Session 11: Health Care & Poverty in The U.S.

Health care costs in the U.S. have become out of control.  This is evident in the statistics presented in this session specifically the percentage of  the population without health insurance currently stands at its highest point in 5 years standing at 16.7%.  I'm sure that due to the state of the economy that this number will continue to rise as the unemployment rate languishes at nearly 10% and those that once had employer backed insurance are no longer able to afford or to purchase health insurance directly. I can't say that I was surprised by any of the health care disparities in the U.S. especially considering that minorities are also disproportionately represented across those living in poverty so why would this statistic be to the contrary.  One thing that has always bothered me about the health care debate is that everyone involved in the health care industry claims to collect only modest profit margins whether it be doctors, hospitals, insurance providers, or pharmaceutical companies.  If that is the case where is all of this money going? If premiums have more than double over the past 2 years?  Based on reviewing the 2009 income statement for one of the largest health care providers in the U.S. I would say that having a net income of nearly $5 billion is the answer to this question.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for free markets, but it seems to me that a lot of these profits are at the expense of the citizens of the country that maintain these markets. The amount of money that gets spent on health care is mind boggling especially if you take into account that the U.S. has the "lowest life expectancy among 30 industrialized nations". 

Lower income families "tend to have a greater need for health care, as they tend to be in poorer health, and it has been well documented that those without insurance receive less health care than the insured."  It is a "well documented" fact that lower income people do not have the same access to health care as those at higher income levels. As shown in the video about the new health care reform bill those without health insurance that need treatment are either forced to spend every cent that they have access to in order to pay for treatments or resign themselves to the fact that they are going to die.  This is due primarily to the health insurance industry being more focused on the bottom line than actual health care and their refusal to write policies to those with "pre-existing conditions".  Were it not for this stipulation in the new health care bill the woman in this video would more than likely be dead.  If someone were to be ill with cancer not having access to health insurance or even having health insurance one can easily find themselves facing the prospect of losing everything they have or dieing.  One of the objections that has been made about the new health care reform bill is that "I don't want the government making my health care decisions for me".....sorry to break the bad news to you but if you haven't realized it yet the health insurance companies are already doing that for you....have you ever had to get approval to see a specialist after your primary care physician has already referred you to one?  This is not a valid argument against the health care reform bill.  I think that not having access to adequate health care is also a drain on the economy as a whole because of the effect the it has on productivity.  I would assume that if people are forced to make a choice between paying their rent of going to the doctor/dentist they are going to opt to pay the rent.  There needs to be a system in place where people can afford to access quality preventative care.