Despite rising health care costs in the United States, we continue to experience worsening
health outcomes. According to 2019 OECD Health Statistics, health care spending per
capita in the United States exceeds $10,000 and is more than double that compared with
the costs in Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (The
Commonwealth Fund, 2020).Between January 14 and June 5, 2020, 4,272 adults aged 19
to 64 were surveyed regarding their current health insurance coverage; these results were
published in the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey (The
Commonwealth Fund, 2020). The results of this survey were astounding, approximately
43.4% of American included in this survey were inadequately insured. In addition to this
12.5% of those surveyed were uninsured, 9.5% reported experiencing a lapse in their
health insurance coverage in the past 12 months, and 21.3% states that they were
underinsured (The Commonwealth Fund, 2020). I found it interesting that although
Americans have higher health care spending overall, they have less physician visits on
average than their counterparts in other regions of the world (The Commonwealth Fund,
2020). I believe this issue is twofold, first, there is a shortage of viable healthcare
providers in the country, which can impact and limit access to care. Secondly, the cost of
healthcare has become increasingly unaffordable, which has resulted in Americans needing
to make very difficult decisions regarding their personal health and well-being. On
average, citizens in the United States are paying approximately $1,122 as out of pocket
costs(The Commonwealth Fund, 2020).Due to these expenses American families are
forced to make difficult decisions regarding feeding their families, seeking necessary
medical treatments, or providing other necessities for their families.
As a result of rising health and health insurance costs, healthy Americans may opt to
purposely avoid medical insurance. If they are not in need of medical care, they may not
see the benefit of having and paying for a service they are not utilizing. There are certainly
associated pros and cons to this decision. Americans who do not utilize health insurance
can reap financial benefits in the short term. Previously, individuals without health
insurance incurred a tax penalty per the Affordable Care Act, however, this was rolled
back as of 2019(Williams, 2021). I consider myself a relatively healthy individual,
however, on my recent annual physical my provider heard an incidental murmur. Although
I was asymptomatic, an echocardiogram was ordered to rule out any concerning cardiac
issues; thankfully it was within normal limits. Much to my dismay, I was hit with a $900
bill despite being adequately insured. I can definitely commiserate with those who are
feeling the burden of excessive health care costs. Although I was not pleased with this
cost, I realize that I would have been hit with a larger bill if I didn’t have health insurance.
On the opposite end of the spectrum,not having health insurance could result in mountains
of financial debt. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion approximately 6 in 10 Americans have a chronic condition (Williams,
2021). Routine preventative care could be extremely beneficial in early detection,
treatment, and management of these chronic issues before they manifest into critical health
care conditions. In these situations, medical treatment ultimately becomes reactionary
rather than preventative, which can result in higher overall costs long term.
References:
The Commonwealth Fund. (2020, August 19).U.S. Health Insurance Coverage in 2020: A
Looming Crisis in
Affordability.https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/
aug/looming-crisis-health-coverage-2020-biennial
The Commonwealth Fund. (2020, January 30).U.S. Health Care from a Global
Perspective, 2019: Higher Spending, Worse
Outcomes?https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/jan/
us-health-care-global-perspective-2019
Williams, T. (2021, September 7).Don’t Have Health Insurance? What’s the Worst That
Could Happen?Investopedia. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/120815/dont-have-
health-insurance-whats-worst-could-happen.asp
