliged to undertake this action but keep in mind this affects every person directly or indirectly.