I believe some Americans are aware they just don’t care because
they feel like the government should offer universal healthcare. The
ones that are not aware are so wrapped up in what they must pay in
co-pays, out-of-pocket costs, and deductibles. According to the tax
policy center, the federal government spent nearly $1.2 trillion in the
fiscal year 2019. In addition, income tax expenditures for health care
totaled $234 billion. The federal government spent nearly $1.2
trillion on health care in the fiscal year 2019 ( Tax policy
center,2021). Most Americans don’t realize that the percentage split
of what they are responsible for, the government pays the rest to try
to keep costs down for the consumer. Also, consumers are not aware
of the incurred costs because of the affordable care act. It was
created to make sure the uninsured had access to affordable health
care at a lower cost but it’s at the expense of the government.
According to Sam hananel, the affordable care act new authorities
create a clear path for payment and delivery reform to lower costs
and improve quality (Hananel, 2010). I believe that the government
shields its consumers from the high costs of healthcare by creating
mandates to help all that are insured and uninsured. The government
cannot financially afford universal healthcare because it would be the
united states in major debt so they created ways that could save
money for the consumer even if that meant that take on the cost.
Reference
Hananel Director, S., Hananel, S., Shepherd Director, M., Director, J.
P. D., Waldrop, T., Gaba, C., Rapfogel, N., Chalhoub, T., O’Connell, J.,
Edmund, M., Graves-Fitzsimmons, G., & Chatterji, R. (2020, October
16). How health reform saves consumers and taxpayers money. Center
for American Progress. Retrieved February 9, 2022,
from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-health-reform-
saves-consumers-and-taxpayers-money/
Tax policy center. How much does the federal government spend on
Health Care? Tax Policy Center. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2022,
from https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-much-
does-federal-government-spend-health-care
