Essay On Health Care In America

John comes home to his family from working thirteen hours at a labor-intensive job. Last week he fractured his arm but he fights through the pain and he doesn’t let that slow him down. He cannot afford to go get a cast due to not having healthcare and then be out of a job for six weeks. His family depends on him to place food on the table every night. This is true for over 47 million people in America. Many Americans get sick or disabled because they cannot afford healthcare and preventative measures. There are various problems with existing healthcare programs like their affordability, portability, and accessibility, and some politicians have tried to come up with solutions like the Affordable Care Act which enhanced government provided healthcare.

Affordability is the primary reason many Americans do not have any type of Healthcare.

Even Americans who have jobs still are unable to pay for healthcare, leaving them uninsured. From the year 2000 to 2006 the overall inflation rate increased from 3.5% to 3.8%, while the healthcare premiums increased 87%. This is a drastic decrease in the affordability. The main route most people obtain healthcare is through their employer. Employer-sponsored healthcare makes it easier for people to afford coverage. However when you are self-employed or you found a job that did not offer employee healthcare, it can be very expensive. There are 15% of Americans who receive heath insurance through government programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, or Military.
Employment tied health insurance coverage also affects portability. When you have a healthcare plan off of your employer it is possible for it to be difficult to use, because you are limited to the doctors you are eligible to go see. If you change jobs or lose your job you also lose your health insurance. Other factors also include maternity leave, retiring, becoming injured, or disabled. With many circumstances that affect it, this applies to many Americans. A better solution would be to have healthcare follow the person instead of the job. However, this could also be very costly for many

people.
Accessibility is another problem that arises when the topic of health insurance is discussed. Many healthcare plans will not accept a person who already has medical conditions. The main goal of healthcare companies is to make money, therefore someone who has frequent doctor visits will not make them money. This is the reason many people with pre-existing medical conditions get a very expensive plan. Many people that have medical conditions and are considered a high-risk person to insurance companies leave countless bills unpaid because they don’t have the money to pay them.