What nobody is talking about: The U.S Healthcare Gap
The famous U.S surgeon, Ben Carson has accomplished some amazing feats: Performing a successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the head, a procedure on a premature fetus still inside the womb, and innovative ideas to deal with brain-stem tumors. Doctors such as this are one of the main reasons medical care in the U.S is held in such high regard. Yet, despite having such great treatment, the U.S healthcare system does not always reflect the reality of first-rate healthcare.
According to national data, the U.S invests trillions of dollars into health care and related services each year. Shockingly, the extent of which this spending has helped the country remains in question. U.S healthcare has even failed in many ways. In terms of overall health, the nation often falls short when compared to other countries: the United States has below average life expectancy and infant mortality rates, as well as extremely high obesity and diabetes rates. Considering the vast expenditures on healthcare in the U.S, these poor health statistics are inexcusable- demonstrating the inefficiency of America’s healthcare system.
This nation’s healthcare system varies greatly from that of other countries, such as Canada and Germany. In Germany, healthcare is regarded as an entity that should be available to all citizens. In addition, every citizen is required to have some form of health insurance, whether statutory(often lower incomes residents) or private(those of higher earnings). Canada somewhat resembles this model as well. Their national health insurance program(Canadian Medicare) allows all citizens to apply for health care, aiming to provide for all. The U.S.A however, takes on a drastically different approach to healthcare than these two countries.
A distinguishing trait of U.S healthcare: it does not provide universal coverage. Private insurance often dominates as a result, with employer related health care plans one of the most popular. While affordable for some, employer related plans can be disastrous for others. This is especially felt by those of low incomes, as they cannot even afford their employer’s health insurance plan. Although public funded services such as Medicaid and Medicare exist, these are intended for those who fall into a specific age or income bracket, leaving many people with unmet needs uninsured.
The United States has a notable reputation for many things: education, free-markets, and political rights. Yet, in the healthcare industry, the country often falls short. The system is woefully inefficient, leading to high rates of disease such as diabetes and obesity. Even worse yet, America’s wealth gap is directly seen in the realm of healthcare, leaving the impoverished frequently uninsured while the affluent don’t have to worry about a thing.
https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2020/07/how-does-the-us-healthcare-system-compare-to-other-countries
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633404/
