The large costs of healthcare is largely unknown by the population.
Much of it is typically communicated over a political platform or by
some candidate looking for election/reelection. I personally believe
there are several reasons for this. The main reasons being a lack of
accountability and lack of education regarding the matter.
Unfortunately, we have fallen into a scenario in which people often
look to major news media outlets in order to get some type of factual
information. As we all know, mainstream media is not necessarily the
most ideal form of delivery of set information. In today's landscape,
Government has not been successful in educating the mass
population. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) find by President Barack
Obama was supposed to have widespread reform among insurance
companies, pricing transparency, and identify different disparities
within the healthcare system. It is arguable that the law did not do its
job due to different components of it being ruled unconstitutional by
the United States Supreme Court. In addition to political challenges,
it has been difficult for any type of progression to take place
following the passage of this legislation.
On the topic of general misinformation, it seems that politicians and
their constituents usually take a partisan approach when it comes to
healthcare costs. There is definite inconsistencies within verbal
testimony in addition, we have always been unable to communicate
healthcare costs across the board because they continue to fluctuate
in terms of pricing. Each state also has an impact on pricing which
results in varying costs throughout the country. A resident in New
Jersey, I will likely be paying something different than a resident of
Oklahoma or Texas. The economies are different as well as the tax
base. This creates the illusion that we are getting different services at
a drastically different price. Is why we need government intervention
in the form of education so that a large portion of Americans can
understand the differences regarding pricing disparities. At the end
of the day, it all comes down to general education. The best
consumer is an informed one. Being educated with regard to those
differences make all the difference in having citizen participation.
Misinformation continues to be spread throughout both sides of the
political aisle and the people who actually execute those costs and
coverages should be brought to the forefront, given a platform, an
outline exactly what it is we as the consumer should know. The
answer is not to a single issue but rather a complex history.
References:
“Affordable Care Act (ACA) - Healthcare.gov
Glossary.” HealthCare.gov, https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/affo
rdable-care-act/
.
“How Much Does the Federal Government Spend on Health
Care?” Tax Policy Center, https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-
book/how-much-does-federal-government-spend-health-care
.
