The three prominent factors that have contributed to the development of the United States healthcare system today are; the healthcare providers, the health insurance players, and politicians. Firstly, many people in the world expect that the United States, being a developed country would have a universal healthcare system just like most developed countries. However, this has not been the case, and the cost of healthcare is relatively expensive compared to other developed countries. The notion of the American Dream has been taken advantage of by the elite, and left ordinary citizens to grapple with the rising costs of healthcare.
Most healthcare providers have always opposed a universal healthcare system for fear of reduced wages. The campaign for comprehensive coverage began as early as 1915 and was led by the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL). Hoffman (2008) mentions that when AALL persuaded doctors to support the legislation, they were skeptical that compulsory insurance would affect their incomes and independence. The American Medical Association (AMA) also labeled such an initiative as ‘socialized medicine’ and opposed it (Randolph, 2009 p.2). Evidently, healthcare providers to a large extent can be blamed for the high cost of healthcare presently because of their opposition to a universal healthcare system.
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The health insurance sector is a multibillion dollar industry. Therefore, anything concerning change in the healthcare industry strongly interests the key players in the sector. Obviously, having a universal healthcare system in the United States would threaten many of the companies offering health insurance cover. That would mean that the industry would be managed by the national government. Consequently, the health insurance key players have always accused the federal government of interference. Through lobbying, health insurance companies have been left to operate independently (Hoffman, 2008). The independence of the insurers has had several consequences to the patients, especially those who earn meager wages. Firstly, they charge high premiums for the cover and choose which conditions to cover. For instance, many insurance companies do not cover chronic illnesses. Therefore, patients are forced to pay for their treatment or management.
Politicians, too, have played a prominent role in the healthcare industry. Some politicians have tried to lower the cost of healthcare while others have been stumbling blocks. For instance, President Roosevelt feared the attacks from AMA, and stopped the implementation of universal care (Hoffman, 2008). Similarly, President J.F. Kennedy bowed in to the criticism from doctors and other key players. The closest a politician has ever come to deal with the issue was during President Obama’s term. The popular Obamacare policy was designed to make it compulsory for every US citizen to obtain insurance cover. Additionally, insurance companies were instructed to expand their insurance cover and to flex their conditions. However, some politicians still oppose the policy, and there is likelihood that it may never be implemented fully in all states.
The impact of the three factors in the last five years is that healthcare has remained to be expensive. However, the Obamacare policy has increased the number of people who have obtained healthcare insurance coverage. The surge in the number has also exacerbated the need for more healthcare providers (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). Therefore, more specialists have been hired, and even their wages increased.
Peer Response
I agree with Elizabeth’s position that the cost of healthcare has prominently and adversely affected the quality of healthcare. That implies that people who cannot sustain the high costs may even slide into depression because spending on healthcare leaves them with insufficient finances to cater for other needs. Some can also opt not to visit healthcare providers, an aspect that puts the whole population at risk. Alexis’ argument of the health insurance companies as being one of the stumbling blocks towards delivery of affordable healthcare is valid. Most of these companies have been using their vast resources to lobby politicians to shoot down bills that try to protect ordinary citizens from exorbitant medical fees.
References
Hoffman, B. (2008). Health care reform and social movements in the United States. American Journal of Public Health , 98 (Supplement_1), S69-S79.
Randolph, F. (2009). The Evolution of the U.S. Healthcare System
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018). Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm
