When it comes to the government and healthcare the government
plays a huge role. They are the highest payer of healthcare and also
regulate the rules and policy making. The biggest government
healthcare service would be Medicare and Medicaid established in
1965 and now has over 63 million Americans enrolled in 2020 (Jain,
2021). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 is a very important
piece of what the government follows that can help with the lack of
the current healthcare system. The ACA allows the federal
government to focus on prevention areas like improving health
outcomes and reducing healthcare costs (Straube, 2013)
d Even with healthcare systems like Medicare and Medicaid there
are still about 28 million people without some form of health
coverage ( American Hospital Association, 2022) Not having health
insurance impacts individuals on more then just a medical level, it can
also affect then on an emotional level as well as financial. The costs
of an ER visit without health insurance roughly averages about
$2,200 for one visit (Corso, 2021). Where as having healthcare
coverage results in better health outcomes and a general overall
healthy well-being. If a person has access for preventative care
methods this reduces the risk of a potential serious condition being
found much later.
d The U.S is the only major nation that does not have universal
health insurance and spends more on health insurance then those
that do over it. For example the United Kingdom spends $2546 on
health expenditures per capita while the U.S is at $6102 (Davis,
2007). While the U.S does not offer universal coverage there are
steps that can be made to help reduce the costs and cover more
people. There could be state regulations to help with the cost for
those uninsured. For example in 2016 Massachusetts had a program
requiring employers to provide health benefits to workers or pay an
admittedly modest $295 a year into a fund to help cover (Davis,
2007). The terms for meeting the requirements for Medicare and
Medicaid should also be reevaluated in order to accommodate more
individuals. Reducing the restrictions and income could help assist
with getting some of the uninsured insured.
References
American Hospital Association. (2022). Report: The Importance of
Health Coverage | AHA. Www.aha.org.
https://www.aha.org/guidesreports/report-importance-health-
coverage
Corso, A. (2021, December 1). How Much an ER Visit Costs Without
Insurance | Mira. Www.talktomira.com.
https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-does-an-er-visit-cost
Davis, K. (2007). Uninsured in America: problems and possible
solutions. BMJ, 334(7589), 346–348.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39091.493588.be
Jain, S. (2021, September 8). The Government’s Role as the Largest
Payer of Healthcare Services is Growing. Www.trillianthealth.com.
https://www.trillianthealth.com/insights/the-compass/the-
governments-role-as-the-largest-payer-of-healthcare-services-is-
growing
Straube, B. M. (2013). A Role for Government. American Journal of
Preventive Medicine, 44(1), S39–S42.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.009
