The Americans Dying Because They Can't Afford Medical Care - Essay Example

"The Americans Dying Because They Can't Afford Medical Care" is a perfect example of a paper on the health system. The article by the Guardian, "The Americans dying because they can't afford medical care," highlights the struggles in most American households to access medical treatment because of the skyrocketing costs (Sainato, 2020). The article illustrates how the high cost of care has dramatically threatened the lives of many Americans. In a given case scenario, the piece exemplifies how an individual died because she could not afford medical care. Susan Finely, an employee of Walmart retail store was fired for taking a day off beyond what is permitted by the company's attendance policy. The 53-year older woman had taken sick leave to recover from pneumonia. Unfortunately, she lost her health insurance coverage with the loss of the job. Three months down the line, the lady died from the flu and cold like an ailment that she could not afford to treat. Similar to Finley, numerous Americans are avoiding medical treatments due to escalating costs. Research reveals that 25% of households report that a member has delayed treatment for a severe disease due to a lack of funds. The reports also indicate that 8% of people with less severe ailments delay treatment as they cannot afford it. In general, approximately 56% of adults record medical financial hardships. Studies show that unless actions are taken, the issue will worsen with time (Sainato, 2020). Despite the U.S spending the most on healthcare, the high cost of treatments causes deaths or people getting sicker due to the delay or avoidance of medical procedures. Families should not have to make these choices. The article continues to expound on how the government should create policies that expand healthcare access and lower the costs of treatment. Under the affordable care act, the government-funded healthcare system should avail affordable healthcare services for everyone. The Guardian reports that most of the people they surveyed delayed or avoided medical treatment for the lack of finances. Overall, the article provides an in-depth discussion of the healthcare policy issue of the high burden to foot medical bills, which affects me.

The policy issue of citizens having to bear the high cost of medical treatment my main concern. The underlying cost of healthcare policies aims to reduce the cost of treatment to make it affordable for everyone. However, the healthcare policy issue concerns the burden to have to bear the high cost of treatment, which finds people foregoing or delaying treatments. Most people, especially the unemployed, may not have access to medical insurance covers. As such, these people are forced to struggle to cater to their medical expenditures. The issue affects me, considering the high out-of-pocket costs. With such a trend in the local community, many people will shy away from seeking medical care due to their inability to pay for quality services. The increasing costs have a great impact on patient treatment utilization and general personal health (Sainato, 2020). The high out-of-pocket costs become a growing burden to the local people and a barrier to accessing treatment. The healthcare payment responsibility can deter people from seeking the care they require. When patients do not utilize the treatment needed, then their health deteriorates. Delaying to visit the hospital can eventually cost the health of a person. An individual may be suffering from a different ailment by assuming a suffer a certain ailment if they do not visit the health facilities. The major concern considers how financial constraints hinder people from seeking care for their medical conditions, which bears lifelong consequences.

The article is neutral, considering that the healthcare policy issue affects the general population. Therefore, the claim that Americans are dying due to the lack of medical funds is true. Healthcare is a basic necessity for everyone to ensure a healthy and productive society. The ideas in this article are addressing issues that are common to the general public. The local policy rein in the healthcare cost affects the locals and even the medical providers and insurers. The growing cost of drug prices and medical bills culminates in the surprise bills incurred by the providers, insurers, and patients.

There is a need to influence healthcare policy in the future. People spend huge amounts of money on healthcare. One of the reasons for the escalating cost of care is government policy. Yet, there are more reasons for the rising cost of medical treatment. It is possible to influence the issue of the cost of medical care. The best way to influence this healthcare policy is to encourage healthcare utilization. One of the key factors associated with medical treatment's increasing cost is the effectiveness of medical service utilization. The high pocket costs have highly added to the expense of medical treatment. As such, patients are avoiding seeking healthcare services due to cost concerns. However, neglecting or delaying seeking medical treatments creates another causality in the rising costs. Therefore, the initiative to obtain details about one's health status is essential to ascertain the cost of treatment. If a patient is aware of the actual cost of the care needed, they will have no difficulty shopping around. The bottom line to solving the healthcare issue is attempting to achieve greater transparency to reduce medical costs.