The most important foundation of any country are the people that call that country their home. Citizens are the heartbeat of a society. In many of the nations scattered across the face of our beautiful planet, citizens give back to their land and government by paying taxes, by dedicating their futures to careers that will further the country’s prosperity, by giving their lives in wars, so that their country can achieve peace. In return, what should the nation, or the government, do for its people?
In a perfect reality, everyone would be taken care of. The elderly would receive pay for their service to the country and could live their final years in tranquility. The terminally ill would have access to hospitals and the best-known treatments. Those who needed access to healthcare, even the most basic of check-ups, would have the option to do so without having to qualify for it.
Sadly, this is not a reality in the United States. Free American healthcare is not an option for the 300,000,000 citizens reported to be living within the country. Every day, Americans with disabilities, terminal illnesses, injuries, and more are faced with the problem of finding money to pay for the treatments they need to ease their pain and perhaps even prolong their lives. Often, there are few options for those in perilous financial situations to get the treatment they need. This is especially true with the rising prices of healthcare these days. In an article titled “High Cost of Healthcare in the United States-A Manifestation of Corporate Greed”, the three authors mention an example of these inflated prices with the popular EpiPen®:
There is a striking case of EpiPen®. EpiPen® is epinephrine, a lifesaving medication used to treat anaphylactic shock. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. purchased the product’s marketing rights from Merck in 2007. At that time EpiPen® used to cost around $57 and its annual sales were $ 200 million; today the same drug costs $415 for a pack of 2 EpiPen®, which expire within a year. With help from savvy marketing and increase in drug price, its annual sale today is more than $1 billion [4,5] (Mathur, 1).
EpiPen® is a treatment that can save lives. Rising prices on necessary treatments like this one could potentially harm those that are in need. If a person is unable to afford this, how do they manage?
Inflated drug and treatment prices, along with incredibly high medical bills for normal and emergency hospital visits, have severely limited the number of Americans able to afford treatment completely out of pocket. This may be the reason why research by RIP Medical Debt concludes that “nearly one in 5 Americans have delinquent medical debt on their credit reports” (Coffey). The article, published on NBCChicago.com, suggests that 1.2 million Americans in the state of Chicago suffer under the crippling weight that is medical debt.
When so many people are experiencing debt, countermeasures must be taken to decrease these numbers. That is exactly why the country’s government healthcare plans have been created. While many Americans purchase healthcare plans through private companies, some cannot afford them. Healthcare meant to help those who are financially unable to cover the expenses does exist. Examples of this kind of healthcare are Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Medicaid is a healthcare assistance program meant to assist low-income adults in receiving the care they need. However, your income must not exceed the maximum income requirement set by the state you live in, and that requirement varies from state to state. Medicaid provides a wider umbrella of coverage than Medicare, another healthcare program. Those qualifying individuals who need long-term care or require hospitalization, will have help from Medicaid.
CHIP is a program that provides financial assistance to the children of families whose incomes do not meet the requirements for Medicaid in their state. Although the assistance does not cover every dollar of every visit to the doctor, routine checkups are free. However, other procedures may cost money out of the parents’ pockets.
Both CHIP and Medicaid can be applied for online, by filling out the proper information through Healthcare.gov.
What happens to those who fall through the cracks, those 28.9 million Americans who were reported by the National Center for Health Statistics to be uninsured in 2017? Healthcare.gov suggests those who are uninsured to seek out their local community health center and pay a small, income-based fee to be seen by a medical expert. This suggestion does not cover what to do during an emergency, or what to do if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness that will leave you and your family with no other choice but to visit a doctor. The medical bills pile up and then you are stacked high with debt, along with the fear and stress that comes to a family during a time of illness.
What could the United States do better in terms of providing affordable healthcare, especially for those in tough financial situations? Many people turn their eyes to the States’ northern cousin, Canada. Much like the States, the government issues healthcare to its citizens in what is called a single-payer system. However (and this is wherein the big difference lies) it does not restrict assistance based on a family’s or individual’s income. Public healthcare is provided for all of Canada’s citizens through the use of government funds. That means that no one who is a legal citizen of Canada is unable to see a doctor when they need to. Primary care and medical necessities (dental, checkups, surgery) are all covered by government funds. For expenses not covered by this aid, Canadians can purchase private insurance, either on their own or through their employer, to help pay.
There are still other factors to consider when analyzing the healthcare systems of these two nations. While Canada may provide “free” healthcare to its citizens, wait time to see a physician have caused some weariness to its people. Fraser Institute reports that the median waiting time between referral and treatment time is 21.2 weeks. Canada continues to take steps to reduce this time, but waiting time continues to be a hot topic for debate. However, when the cost of treatment simply comes out of your tax dollars, is Canada’s way of providing healthcare simply the better way to go?
Although both countries seem to have their pros and cons, one thing is clear—Americans are facing a healthcare dilemma. Would a single-payer system be the thing to solve this problem? That’s up to the government and the people to decide.