The affordability of healthcare for citizens of the United States has been a contentious topic for a long time now. Even though it is agreeable to everyone that the healthcare system in the country should be fixed, the ideas on whether healthcare should be made more affordable or not have divided the interested parties down the middle line. However, the importance of healthcare cannot be overstated because it affects many aspects of people lives from social welfare to the ability to be economically productive (Bovbjerg, & Hadley, 2007). For the majority of Americans who find themselves dependent on healthcare services because of different factors such as age and disability, the affordability of healthcare services is crucial. Other people hold the view that any effort to make healthcare affordable would translate to an expenditure burden for the country. Such claims are baseless since the general welfare of any country solely depends on healthcare. Thus, h ealthcare in the United States should be made more affordable to enable increased access to medical services, reduce bankruptcies, and lower poverty levels.
Affordable healthcare ensures that everyone has access to medical services regardless of social status. It is commonplace in the healthcare industry for a proper diagnosis to be done before the commencement of treatment (Bovbjerg, & Hadley, 2007). This enables clear identification of the problem with the aim of administering the right medicine in the right dosage. Similarly, the same model should be applied when dealing with the issue of making healthcare more affordable than it currently is. There are many factors that make the cost of healthcare in the United States to be high. For example, there is a mismatch on the ratio of healthcare providers and the consumers of the services. The inadequate supply of healthcare providers translates to a stretch on service delivery, which in turn affects the cost. Excessive regulation of healthcare services, coupled with the high liability and litigation costs, also contribute to the high cost of healthcare services in the country. There are many benefits that would be realized by making healthcare in the United States more affordable. For example, the affordability of these services would ensure that every American has access to medical services regardless of their social status. The healthcare plans that are currently in place have been seen to lock out many Americans from medical services because of the high costs involved. However, if a more affordable system were to be adopted, then more people would have access to healthcare services (Bovbjerg, & Hadley, 2007). This reduction of the cost would also bridge the ever-widening social status gap and ensure that more people from lower social classes get access to medical services. In addition to that, the government would also be fulfilling its constitutional responsibility of providing health services to its citizens by providing healthcare people of all social backgrounds.
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The potential for medical bankruptcies is yet another reason why healthcare should be made more affordable in the United States. However, McArdle (2018) warned that when addressing such a topic, one ought to acknowledge that bankruptcies tend to be multi-causal. The implication is that one could have had an expensive life thereby becoming bankrupt after falling sick as no income is being generated to sustain the individual’s life. However, McArdle (2018) stated that a high number of individuals are likely to declare bankruptcy after getting sick. Statistically, approximately 4% of the American population is likely to suffer bankruptcy due to medical issues. While the number might seem negligible, one cannot ignore the fact that the estimates given do not account for individuals who are sick and do not require hospitalization. There could be part of the population whereby individuals are unable to access healthcare services due to lack of funds. That being the case, there is a need to address such an issue and promote a more objective approach towards understanding the various factors that undermine healthcare access. McArdle (2018) emphasized that a more critical approach is a need to address the growing healthcare needs in the United States. The growing levels of debt among poor communities are making it impossible for individuals to acquire health insurance thereby affecting the country in general when it comes to productivity of the labor force. Healthcare affordability is likely to reduce the financial strain on different communities thereby promoting a healthy nation.
In the event that healthcare is made affordable, it will reduce spending on healthcare services across populations living in poverty. Even with Obamacare bringing about increased access to insurance, there are those communities or populations that have been unable to enroll due to lack of economic self-sufficiency. Khullar and Chokshi (2018) explained that a income affects health and longevity via various behavioral, clinical, environmental and social mechanisms. Therefore, one cannot isolate or ignore the distinct contribution that income plays when it comes to health as there are other social risk factors. In this regard, the idea is to ensure that healthcare is made available such that even those with a low income are able to acquire insurance. Khullar and Chokshi (2018) noted that “ Economic inequality is increasingly linked to disparities in life expectancy across the income distribution, and these disparities seem to be growing over time” (para. 3). Such a revelation demonstrates that with such a state of being, there is going to be a group of individuals who are unlikely to afford healthcare. For instance, that explains why low-income Americans are more susceptible to higher rates of physical limitations alongside higher prevalence in heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic health conditions unlike it is the case with higher-income Americans (Khullar & Chokshi, 2018). Such a case emphasizes the need to ensure that America’s healthcare system accommodates all populations and provides stable financial assistance to those communities that are unable to earn the average household income across the various states. Thus, with increasing healthcare needs especially among those living in poor neighborhoods, there is a need for them to find easy access to medical services. The potential outcome of nationwide healthcare coverage is that the country will have a healthy population thereby becoming productive in various sectors. Hence, healthcare should be made more affordable than is the case at the moment.
The passage of Obamacare was met with little resistance as its proponents felt that it was going to bring about positive changes in terms of healthcare coverage. For instance, Sanger-Katz (2017) cited that Obamacare brought healthcare access to more than 20 million Americans who acquired coverage through the law. With subsidies given by the federal government, insurance companies were forced to reduce their premiums thereby allowing individuals who would not have enrolled before to enroll. However, an important finding is that Obamacare did not achieve the primary goal of making health insurance affordable to everyone. Sanger-Katz (2017) stated that “Obamacare did not achieve uniform affordability” and that “Healthcare in the United States remains the most expensive in the world, and coverage remains out of the financial reach of many Americans” (para. 5). The concerns that Sanger-Katz (2017) raised focus on the overall impact of Obamacare when it comes to ensuring that all Americans have access to healthcare coverage. The implication is that there still remains a portion of the population who are finding difficulty acquiring health insurance. Addressing the issue at hand, McCaughey (2017) focused on the middle class whom she referred to as the new uninsured. She wrote that while the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was successful in adding millions to the insurance rolls, it failed in some parts. McCaughey (2017) stated that “… the law is driving premiums so high that middle-class people can no longer afford insurance” such that “Several million are expected to drop coverage in 2018” (para. 2). The issue raised demonstrates the effect of the ACA which its proponents did not anticipate. With the government providing subsidies to allow for a higher number of enrollments, private insurance companies were forced to find ways to avoid further losses. Thus, they resorted to increasing insurance premiums and immediately blocking out the middle income who are unable to afford the high prices put. Hence, it becomes an irony that affordable healthcare in America is not affordable to a selected portion of the population. That being the case, the law fails in its mission to ensure that all Americans are able to have easy access to healthcare.
Conclusion
The need for comprehensive healthcare coverage in America cannot be overlooked. Many communities are still yet to realize the benefits of Obamacare despite the law leading to more than 20 million acquiring health insurance. There are certain factors which need to be addressed such as debt load on some populations, private companies charging higher premiums thereby inhibiting the middle-income from acquiring health insurance, as well as social disparity. Obamacare should be streamlined such that the negative outcomes already experienced can be overturned and issues addressed in a more effective manner. The idea is to make healthcare in the country affordable in literal sense.
References
Bovbjerg, R. R. & Hadley, J. (2007). Health policy brief: Why Health Insurance Is Important. The Urban Institute . Retrieved on 11 February 2019, from https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/46826/411569-Why-Health-Insurance-Is-Important.PDF
Khullar, D. & Chokshi, D. A. (2018). Health, income, & poverty: Where we are & what could help. Health Affairs . Retrieved on 11 February 2019, from https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hpb20180817.901935/full/
McArdle, M. (2018). The truth about medical bankruptcies. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 11 February 2019, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/03/26/the-truth-about-medical-bankruptcies/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.cb663194c12d
McCaughey, B., & McCaughey, B. (2017, September 07). ObamaCare is making the middle class the new uninsured. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2017/09/06/obamacare-is-making-the-middle-class-the-new-uninsured/
Sanger-katz, M. (2017, February 05). Grading Obamacare: Successes, Failures and 'Incompletes'. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/05/upshot/grading-obamacare-successes-failures-and-incompletes.html
