Introduction
The major problem facing the American people as far as health care is concerned is the cost and availability of health care (Kavilanz , 2009). Cost makes health care to be very elusive as most of the people cannot be afford it. Even as the education and the trade sectors of the economy grow the health sector is experiencing a lot of challenges. Health care in the United States is provided by both public and private entities. But the majority of it is provided by the private entities (Hilzenrath, 2010). Most of the forms of health insurance is provided by the privates sector. However there are those programs of insurance that are provided by the government. These are like the children’s health insurance program, the veteran health administration, medicare, Medicaid and Tricare. According to the 2008 census report on poverty, health insurance and income about 15 % of the total population is completely uninsured. 35% of the population has an insurance that is not sufficient (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). In the United States most of the income the people get is spent on getting health care and has attributed to most case of people going bankrupt. Due to lack of sufficient insurance about 18,000 lives are compromised every year.
Main body
Insurance is meant to work well on the principle of pooling risk for the management of catastrophic events. That is why insurance is not used to buy luxury goods or maintain cars. Insurance in the health context is meant to deal with the big health issues that happen once in a life time in our lives. Yet because of poverty we have to pay for a simple medical check up with insurance. For the people in employment most of this insurance is provided by the employer. Hence the employers are the ones getting tax credit for they pay for the health care expenses of the employers. This is of a disadvantage to the employee as it reduces the chances of the person to seek cheaper alternatives of health care. Uninsured people are less likely to have regular health check ups and seek preventive health care (Macgillis, 2010). These delays lead to very serious health conditions that will need a lot of money to take care of. In case of accidents these group will also be less likely to receive immediate medical attention.
Insurance is also a limitation to the number of physical places that are able to give the desired health care. The facilities outside these insurance covers will make the one pay more for the desired heath care. This makes health care more expensive as an insure patient pays less as compared to a patient who pays from out of his or her pocket. For the reimbursement rates for the government insurance programs the rates are set by the law (Milliman, 2003). For private insurance the rates are negotiated by the two parties; the insurance provider and the hospitals. Rates provided by the government are usually on the lower scale hence hospitals will be hesitant to provide the health are needed by patients under this scheme.
Conclusion
Sometimes some Americans do not qualify for government insurance. For this group charity care is available. This is usually provided by the non profit organizations and religious bodies. Some states like the New Jersey have programs that help people be treated at the cost of the state. But this charity care is not always available and this forces the patient to go without medical care (Rasmen, 2010). This has led to political conflicts as medical care is a necessity one cannot do without. This problem can be solved by the service providers taking up the responsibility to provide charity care and find ways of passing on the cost to the insured people who can pay. The eligibility standards for the insurance provided by the government should be reviewed to make sure more people are eligible for the coverage. With all these put in place the health of the American will be able to improve in that an individual will be able to experience a well rounded wellness and be more productive.
References
Hilzenrath, D. (2010) Poll shows opposition to health care overhaul declining. Post Politics. Web.
Kavilanz , p. (2009). Underinsured Americans: Cost to you. CNNMoney.com. Web.
Macgillis, A. (2010). Are bigger health-care networks better or just creating a monopoly? Washington Post. Web.
Milliman, M. (2003). Access to Health Care in America. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press. Web.
Rasmen, T. (2010). Health Care Reform New York Times. Web.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). Income, poverty and health insurance coverage in the United States.