Healthcare Costs: The Struggle of America

It was a peculiar day in May 2016 when Susan Finley was found dead in her apartment. Three months earlier, the 53-year-old had lost her job at a local Walmart retail store in Colorado, simultaneously losing her health insurance coverage as well. According to The Guardian News, investigations revealed that Finley had avoided seeking a doctor for flu-like symptoms due to high fees, resulting in this sudden demise and deterioration of her health. And in a flash, Finley was torn away from her family all because she couldn’t pay for treatment. Without a doubt, healthcare costs must be lowered to prevent Americans from neglecting good health.

Over the past few decades, many people have avoided getting treatment for life-threatening conditions due to the expenses they have to cover. According to the American Hospital Association, an estimated 133 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic illness. And as the Centers for Medicare claims, average medical costs hit $10,345 in 2016. Consequently, HealthPocket reports that “51% of those surveyed said that at some point in their life, they had avoided seeking medical care” due to inability to pay. The ludicrous prices of treatment are way above our budgets, and paying for these expenses doesn’t seem worth it anymore. Kelly Kenney, CEO of the Physicians Advocacy Institute, states that “when patients can’t afford the services,” they “have been shown to forgo medically necessary care.” “That is a big concern,” Kenney said. Along with that, the effects of these delayed visits can be “troubling,” the New York Times reports. Recently, a CDC analysis found that thousands of Americans experiencing heart attacks were avoiding the hospital until situations worsened. Good health is a privilege that everyone receives; money shouldn’t impair anyone’s ability to lose control of their well-being.

In addition to this, Americans have been put in a bigger financial crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic began. As specialists observed, hospital usage increased while a lot of people lost income and health insurance, making them less likely to seek care. For instance, Thomas Chapman was a sales director who lost his job in March 2020, according to the Times report. Chapman had diabetes and high blood pressure, but he didn’t resupply his medications for two months. Unfortunately, swelling developed on Chapman’s legs and he began feeling very lethargic, unable to get help. As we observed last March, just like Chapman, millions of Americans lost their jobs. People were unable to afford food for their families, let alone pay for their medical bills. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the unemployment rate jumped from 8.4% to 24.4% in 2020. Health experts expected that this pandemic’s impact on the economy would put a heavier strain on Americans, but they did not care less to lower costs of medical care.

Finally, good health shouldn’t be something avoided or disregarded on the basis of its fees; it should be easy to access at little or no cost. Americans have observed that the cost of medical care has skyrocketed, which is clearly unfair. As the popular saying goes, health is wealth. Nothing should get in the way of proper care, but all of the money Americans must pry of their pockets is a practical issue.

Although the government and healthcare companies may argue that higher prices are enforced to afford MRI scans, medical equipment, and the salaries of medical professionals, these high costs are simply preventing people from getting treatment rather than improving their medical state. The average U.S. family doctor earns $218,173 a year, way above the average in other nations, according to Investopedia. If a small percentage of their money could be reduced and cheaper equipment is sold, more Americans would have the opportunity to get treated for chronic illnesses. Specialists may even claim that a CT scan is very costly, being about $896 in America. But although equipment is expensive, why do only the wealthy deserve it? The poorer families must have an opportunity to be treated.

The high prices of healthcare don’t grant every American the same rights, rather they divide Americans into the groups “healthy” and “untreated.” Money shouldn’t be a priority over well-being when it’s an inalienable right. Moreover, the number of paper bills shouldn’t determine the outcome of a person’s health. With the pandemic and these surging hospital costs, who knows how many people will make it or not. After all, we must remember what the Declaration of Independence states: “all men are created equal…”

Sources

Advisory Board. “Patients Are Still Avoiding Medical Care. This Time, It’s Not Just about Coronavirus Fears.” Advisory.com, Advisory Board, 2020, www.advisory.com/en/daily-briefing/2020/06/18/delay-care. Accessed 29 Mar. 2021.

Blue Cross, Blue Shield. “Why Does Healthcare Cost so Much?” Bcbs.com, 2013, www.bcbs.com/issues-indepth/why-does-healthcare-cost-so-much. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Healthcare Finance. “More than Half of Americans Have Avoided Medical Care due to Cost.” Healthcare Finance News, 2020, www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/more-half-americans-have-avoided-medical-care-due-cost. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

HealthPocket. “The State of Medical Debt in the United States.” Healthpocket.com, 2019, www.healthpocket.com/health-insurance-insights/medical-debt-in-us-2019#.YGERnK9KiUl. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Investopedia. “Why Do Healthcare Costs Keep Rising?” Investopedia, 2021, www.investopedia.com/insurance/why-do-healthcare-costs-keep-rising/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Modern Healthcare. “Letters: Who Should Set Prices for Healthcare Services?” Modern Healthcare, 7 Sept. 2019, www.modernhealthcare.com/opinion-editorial/letters-who-should-set-prices-healthcare-services. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Sainato, Michael. “The Americans Dying Because They Can’t Afford Medical Care.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 7 Jan. 2020, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/07/americans-healthcare-medical-costs. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.