Politics
The Problem with American Healthcare
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There once was a time in the United States when institutes and services that were deemed necessary for the nation were given to the government to handle. Even in a country run by capitalism, it was too unethical to make money off essentials. Now we watch vital services become private profit. Take war for example. Remember when war profiteering was unethical? Now there are more private contractors in Iraq than American military troops. Corporations such as weapons manufacturers and civilian contractors are making millions at the cost of the lives of American troops. Or how about prisons? Corporations involved in the prison system are lobbying Congress for stricter sentencing laws so more people are in jail, meaning more money to be made. Next time your updating your finances check out the Corrections Corporation of America, a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Seeing what’s become of our military and prisons, it’s no question why health care and the hospital system are so messed up. Some super rich, super powerful men saw hospitals as a business and decided to make it profitable. 3 for-profit corporations now own 600 hospitals and health facilities in the United States. For every person that gets sick and needs medicine, they’re making a profit.
The Obama Administration has made great strides in trying to universalize health care, but its not enough. The root of the problem comes from profits being made within the system. When you make medicine for-profit, you get useless industries like health insurance. Private, for-profit health insurance took away a 26% overhead on medical expenses.
Take a look at these insurance companies and ask yourself, what are they bringing to the table? they don’t do any check-ups, surgeries, or anything medically related. There is no value to these insurance companies. Instead, they take the money and hire people to figure out a way to deny you coverage, even though you’ve been paying for years. This is not the fault of the insurance company. Like anything else on a capital market, they feel the drive to make profits. The problem is the system in general.
It’s not like its a big experiment to universalize health care. In fact, the United States is the only wealth, industrialized nation that doesn’t have universal health care. That’s not a good thing either, considering we spend twice as much as any other country on health care per capita. If you don’t think universal health care is cheaper, check here and here for some statistical backing. If the government really cared about the health of its constituents, it would make sure every citizen had health care.
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