Our Nation's Healthcare System

If there’s one thing that Democrats and Republicans agree on, it’s that our health care system is in shambles. It’s the laughingstock of the civilized world, to be perfectly honest. The World Health Organization, part of the United Nations, ranks the United States 37th overall, just ahead of Slovenia and Cuba, and right behind Dominica and Costa Rica. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen; the World Health Organization ranks the mighty United States just above communist Cuba.

In political science, there is a term called the iron triangle. The best example is the current defense setup in the United States. The three players are the defense contractors, the Department of Defense, and US Senators on defense spending committees. The DoD goes to the contractors as a whole saying they need a new model airplane. This spending has to be approved by a Senate committee. So, these contractors, in order to get the absurdly big contracts, work with senators in backdoor deals to create jobs in their states in exchange for passing the spending. The biggest loser: taxpayers.

The health care industry is eerily similar. The three major players are pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and insurance companies. The pharmaceutical companies charge insanely high prices on their drugs, so that they can make more money. This price, however, is largely covered by your insurance. Hospitals, meanwhile, broker deals with these same companies for appropriate rates. The insurance companies then raise their rates in accordance, but add a bit more to the top. The biggest loser: anyone concerned about their health.

Do you want your health in the middle of that triangle?

Unfortunately for us, the health care providers are in the pockets of the people with the pow...

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...it will cause massive spending are also not aware of the facts.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, a robust plan including the public option will actually reduce the deficit.

I’m not alone. In fact, Reuters released a poll in December with a startling fact: 60% of Americans want a public option. Nearly every poll released by a non partisan agency showed that the majority of Americans do want a public option. The problem: most Democrats on the Hill don’t believe the numbers. Why? Because their campaigns are funded by these health care companies to the tune of $550 million per year.

Personally, I think that a single-payer system would be the best health care system this country can have. For now, however, a public option will suffice. It’s not perfect. But it’s far better than the current proposal, and centuries better than what we have now.